What My Last Day In 2012 Looked Like

Just a fast post to show you what my New Year's Eve looked like. Maybe yesterday you were still recovering and today you're a bit more fit to read a blogpost. 
I say this because I too was recovering yesterday.
Wanted to show you the manicure I wore on New Year's Eve. I saw this on Whatihearttoday and VivianaDoesMakeup and really figured it would be a good year end mani.

Wasn't that bad for a first attempt, was it?

And also, a great thing I started my day with was a tea called Savannah which had rosebuds in it and tasted absolutely delicious.
It's in my mug from work, so less pretty,more practical packaging. 

What I really enjoyed was the fireplace. I never realized how relaxing staring at it is, not to mention it's idea when you come back inside and just want to be warm. I think I spent most of my night bundled up next to it.

How was your last night of 2012? Hope you enjoyed it!




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Pretty Photos: Tea Time!

Maybe you remember last week's  pretty photo post that was all about autumn and it was pretty!
So this week I'm feeling equally girly and would like to share with you one of my other obsessions: TEA.
Tea,Teacups, Tea Time...I even like 5 o'clock just because.
What will follow is a collection of pretty pictures of tea, tea related and sometimes just hot beverages in pretty cups.
Enjoy!

And let me show you where I'd like to be at any given time:

 That's all from me, hope you liked and maybe there's some fellow tea lovers among you :)
As mentioned in the last post, the photos have been taken from Pinterest and Weheartit and had no author credited. If you have taken any of them,let me know so I can credit you.




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New Tea Favorite: Pink Pepper Orange Rooibos

Wait what, pink pepper orange rooibos tea ?

Yes, that was a mouthful, try saying it 5 times in a row. But pink pepper is not one of the most common ingredients you will find in teas, it is though, one of my absolute favorites!
Last time I tried it, it was in a spicy lemon rooibos loose mix and man I loved it!
It was the ideal winter tea. Fresh yet super spicy and it would have made you warm even if it would have come in ice tea form.

This one I randomly came across at the Albert Heijn, which is a dutch supermarket chain and they usually have pretty interesting teas.
I'm a big rooibos fan so that's a simple way to get my attention. And since there was pepper in there too, I figures I might as well give it a go.

It is so,so,so,so good!
It has a bit of vanilla taste also, don't know where from, but I like it. And the pepper gives it the spiciness  I like. Great winter drink for sure!

What's your favorite tea?

I'm a huge tea fan and always on the lookout for new goodies, so please share!



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The Perfect Ginger Tea

It's autumn, have you noticed? I do believe you have.

That means there's a big chance you started overdosing on hot beverages, much like myself. In my quest for awesome teas, I've come across a ginger root and while staring at it, I started thinking "You could go in my cup,couldn't you?". And it did.

Ginger in a Cup I called it, later realized it wasn't the most appropriate name and renamed it Ginger Tea. Lack of originality galore right there, but we can't be all cannibalistic with gingers in cups, can we?

In any case, I wish to share my new discovery with you, because not only does it taste good, but it's also healthy and might save your life in case of colds.

You will need:

The Ginger: preferably a root, not a human
Lemon: can't really be mistaken for a human, so I think that one's a safe description
Honey
Boiling Water

What to do with it:

• First up,cut some ginger root slices. You can slice, dice or whatever other shape you wish to give it, just try to cut it relatively thin so that the flavor comes out easier. I put about 3 slices in the cup
• Pour some boiling water over the ginger slices and let it sit for at least 3 minutes
• Add your lemon first and then the honey. There's no right or wrong here, add as much or as little of both as you wish.
• ENJOY!

I've been overdosing on this tea for the past couple of days and I've only toned the consumption down because I'm slowly running out of ginger. But it's definitely one of my favorites now and I think it's going to be a staple drink this winter!

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Tea Time!

Tea is good for you,we all know this by now. Some teas are amazing for you though.They have antioxidants,which are highest in concentration in white and green teas, while black tea has substantially fewer due to its oxidative preparation.Rooibos for example is naturally caffeine free and high on antioxidants,which help your body fight cell damage.

I'm an absolute tea aficionado and I figured,why not share my favorite teas with you?
Here's my current favorites:

From left to right,up to down: Good Earth Organic Earl Grey, Pickwick Chocolate Mint,Jacob Hooy  Orange Rooibos and First Tea Vanilla Honey


Let's start with the tea that I never thought I'd like this much, Pickwick Chocolate Mint. The Chocolate-Mint combo only works with After Eight chocolates in my mind,and that is what I had expected this tea to taste like. Big mistake! It tastes like smooth chocolate! Completely unexpected and delicious.

 My absolute favorite tea is Rooibos tea. Rooibos means "Red Bush" and it is the name that the plant has gotten because of it's color. It grows in southern africa and has absolutely no caffeine in it. Which means,you can drink it before bed for calming and you can drink it in the morning for energy. It's a Win-Win tea for sure! And adding orange to it...my goodness! Absolutely delicious! I drink rooibos anyway you offer it,but this has got to be the best one I have ever tasted!

Now this tea is a fascinating one. First Tea Vanilla Honey. It's a mix of white and black tea. Basically,white,green and black tea all come from the same plant that grows in China:Camellia sinensis. Its leafs are what make the tea. The difference between white and black tea is the degree of oxidation and processing.White tea comes from the buds and leaves. The leaves and buds are allowed to wither in natural sunlight before they are lightly processed to prevent oxidation or further tea processing.Black tea are leafs left to oxidize and get their specific black color.
This tea is simply yummy. Add some honey to it and you have yourself a cup of relaxation.

Good Earth Organic Earl Grey. Earl Grey usually means black teas that contain oil of bergamot as a flavoring. I'm a big Earl Grey fan and this one was a great find. Another plus,it's organic! I usually add some milk to it and it makes for the perfect coffee substitute.
You can actually find some of their organic teas in their Webshop. As I see,they're out of Earl Grey,but maybe soon again.

So that's my list for now. If you'd see my cupboard you'd be shocked as to how I managed to pick just 4 teas for this list :p
Do you have any favorites? Feel free to share.And if you're craving any of these guys and can't get your hands on them,let me know and maybe I can help