Tea Wreaths

{update: If you'd like to join in with the tea swap 2011, check out this post!}

As promised, here is the advent tea wreath in its entirety. With so many bright and interesting tea bags, I thought it would be fun to create a colour chart of sorts, so during advent I'll be working my way through a rainbow of teas! 

Now, for a round up of other lovely tea wreaths:

 Jadyn's Tazo-tastic advent wreath

Jen's lovely purple and yellow Yogi wreath

Gem's fantastic advent tea tree

 Carole Ann's tea packet wreath

And, of course, the Kojo Designs beauty that inspired it all.

So far, we've sampled Lipton's Asian white tea, which was deliciously light and unusual, and the Twinings Traditional English, which was perfect with a chocolate biscuit. 

Up today: The Emperor's Bride, a Finnish tea in a beautiful red packet. Off to put the kettle on right now...

The First Day of Advent

Who says you can only have one advent calendar? Round here, advent is an all day event! 

We'll start the day with a cup of advent tea (Lipton's Asian white tea, today)...

...turn over the first letter of the advent message...

...have a chocolate from the advent train to keep our energy up...

...discover what our little mystery Christmas activity will be...

...and we'll finish it all off by picking who will be adopting little Mr. Bramble the grizzly bear! In case you're not subscribed yet, go ahead and do it now. You've got until I go to bed tonight!

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And Yet More Advent...

I have a feeling that, by the time December 1st actually rolls around, we'll have so many advent calendars around here that we'll spend all day every day up to Christmas opening doors, drinking advent tea, and, now, flipping over little numbered red hearts.

I was inspired by this advent calendar, which reveals a letter of a hidden message each day. A lovely way to count down to Christmas, without it having to mean more sweets to eat!

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So, on the backside of each heart is a letter, and on Christmas Eve, when the final one is turned, it will read "We wish you a Merry Christmas."

And yes, it's another good use for my peppermint wool or your baker's twine!

P.S. Don't forget to subscribe by email if you'd like to give Bramble Bear a home!

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Advent Tea: Sneak Peek

Exciting, unusual, tasty-looking teas have been arriving from the lovely people participating in my advent tea swap. And though the final wreath isn't finished yet, here is a little glimpse of it in progress.

English tea, French tea, Finnish tea, Texan tea. 

Red tea, green tea, black tea, white tea. 

My teapot is quaking with anticipation!

Advent Tea: Revised

Okay, perhaps the twenty-five-person tea swap for advent was a little ambitious. I know, that's a lot of people to send to, and a bit more work than anyone wants to do. But, there are three of us dedicated tea-lovers excited and ready to swap with each other, and I just wanted to extend a final invitation to you:

The New Plan: After a little dose of reality, I've decided to limit the number of people to six. So, if sending out a maximum of five little parcels sounds more possible, then send me a quick message (in the comments or at: astrid@redredcompletelyred.com). We'd love to have you join in!

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P.S. If you're looking for Tilly, she's weighing in over at Totally Tilly from now on!

Start Now and Be Ready for Advent

{update: If you'd like to join in with the tea swap 2011, check out this post!}

My family have always been big celebrators of Advent -- whether we were scoffing chocolates out of a Cadbury's calendar, or opening beautifully wrapped bibs-and-bobs that my Mum had collected in the previous months, my brother and sister and I could always expect the twenty-four days before Christmas to be exciting.

Perhaps I've matured a bit, or lost my sweet-tooth (um... no), but Advent is no longer all about the sweeties. As the nights get longer, and the last-minute preparations come together, those twenty-four days are a time to reflect on family, friends and community, and to connect with the people that matter most.

And in the spirit of connecting, this year I have a plan for something extra special. I was inspired by Kojo Designs' wonderful tea wreath (above). But, rather than going out and buying twenty-five types of tea myself, I thought, why don't we have a little swapsies.


The plan: You send me, and twenty-three others, one bag of your favourite tea (and keep a bag for yourself). Meanwhile, twenty-three others and I are sending you a bag of our favourite tea. Voila! Twenty-five teas to sample over advent. (And it doesn't have to be your favourite. Maybe there's a wacky tea you've always wanted to try, but didn't want to drink a whole box of yourself? Share it with us!)


The lovely thing is that a teabag won't cost very much to send, so this shouldn't break into your Christmas fund too much. And just think of all those exotic envelopes heading towards your postbox...

So, if you'd like to join me in brewing up a tea-rrific advent calendar from around the world, please leave a comment below, or send me a quick email to: astrid@redredcompletelyred.com. We need twenty-four people, so don't be shy! Family, friends, old and new readers are all welcome!

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P.S. For more advent calendar ideas, have a look over here.