Valentines or Galentines? ​ ​ What is Galentine’s? Galentine’s is the day when we celebrate the close friends in our life, who add so much. It is officially celebrated on February 13th, however I think it can be celebrated anytime during the month of February. I must admit that I would be lost without my friends. They inspire me, lift my spirits when I am down and always make me smile.  Our friends are the family we choose for ourselves. ​ ​ Wanting to host a Galentine’s or Valentine’s Tea? It can seem overwhelming when wanting to entertain friends. Not sure how to go about it? My top tips: 1.     Decide on how many people you wish to invite. Even numbers are best. You can invite just one person if you want. 2.     Pick a date, plan on a two hour time frame. 3.     Decide on food and tea. I like to serve 2 types of tea at the minimum, a black tea and a tea with minimal or no caffeine. I like to use teas that speak to the mood of Valentine’s Day. Chocolate and rose flavors work well. My tea suggestions for Galentines or Valentines are: ​Rose’s Cherry Cloche – A green tea with cherry and rose flavors. This tea has been featured numerous times in Tea Time Magazine. The rose essence lifts the mood. Green tea helps increase the metabolism, brain function and may reduce blood sugar levels. Plus, it the taste is delicious. ​ ​ ​Chocolate Mint is our newest tea and only one with chocolate. We all know that chocolate increases good feelings and mint helps with digestion, mood and energy levels. Plus, this chocolate treat is calorie free! Coco’s Minty Percher ​ ​ When it comes to the food, please don’t feel you don’t have to make everything.  People often drive themselves crazy trying to do it all . You can buy scones and sweets at a local bakery. I made the plant based scones at the top from my special recipe that I came up with in 2020. The ingredients include pecans, white chocolate and strawberries. I used a heart shaped cookie cutter to make a few scones in the shape of a heart. ​ If you would like the recipe, let me know and l will send to you. The plate is Spode Camellia, a family piece. ​   ​ Here is another cute idea…strawberry tea sandwiches. Only 3 ingredients and so pretty! These are from My Casual Party Hope these ideas inspire you. Valentines is always a fun time to celebrate as a party in February lifts the spirits. This January has been especially gray in Kentucky, so I will do whatever I can to lift the mood here. Lots of love, Polly Unsubscribe | Update your profile | 115 Kelly Avenue, Georgetown , KY 40324

Looking to host a Downton Abbey themed tea?

While seeming overwhelming, it need not be difficult.  Here are a few tips for hosting a Downton themed tea or really any tea for that matter.

As the Hostess, you will need to:

*Select a date that works best for your guests.  I prefer weekend afternoons as that seems to work best. As the Dowager Countess says, “What is a weekend?”

*Decide whether or not you will provide everything or ask guests to bring items.  My tea group has potluck teas and that is rather nice.  It takes the burden off the host as there is much involved in hosting a tea and it lets the guests take a part in the tea.

*Provide the tea.  I suggest a full bodied black tea such as Earl Grey, English Breakfast or Assam.

*Decorate – this is the fun part!

*Provide the serving ware, dishes, cutlery, napkins and of course, a pretty table cloth. I really like to use blue dishes as the food seems to photograph well.

*As hostess, you will make the decision as to whether or not you want to have a three tiered server or have guests serve themselves (like the Crawley’s did in their library).  If you have many food items, it can be easier to make it pot luck.  If you have 4 or fewer guests, I would suggest a three tiered server in the middle of the table.

Decorating the table

I like to use tea themed centerpieces.  In the past, I have taken a teapot or tea cup to a local florist and had them create the arrangement.  As the Dowager Countess said to Isobel Crawley said in one episode, “These things are best left to the professionals.”

One of the big lessons that I have learned as a hostess is that you can’t do everything.  Concentrate on what you do well and contract out the rest.

This last tea pot is very old.  It is one of my favorites.  Probably Staffordshire.

CURIOUS WHAT FOODS TO SERVE?

I highly recommend going to the source and using recipes from the Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea Cookbook.  It can be daunting figuring out what to serve.  The cookbook is very nice, beautifully illustrated and gives a bit of history as well.

If your guests are pitching in, perhaps give them a recipe to try.

