Nutcracker Tea and Unexpected Guests

Welcome ... happy you were able to stop by and join me for tea. The day is quite overcast and the rain makes the outside feel quite damp. But we are toasty warm inside where I have set up a Nutcracker tea, to cheer things up on this rainy day.

It's hard to believe Christmas is just a week away. Though we have experienced some cold days, the temps have been above normal for this time of year - no snow in our area. as you can see from the breakfast area window ... the Christmas cabbages are vibrant with all the rain.

As I turned to retrieve a few things from the island ... I heard some stirring behind me... when I turned this is what I encountered... 

It seems for today's tea, a couple of unexpected guests have decided to join us...of course when they realized they were busted ... they thought if they froze still I would not notice. 

They quickly discovered there was no doggie treats to be had. Dolce was quick to make his escape. Miss Gabbana, decided to do the "If I don't see you , you don't see me" turn.

These lovely teacup trio sets came to me from my dear friend Nan author of The LBD Diaries blog. There is on stamp on the bottoms, so I don't know the manufacturer. The teacup does have a figure 8 like impression  on the bottom.

They look to have been hand painted and the gold detail is gorgeous. The edge of the plate, saucer and teacup have a scalloped detail and the design is slightly raised. The inside of the teacup also has been painted gold about half way down.

The photos do not show the full loveliness of this trio. There is a gold circle detail on the bottom of the inside of the teacup, as well as on saucer and plate.

The handle of the teacup has a slight thumb rest and is also detailed in gold.

To accompany our tea today, we have some treats I picked up at a French Patisserie in the city, ~ Patisserie La Cigogne (on Bayview Avenue). The madeline are delectable baked from scratch on-site and the soft nougat with exotic fruit are both perfect for a Nutcracker tea. 

If you really want a treat ... how about a little rose jam with your madeline. Mon Ami from Vermont introduced me to this delightful jam - it's from France and of course having been born and raised there ..she.has been enjoying rose jam with her morning baguette for years. I have not been able to find it here in Canada, but mon ami has a couple places in the USA, which she thoughtfully keeps me supplied from.

Thank you for visiting and taking tea with me today.

Sharing this post with:  Little red House for Mosaic Mondays ~Antiques and Teacups for Tuesday Cuppa Tea ~ Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea time Tuesday ~ Artful Affirmations and Martha's favorites for Teacup Tuesday  Table Top Tuesday ~  A Return to Loveliness Tuesday ~  between naps on the front porch Thursday My Simple Country Life for The Country Homemaker Hop ;Katherine of Katherine’s Corner for Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop; Kathy of A Delightsome Life for Home and Garden Thursday;Sheri at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home; Courtney of French Country Cottage for Feather Your Nest Friday;Alison of Stuff and Nonsense for Fridays Unfold; At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday; Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday. ~  What Inspires Me Friday