Free Cupcakes and Tea!

Those words will bring the neighbors out in droves. Tessie let everyone know yesterday that she would, for one day only, be serving cupcakes and tea for the grand opening of Tessie's Teas.

This is what the front of the shop looked like at six this morning. And they just kept coming. By eight o'clock, she gave up and opened the door. She was in fear of them knocking the door down and starting to riot.

These are people that have been waiting for months just for a cupcake. And believe me, they are serious cupcake eaters.

I decided to show you the 'before' photos today so that you could see it before the party got started. If it goes like most parties around here, it could go on for at least a couple of days. It depends upon how long the cupcake/tea supply holds out.

Here's the tour. First the attic. The pot of bat wing stew is still simmering.....How many days has it been now? Maybe we should call it Fermented Bat Wing Stew. Tessie is pretty well stocked up on spell ingredients....I don't see any of the flour, sugar, cocoa and other supplies that she needs for cupcakes. Not to mention, the only tea I see is on the shelves in the shop. I do hope that she remembered to order more. What she has is not going to last very long.

She is going to have to make more stock after the party. There are a lot now, but tomorrow there will probably just be crumbs on the floor and plates licked clean. Did I mention that the dogs like them too?

Here's a view of the whole thing. She doesn't have much in the way of seating....I asked her about it and she replied,"Seating? Who needs seating? Remember? By appointment only. Three people is enough to wait on at a time. If more want to eat cupcakes, they can take them home. I'll not have a bunch of people messing up my nice clean tea shop!"

I guess that is logical if you don't want to clean up after people. If I ever start a tea shop, I might just have to try that.

Then she said, "And besides, I am a free spirit.....I can't be tied down serving tea all day long!"


Here's the left side of the shop. She has put the tea cart that I bought her at the antique store to good use, serving cappuccino.

For special customers only, she has the golden Reutters tea set. Debbie from Tiny Treasures http://debbiestinytreasures.blogspot.com/ Sent her that.

There is also pumpkin tea in the pot at the front for her sister Esmirelda. That's all she drinks. Special brew.

The pets are getting a special sneak preview of the shop. I suspect that some of the cupcakes are going to have holes licked in the frosting at this rate. Theo has his eye on the strawberry cake. That tiger has the strangest tastes for a cat.

This was just before the shop opened and Tessie was still barring the door on the right side of the shop.

She very thoughtfully put a couple of baskets by the door for shoppers to fill.

On this side, the table with one chair is officially hers. Her cup with "Tessie's Teas" is on the table and she scarfed up most of the chocolate chip cookies before she let the others in.....She told me,"I didn't make enough for everybody. They are MINE!" She is being her usual "One for all, and all for me!" self. I am sure that the rest will disappear before anybody gets inside the door.

It is about time for the party to start! Tessie said to tell you, "Come on in! Have a cupcake and a beverage of choice and clean up your mess before you leave!" I wonder if she has ever heard the phrase "The customer is always right." Probably. She just disregards whatever annoys her and I am sure that would annoy her, no end.

Anyway, I am only going to repeat the part of the message that doesn't annoy me. "Come on in and have a cupcake and a beverage of choice!"

See you tomorrow. I will be the one with the push broom and dust pan and Tessie will be hiding anywhere but the tea shop.