MY TOP TIP

Serve the scones first if you are able to.   Room temperature scones are okay, but warm scones are heavenly!  I was taught that the tea sandwiches come first, but if the food is served in that order, the scones will be cold.  Make sure to have plenty of clotted cream and jam on hand.  Note that scones can be frozen and then thawed.  I have found that extremely helpful when hosting an afternoon tea.

SCONE ETIQUETTE

Before I become a certified etiquette instructor in the Art of Afternoon Tea, I had no idea that there was such a thing as scone etiquette!  Decorum states that the scone should be broken in half, not cut or sawed in half.  Scones are all made different and some will just not break in half, especially the triangle shaped ones.    I know I don’t have to say this, but avoid making a scone burger.  The scone is supposed to be eaten slowly.

Scones are really fun to make as there are endless combinations.  My personal favorite is my lemon lavender scones, which are also plant based.

Shown here are strawberry, white chocolate and pecan scones that I made once for Valentine’s Day.

PHOTOS

In my opinion, it is important to take photos of the tea table and each other before you are seated. Before you post any photos on social media, make sure that everyone is fine with their photo being shared.  Please do not post any unflattering photos.   After that, you may put your phone away and enjoy the conversation.

CONVERSATION

The most important aspect of afternoon tea is relaxing and catching up with friends.  If you can, avoid politics, gossip or any other topic that can be upsetting.  I like to pick a topic and then go around the table.  Some suitable tea time topics are:

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

What is your new favorite book?

What is your favorite movie?

If you could have tea with anyone living or deceased, who would you pick?

I find I learn things about my guests that I would have never learned before.

Of course, tea with the Dowager Countess often involved her trying to find out information or influence others in her family.  I love this photo of her looking wistfully at Downton.

WHEN IN NEED OF HELP, FIND YOUR OWN CARSON

The only down side of hosting a tea is the constant filling of the tea cups as the tea cups are small.  When I hosted my first teas, I was constantly up and down, making sure my guests tea cups were full.

One option is to have the tea pot at the table and pour directly.  If you are having more than 4 guests, as the hostess you will be getting up and down often.  A solution is to employ your own Carson.  Another option is to ask a family member for help in serving.

As I had no one in my family to help, I hired my own Carson.  It was a relatively small expense and one well worth it.  Calling on the expertise of a man who used to work in a high end tea room was invaluable to the enjoyment of the afternoon for me.  Not only did he brew the tea, but he poured the tea and then cleaned up the entire kitchen!

In my next post, I will address what to wear to a Downton themed tea.  As the series spans 1912 to 1926, this includes both the Edwardian and Flapper periods.  I lean towards Edwardian as I think that style looks best on me, but there are plenty of options.

Attending Royal Ascot is a dream for many Americans.  While it can seem a daunting task (trust me, I feel your stress), it can be done.  I had numerous obstacles before attending, but I was determined not to be deterred.

 

 

It had been a lifelong dream of mine to attend Royal Ascot ever since watching “My Fair Lady”.  The Royal Ascot scene is probably one of my favorite scenes as it is visually stunning but also goes deeper.  It is Eliza Doolittle’s first public appearance after her makeover by Professor Higgins.  Will she fit in or not?  We all know the answer.  Despite looking the part, she does not fit in. I must admit, I was afraid that I would not fit in.

I have guided many clients through the gauntlet of preparing for Royal Ascot.  Many of them have attended the Kentucky Derby, but trust me, this experience is entirely different.  For one thing, there are rules about what it acceptable in each of the different categories.

There are four main categories/enclosures to choose from, each with differing rules for dress.  While some people feel daunted by the dress code, I actually like it as it gives some guidance and upgrades the experience for all.  That being said, we witnessed people breaking the rules.  Men wearing trainers for examples.  There were “fashion” guides at the entrance to help corral errant behavior.

1.  The Royal Enclosure – If attending in this enclosure, you must be invited.  There is no way purchase a ticket for this enclosure.
2. The Queen Anne Enclosure – This was the enclosure that we chose for Ladies Day.
3. The Village Enclosure – This was our enclosure for Ascot Opening Day.
4. The Windsor Enclosure – The most casual enclosure.

Here are my tips for success in getting ready for Royal Ascot.

