A little delay...

Dear friends and customers, I will be cheering my son on at the DII Great Northern Athletic Conference Track & Field Championships next weekend. So, we are going to have a short disruption in shipping and delivery.

There will be no shipment or delivery on Friday, May 11. Orders placed after noon PST on Monday, May 7, through noon PST on Thursday, May 10, will not be shipped or delivered to our local pickup location until Monday, May 14.

In other words, if your tins are low, you need to order by noon tomorrow, to have your purchase shipped or delivered on Tuesday.

We'll be back to our regular schedule after the weekend, and you'll hear more from Island Tea after that, as well. The college track season has been crazy busy, with traveling hither and yon, but oodles of fun!

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding!

Favorite Oatmeal Cookies

If you are a baker, you probably have a number of tried and true recipes you turn to frequently.  This oatmeal cookie recipe has been a family favorite for years.  The basic recipe without any additions is perfectly delicious, but you can add all sorts of different ingredients to suit your taste or the season.  The cookies above contain 1 cup each of flaked coconut, dried sour cherries, chocolate chips,  and pumpkin seeds or pepitas.   This combination received a big thumbs up from all who tried them.   Adding plenty of seeds, nuts and fruits makes these an excellent breakfast cookie. 

Basic Recipe:

1 cup softened unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups oatmeal (regular rolled oats or quick cooking)

Optional:  For additional flavor and interest add 1 cup each of 3 or 4 (or more) of the following:   sunflower seeds, chopped nuts, pumpkin seeds,  chocolate chips, dried flaked coconut, raisins, sultanas, dried cherries or blueberries or cranberries, or other chopped dried fruit of your choosing.  Chopped dried apricots are another favorite in my household. 

If you plan on adding sweetened coconut or a sweet dried fruit you can easily reduce each of the sugars by 1/4 cup.

Directions:

In large bowl add sugars to softened butter and cream well.  Add vanilla.  Add eggs one at a time and mix well.  In separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients (flour, soda, salt and oatmeal) and mix into wet ingredients.  Stir in your optional additions.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.  (I use a cream/dough scoop about 1 1/2" in diameter.)  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden.   Cool on rack and store in a tin.

I strongly suggest you hide some for yourself!

Oh, NO!

We have experienced a major technical problem and all images have apparently been deleted from our blog.  It's not sounding like a restore is possible.  What a bummer!  We will begin reloading images.  We are so sorry for the ugly black boxes!  : (

Holiday Schedule

Oh my goodness!  Crunch time is upon us!   Our shipping deadline is but a mere two weeks away today! Hard to believe, but it is true. 

• Deadline to order for shipping is Thursday, December 15 at 4pm PST. 

• The last day we’ll be dropping orders at The Paint Escape in Freeland is Thursday, December  22.   We love you, but no “if-and-or-buts” will be accepted.

• Island Tea Company will be closed from December 23 through January 2 for vacation and inventory.

• First shipping and delivery day in 2012 will be Wednesday, January 4, for orders received by 12:00pm PST the day prior. 

Good luck with your preparations and planning!

Happy Thanksgiving!

May this Thanksgiving day find you with many reasons to give thanks.    May your table be full of favorite foods and surrounded by those you love.  May your heart be warmed and memories stored for the years to come. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Online Holiday Open House Now On!

Our Online Holiday Open House and Sale has started!  All of our delicious holiday teas are now in stock and we have special pricing on much of our giftware.  Shop early for best selection!  Event ends Monday, November 28, at 12:00 pm Pacific Time.

Introducing Leneen Carr of Natural Touches

I had the pleasure of featuring Leneen Carr's handmade paper gift cards in my shop for many years and am so delighted to again have her creations at our open house.  Her gift cards are artful little collages of handmade papers, ribbons, charms, and hand cut paper embellishments.   Last holiday season, Leneen began crafting wreaths of northwest greenery adorned simply, but beautifully, with elegant ribbons.  We will have ordering information for you at the open house.  I recently had the opportunity to catch up with Leneen, a busy mom, wife and artist!

Q.  You make some of your own papers for use in your cards and the textures and colors are so interesting.  What are some of the ingredients you add to the mix?

A.   Handmade paper is a wonderful way to recycle what some might view as "junk!"  I may incorporate egg cartons, junk mail, dryer lint and dried flowers.  Many of the flowers are from my garden or my friends' gardens.  Every handcrafted paper turns out different.

Q.  Your new holiday wreaths are beautiful!   Approximately how big are these and what greens are you using this year?   These must be a lot of work!

A.  The wreaths are the same size as a standard wreath but end up being bigger because they are so full of greens.  What would that be... maybe 26 inches or so?  Since we live next to the Trillium woods, we go on many hikes, and that is where my inspiration for our lovely wreaths of northwest greens came from.   I like to use wild huckleberry greens, salal, cedar and sometimes pine and hemlock.

Q.  I know you enjoy working with nature's bounty and I've heard rumors of flower designing.....  What's coming up for you?

A.  Yes, the rumors are true.  I did two weddings this past summer and really LOVED working with flowers.  I also did all of the handmade paper cones, guestbook and invitations!

Leneen's artistic flair and attention to detail is evident in all she creates.  Stop by on Monday, Nov. 14, to see her work in person.  Her handcrafted cards make perfect keepsakes for friends and loved ones, and her fresh wreaths will add fresh Northwest beauty to your holiday home!