WWC53 - The Special Teacup

When I was growing up, we had a special Sunday tradition.  By "we", I mean my mother, my sister and I.  Each Sunday after church, we would stay dressed in our "Sunday best" and have our little tea party.  My Dad was never part of that little tea party.  My Mum would have prepared his lunch and served it on a tray to enjoy while catching up on the TV news in the Living Room.  We ladies, on the other hand, enjoyed our tea at the Dining Room table.

(Why am I suddenly hearing the song "Tradition" from Fiddler on the Roof inside my head?)

My Mum had special teacups for our Sunday tea.  They were exquisite, dainty teacups which she had brought with her when they emigrated from Europe.  Mum's was the most exquisite.  It was almost transluscent, the porcelain was so thin.  She had received that cup from her own mother and it had the place of honour on our table.

As we ate our freshly baked cake and sipped at our tea, Mum would always reminisce about her childhood.  We would hear stories about the adventures she and her sisters enjoyed in the mountains where she grew up.  Those were magical times.  I can close my eyes and see us there, around the Dining Room table, listening and asking questions.  Enjoying our tradition.

Mum is gone now.  The tradition is gone except in my memories.  This new teacup bundle of stamps and framelits, the "Have a Cuppa" collection, brings those memories back and I miss those times keenly.  That is the backstory for my card today.

This week I am presenting a sketch for our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

For some reason the sketch made me think of our little tea parties.  For my background, I kept everything neutral, leading up to the teacup and embellishments which I've showcased.  The teacup, so similar in shape and style to my Mum's, takes centre stage, of course.  It felt natural for my sentiment to be "you're in my thoughts" from the A Dozen Thoughts set.  For my embellishments I've added a spoon cut from Silver Foil using the spoon framelit from the bundle.  I also added two sugar cubes created by cutting two small squares, sponging the perimeter lightly with Smoky Slate ink and covering them with Dazzling Details.  NOTE: I pushed a smoothly rounded pen top against the bowl of the spoon with my Silicone Craft Sheet beneath it to create a concave look.

It's a simple card, despite all the various layers.  I kept my colours to Whisper White, Smoky Slate, Basic Grey, Basic Black, Blushing Bride, Pacific Point and a touch of Garden Green on the leaves.  My teacup is heat embossed in Clear embossing powder and then painted using my Aqua Painter and Pacific Point ink.  I added Dazzling Details to the centres of the flowers.

I hope you'll try your hand at the sketch and link up to our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge this week.