1. Decide what day you would like to attend. I recommend Ladies Day or Opening Day. You may purchase tickets online.
2. When choosing your outfit, try to go with a neutral outfit or simple print. It will be easier to choose a hat to coordinate with your ensemble.
3. Pick your outfit a month before if possible. Time will go by incredibly quickly and it is important to have your clothing sorted out.
4. Don’t feel you need to purchase a new outfit.  I wore dresses that I had and they worked well.  I wore a black and white print on Opening Day and a solid white lace dress on Ladies Day.   Quite often, a new dress may not be as comfortable.

The biggest lesson for me was….

Feel the fear and do it anyway.

It was stressful planning and packing on such short notice, but it worked out. Book the trip, and buy the tickets.

What were my fears?

1. Would I fit in?
2. Would my hats be acceptable for this most fashionable millinery event?
3. Would the trip go smoothly?
4. How would we get from London to Ascot (which is in Berkshire, about one hour away)?

While we were taking the photo below on Ladies Day, we were invited to join a coach to Royal Ascot. The gentleman who invited is one of the Great Britain’s top etiquette professionals and has worked with King Charles III. Little miracles and random acts of kindness were around every corner for us.

 

Ascot Highlights:

1. Everywhere we turned, we saw beautiful hats.  It was visually stunning.
2. Seeing the Royal carriages with the King and Queen Consort roll by. They were about 50 feet from us, which I had not expected.
3. The food. People sometimes make fun of British food but the food we had was out of the world, especially Afternoon Tea on Opening Day.
4. The staff was incredibly helpful and grounds at Royal Ascot were stunning, filled with bright flowers.
5. I met the friendliest people. Everyone was so helpful. There was no judgement of hats and/or outfits. Everyone was just lovely.

 

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Fashion Highlights:

1. The predominant color in 2023 was spring green. My friend Melissa nailed that effortlessly on Opening Day! See photo below.
2. Many ladies wore espadrilles.  I always tell clients that no one will be looking at your shoes if you are wearing a stunning hat.  I wore flats and was so glad I did as I didn’t get tired. My flats are pictured below. After a busy Opening Day at Royal Ascot, we had the energy to do a ghost bus tour of London and walk along the Thames that night.
3. Many ladies wore lace, especially white. I was amused and happy that my dress for Ladies Day was rather similar to the dress worn by Zara Phillips.

Finally, the icing on the cake.

We were featured in a video on Royal Ascot’s social media page promoting Ascot.  I was beyond excited, so yes, we did pass the test!

What is the history of the Easter bonnet?  Why do we think of Easter bonnets at Easter?

What is an Easter bonnet?  An Easter bonnet is a hat that is worn on Easter.  The hat usually features flowers and is in the colors of spring.  Pinks, lilacs and other light colors are usually the colors featured.

I remember my first Easter bonnet. It was a pink bonnet completely covered in little white daisies. I was so excited to wear it. But this fond memory makes me wonder, where did Easter bonnets originate?

The history of the Easter bonnet goes back farther than many of us realize. Easter Bonnets even go farther back in time than Easter itself. The first bonnets, usually a circle of leaves and flowers, symbolized the cycle of the seasons and the coming of Spring. The Christian holiday of Easter celebrates new life and rebirth with pure and new clothing.

Later on in history came the “Sunday of Joy,” the Easter after the end of the Civil War. This day allowed mothers and daughters to come out of mourning dawning pastel colors and incorporating the spring flowers. The 1870’s marked the beginning of the Easter Parade in New York. The Easter Parade allowed women to proudly show off their new spring clothing and Easter Bonnets.  For more information about the Easter parade, visit this link. https://www.mcny.org/story/easter-parade

The Easter fashion traditions are still alive today, celebrated among the young and old. Easter bonnets come in all shapes, sizes, colors and designs. Easter bonnets often mark the beginning of many people’s love of hats. Their beauty is well known and admired. They still symbolize new life in the coming of spring, warm weather and religious celebrations.

Polly designs hats for Spring that can be worn as Easter bonnets.  Visit this link to see some of Polly’s hats that could be worn for Easter.   https://pollysinger.com/product-category/couture-hats/

This Easter, sport your very own Easter bonnet. Whether hand made or store bought, old or new, small or large, wear it proudly with your head held high. Celebrate the coming of a new season with a lovely Easter Bonnet.

