Summertime Breeze 22 Piece Tea Set

Why not have a lovely tea set at your house? Not only will they make a great display for a break ware  cabinet and very useful for tea parties, but you'll be glad you have a tea set when your children ask for an heirloom. Here is a lovely 22 piece set available on Amazon for $110 called Summertime Breeze.

If this set isn't your style or it's too expensive, there are many options below it when you scroll down. More beautiful China ware will be posted in the future. Enjoy a hot or cold cup of tea while you take a minute to look at this set on Amazon today.

Top Ten for Tins

When you've drank the last of the tea in your tin, you either throw it away the tin jar or you up-cycle it. Here are the top ten things I thought of that you can do with it.

Number Ten | Make it a Mug or Cup

This tin has been holding tea since before you bought it. Why not continue making it do so? Pour your tea in it or brew directly in the tin can. Place the lid back on and it's a travel mug!

Number Nine | Store Your Gadget's Accessories

Going for a quaint decor at your house? Don't let a mix of wires, hard drives and other accessories leave your house looking atrocious! Wrap up your ear buds with a twist tie and toss them into your empty tin for a chic, antique appearance.

Number Eight | Planter

Winter is approaching and the only way to keep that pop of color in a cold climate is with a planter. Fill the tin with soil and transplant that plant!

Number 7 | Nail Polish Container

Keep your night stand tidy by storing your nail polish, tubes of lipstick, and eyeshadow cases in a pretty tin. Keeps you organized and makes an instant decoration.

Number Six | Jewelry Box

A pretty tea tin can make a lovely jewelry box. Whether it's sides are intricate or not, it will make a nice addition to your vanity table or bureau. 

Number Five | Candle

Buy some wax at Michael's or AC Moore along with some wicks and if you please, artificial fragrance then make a candle in your empty tea tin. Another great idea is to put some of the tea aside before you finish the last of it and mix it into the wax. When you burn the candle, you'll get that lovely scent of tea again.

Number Four | Bird Food Container

A big, bulky bag of bird feed will take up a lot of space by your kitchen door. Fill up the tin with the seeds and nuts and leave the huge bag in your basement and the case in a kitchen cabinet to sprinkle on the ground by your door this winter. Kids will love watching the birds up close!

Number Three | Sugar Basin
Use a funnel to pour sugar from the five pound bag you just bought into a tin and you've made a quick, and you've made a sugar basin that is not only easy-to-access but also decorative.

Number Two | Pencil or Craft Material Container
Another great way to use your old tins is to store pencils in it. You can also use it to store buttons, beads, ribbons, or other craft supplies. Goodbye glass Yankee candle jars, hello rustic tea tins!

Number One | Herb and Seasonings Jar
Store your dried dandelion leaves for dandelion tea or other collected herbs in a nice tin. Then, when you're ready to make homemade herbal tea, just grab a handful of the dried out bits and brew them. You can also put in a seasoning such as cloves or dump in a cup of Vietnamese cinnamon with a small measuring spoon. 

Dandelion Tea

When I was younger, I always thought the idea of eating dandelions was disgusting. Sure you can eat lettuce, potatoes, radishes, watermelon and other plants but you can't eat a dandelion.

Finally I decided to make dandelion tea. It still sounded like a disgusting thing to eat but I wanted to try it.

It isn't nearly as disgusting as I thought and the recipe is so simple. It's barely a recipe at all! 

All you need are dandelion leaves and water.

  1. Boil water in a kettle or saucepan on the stove. If you want to make this a faster process, heat it up in a microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Using a microwave may result in weaker tea.

  2. Wash four large dandelion leaves and tear them into small pieces about half an inch by half an inch. You may hear that you should let them dry in the sun but it's not required. (Note: If you dry them, make the process natural rather than with an oven.)

  3. Place leaves in a sieve and place the sieve over the mug of hot water. Allow to sit for about three minutes. If the leaves do not touch the water due to the shape of your sieve, just let them float in the water. For a softer taste, do not interfere with the seeping process. For a stronger taste, press the leaves to the sides of the sieve or mug using a spoon.

  4. Add sugar if you please and enjoy.

Jasmine Latte

This tea not only tastes delicious but also has an amazing aroma!

It's simple and well worth spending a bit of time making it.

Ingredients: 

•milk

•water

•jasmine tea

•cloves

•cinnamon

•sugar

  1. Fill a mug halfway with milk (preferably whole) and pour it into a saucepan.

  2. Fill the mug halfway again with water and add the pan.

  3. Measure a tablespoon of jasmine tea and stir it into the milk-water mixture. 

  4. Add a small handful of cloves,--whole or crushed--a teaspoon of cinnamon, and half a tablespoon of sugar.

  5. Place the lid on the pan and turn the heat to high. Keep the mixture on the heat until it reaches just boiling. Watch to make sure it doesn't overflow.

  6. When it does so, remove the lid and summer on low for one minute. 

  7. Place a sieve over your mug and pour the tea slowly over it. If any jasmine or cloves get into the mug, use a tea bag wrapper or small piece of paper to fish it out. The tea leaves will stick to the paper.    

This tea will be hot so be cautious as you drink it. I usually need an ice cube.

Some prefer to heat the milk, water, cinnamon, and sugar first and then proceed to pour it over the jasmine and cloves in another pot. Experiment and decide which you like best.