Craft room "tea"

No tea today as I start some crafting in my main floor craft room. In fact, today almost didn't happen because my internet has been down for four days. I finally had to call my internet service provider who walked me through resetting the modem, after which I had to reboot the computer, then reset some internet settings. Sadly, they were unable to help me with my e-mail problems, which means I am still unable to access my e-mail.

Back to tea, or lack of it today. I got this game idea from my friend Kathy, who bought one of the games in order to see how they were made. Although mine will be a lot different from the original game (which costs $20.00 US), they will be similar to (although mine will be larger than) what Kathy made.


I also have some very burnt lime slices. Last week for Tea Tuesday, I asked Kimmie (who keeps our tea links) how she managed to cut her orange slices so perfectly and she told me she used a chef knife. Then Jean suggested a serrated bread knife. Just like scissors, I have no sharp knives. I have a paring knife that is relatively sharp, and I use it for everything, including making simple cuts in erasers. So now I know. I need a sharp knife that has been sharpened. Just my luck.

Of course, I had another real problem because I set the oven at 180 degrees F. like I always do when I dehydrate fruit or veggies, then went off for a couple of hours to visit a few blogs. When I came back, I was shocked. It normally takes a good eight to 12 hours to dry fruit. This time, the limes were not just dried, but burned. I've never had anything dry that quickly before. So much for the limes! And that was three pounds of limes, too!


To honor the limes, I have started drinking Key Lime Clear. I learned after I started drinking it (yep, right out of the bottle) that it is sparkling water. Since I don't normally buy anything carbonated like that, I was surprised. And just think, I even paid for zero caffeine, too!

The object is to drink the flavored water, rinse out the bottles, dry them for a few days, then fill them with bird seed and various tiny surprises like a straight pin, a hex nut, a screw, a kernel of corn, a penny, etc. I understand the penny is about the last thing you find. You give recipients a sealed bottle, along with a list of the items and they tick them off once they have found the items. I thought it would make a fun Christmas gift for people who are hard to buy for and those who don't appreciate my art.

So today, I'll be drinking at least two of these bottles of sparkling water. If I don't, I will never get these games made. You could always come and help me drink them. I'd even give you your own bottle and a glass if you don't want to be an animal like me drink directly from the bottle!

Have a great Tea Tuesday (and yes I'm grateful to be back online) and be sure to visit Kimmie for the rest of my Tea Tuesday friends.