 

By Anne Kreke

Why do we care about hat etiquette?   Are the rules different for men and women?

The main reason for hat etiquette is being considerate of those around you.

A few things to consider are:

1. Is your hat in the way of their field of vision?  For example, a huge hat worn to the theatre or to a concert could hamper someone’s field of vision of the stage.  No one wants to stare at the back of someone’s hat for the entire performance.
2. Does your hat fit the event?  One would not wear a baseball cap to a more formal event.
3. Are hats worn to the event you are attending?

 

Some rules for women are…

• Ladies may wear their hats indoors as well as outdoors.
• After sundown, hats are generally not worn by ladies.
• Fascinators can be worn after sundown.
• When at a performance, a theatre etc., be aware of people around you. If they cannot see properly over your hat, remove it and place it on your lap.
• Never ask to borrow or touch someone else’s hat. Admire it like the piece of art it is.
• Have a good attitude and confidence when wearing at hat. This allows you to have more fun and it makes that hat look better on you.

Etiquette for men is a little more strict.

• Always remove a hat when indoors, in the presence of an American Flag, in the presence of a place of worship and when you stop to talk.
• Tip a hat when meeting a lady. Remove it when you are conversing with a lady.

For more tips about hat etiquette, visit Southern Lady’s article about Polly to learn more.

https://southernladymagazine.com/meet-polly-singer-kentucky-milliner/

 

Tea Time Magazine recently chose our Cherry Rose Green, Rose’s Cherry Cloche, as the perfect tea for their Spring Tea Scone selection.  This hand blended tea features a green sencha base with cherry flavors and delicate rose petals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tea Time is the #1 Tea Magazine in America. I was thrilled beyond belief to have my tea featured in Tea Time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rose’s Cherry Cloche was one of our first tea blends.  Hand blended in Kentucky, the blend is a nice for both summer and winter.   On colder afternoons, the hint of rose and cherry deliver the promise of spring.

https://pollysinger.com/product/roses-cherry-cloche-artisan-tea/

What is a milliner?  

A milliner is someone who makes hats from hand, using the finest materials available.  The word “milliner” comes from the word/phrase “Milaner” since hat straws came from Milan, Italy as well as many other luxury goods.

What is the life of a milliner like?

Many people I talk to think that it is tons of fun, getting to play with colors, feathers and flowers to create wearable works of art. Others think it is merely gluing a flower onto a ready made hat. In my case, it is the first one.

I wouldn’t say the life of a milliner is either difficult or challenging, but sales can vary based on the economy. Since hats are not a necessity, it can be feast or famine.

The actual making of the hats is physical, with lifting heavy hat blocks and also, sewing trim on.  During busy work periods, hands get sore.

Since I am a custom milliner, it is always a gamble on which supplies to order and how much.   I do research each year to check out color trends, but I never truly what people will want!   I usually order feathers and flowers in small quantities.   Black, white, ivory and fuchsia are always popular colors, so I try to have plenty of those colors in stock.

On each hat, there are usually 6 or so items, each of which is often ordered from a different company.  Some of the materials include straw or base, feathers, flowers, ribbons, buttons or crystals, hat label, and headband or comb.  Each material is ordered and then the pieces are all put together by me.

Since I am known as “the hat expert”, I often share my expertise with clients who will be attending the Kentucky Derby for the first time.  I enjoy helping them figure out what to wear and what to expect. Many of my clients are first time hat wearers and admittedly nervous about wearing hats.  I don’t blame them!   They don’t want to look foolish or inappropriate. I never sell or design a hat that I don’t feel great about. I always steer my clients towards elegance.

Being a milliner and small business owner is a difficult balance at times. At times, the business end (accounting, marketing, website, etc.) does threaten to take over. However in any creative business, you must do the “business” end to be able to do the creative part.  And I have become to enjoy the business end of it.

In my lifetime, I have had many jobs.  Some of my jobs included being an administrative assistant, working in the music business, interning on Capitol Hill, running an arts non profit and working in retail.  I must confess that I really love my present vocation best.  I feel immense joy seeing my clients wearing hats that I made for them.

As Margaret G. from Florida said, “Your hats make me feel beautiful and elegant.”

 

Nancy from California wears her custom Polly saucer hat to etiquette events where she teaches others about etiquette, giving them more confidence.