hand-printed fabrics

These fabrics were all hand-printed by lovely people around the world (but mostly, in Australia), as part of Leslie's third fabric swap. 

What a collection! I went through today and cut some of the fat quarters up into 5" charms, ready for an upcoming project that's going to require a very large stack of squares. (More on that later.) I loved how the leaf print from Melanie turned into so many complimentary squares when cut. (The white-on-cream is hard to photograph, but really gorgeous in person!)

The little grey Dutch Houses, made by Linda, would have lost their roofs if cut to 5", so I've kept them in long strips, ready for inspiration to strike.

In exchange, I sent these fat quarters of "Wild Geese" flying off around the globe -- a design inspired by a favourite Mary Oliver poem.

"the world offers itself to your imagination,

call to you like wild geese -- harsh and exciting"

That's exactly what sewing is -- a harsh world of sharp pins, blades, and needles, filled with bright colours and prints, and the excitingly limitless possibilities they promise.

the third annual advent tea swap

Here we go for the third time, tea-lovers! It's time to collect up a few extra bags of your favourite teas, ready to send, and then watch your post-box for weird and wonderful teas arriving from around the world!

What you'll need: 25 bags of tea. (20 to swap, 5 for yourself)

What you'll do: You'll be paired up with four other tea swappers, and send each of those people 5 bags of tea. 20 bags of tea will arrive for you -- paired with the 5 you kept for yourself, you'll have enough for one bag of tea for each day of advent, and a one for Christmas Day.

You can make yourself a tea wreath or calendar to display your advent tea, or just keep all your teas in a nice pot by the kettle!

How to join in: Send me an email at astrid@redredcompletelyred, before Monday, November 12th, including your mailing address, so that we'll know where to send the tea!

(Note: if we have enough local interest, Bryan/College Station folks, we can have a separate swap group without the need for postage)

photo credit

{advent is brewing}

Tea is arriving, beautiful, from all around the world.

As it goes up onto the advent tea wreath, I'm eagerly awaiting the first cup tomorrow -- I'm thinking we've got to start with a Teapigs tea 'temple', sent from England!

{the second annual advent tea swap}

Ladies and gentlemen, dust off your teapots -- it's time for the Second Annual Red Red Advent Tea Swap!

As the first swap was such a success, we are really excited to repeat the tradition! Last year, teas arrived from all over the world, including China, Finland, England, and America. We tried unusual flavours, found some new favourites, (as well as discovering that Justin thinks chamomile tastes like "warm urine") and loved sharing the experience with some of you.

Would you like to join in this year? Here's how it works:

What you'll need: 25 bags of tea. (20 to swap, 5 for yourself)

What you'll do: You'll be paired up with four other tea swappers, and send each of those people 5 bags of tea. 20 bags of tea will arrive for you -- paired with the 5 you kept for yourself, you'll have enough for one bag of tea for each day of advent, and a one for Christmas Day.

You can make yourself a tea wreath to display your advent tea, check out my advent tea calendars, or just keep all your teas in a nice pot by the kettle!

How to join in: Send me an email at astrid@redredcompletelyred, before November 13th, including your mailing address, so that we'll know where to send the tea!

(Note: if we have enough local interest, Bryan/College Station folks, we can have a separate swap group without the need for postage)

Looking forward to sharing a nice warm cup of tea with you this winter...

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!

(source)

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!

(source)

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