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/

Saluting a female business owner who inspired others, enriching the lives of many.

Phyliss Hoffman DePiano recently and unexpectedly passed away. It was a shock to me and so many others.

For those of you who didn’t know her, Phyllis Hoffman DePiano was the founder of Hoffman Media Publishing. She entered the world of publishing 40 years ago, in 1983, and built the Hoffman Media empire that now boasts eleven magazines, including Southern Lady, Tea Time, Victoria, and Southern Home.

Even though I never formally met Phyllis, she played a huge role in my career, giving me both confidence and inspiration.

In my personal life, her magazines always brought me joy and provided an escape. The world can be a dark and depressing place, especially when you tune in to the news. I can always count on magazines like, Tea Time, Southern Lady, and Victoria to lift my mood. In fact, these publications are staples on my coffee table for this very reason.

 

When I started designing hats in 1993, I was inspired by the hats and fashions in Victoria Magazine, and I would often dream of being featured in Victoria. You could even say Victoria gave me the “hat bug,” and I still love to thumb through my collection of vintage Victoria Magazines that I’ve collected since the 1980s.

 

As a young designer in 2008, my dream came true when my hats were featured in the Fall issue of Victoria Magazine.

I felt as if I‘d won the lottery, and my friend Caroline knew this and threw a party!  We were all so excited to celebrate the moment!

As a business owner, I appreciate the spotlight that Hoffman Media always shines on small, mostly women owned, businesses. There’s a confidence and camaraderie that comes with knowing you are not alone in this arena.

Along with numerous new friends, I have to give Phyllis credit for connecting me with no less than four amazing ladies with whom I’ve collaborated over this past year! Had it not been for Southern Lady and Tea Time magazines, I probably would not have met these women. The events we did together have literally changed the trajectory of my business.

Phyllis’ magazines became a force to help and empower women while creating a lovely atmosphere. The magazines that Phyllis helped create and publish focus on joy, friendship, gentleness, creating memories with loved ones, and holding community. The mother of twin boys, she valued family and faith.

When I started my tea line, I was excited but nervous, so when both Tea Time and Southern Lady magazines, featured my teas it felt like an affirming confirmation that I was on the right path.

This is my way of honoring the memory of Phyllis Hoffman DePiano.

The courage, persistence, and tenacity she put forth as she embarked on a career in the publishing world, a male dominated field, has and will continue to blaze the paths of many women, and I am one.

The ripples of her positive influence over business owners, artists, and readers of her publications will be felt for years and years to come.

Thank you, Phyllis.

The Sacred Heart Fundraiser Tea

I recently had the immense honor of being the keynote speaker at the 17th Annual Sacred Heart Fundraiser Tea, also known as the Patty Blanton tea.

The event, held in Appling, Georgia, was the quintessential experience of Southern hospitality. It was an utterly enchanting afternoon.

Word of the Sacred Heart Fundraiser Tea has grown and flourished over the years, gaining legendary status as the premier annual tea event in the region.

 

With only 80 coveted tickets available, it sells out within days of going on sale.

 

Sacred Heart keeps a wait list and, as usual, this year’s wait list was long with ladies hoping to get the good news that a ticket had become available for them.

 

I was well aware of this illustrious event having read about it in Tea Time Magazine, long before I had developed my own tea line or had even become a certified Afternoon Tea Etiquette trainer.

 

Being invited to speak at this tea event, which is such a cherished tradition, was a dream come true.

From the horsehead and horseshoe shaped tea sandwiches to the mini-Kentucky Derby pies, it was apparent at every turn just how much Patty had poured her dedication into every detail of this spectacular day.

Every year, Patty and her friends personally prepare all the food, offering a unique and delicious afternoon tea menu.

 

Thoughtful detailing extended to the table settings, where each table of four was set with its own special China pattern, adding yet another touch of southern elegance.

Every year guests are gifted with personalized hand painted gift bags. This year the bags contained Patty’s homemade jam, her signature goat’s milk soap, a hand-painted (by Patty) vase, and a hand-painted print of the menu. I was so honored to have Patty include a tin of my Cherry Rose Green Tea in the fabulous gift bags this year.

All the beautiful tables and heavenly tea-fare and all of the ladies in summer dresses and hats were set against the backdrop of Patty’s enchanting garden.

Patty’s garden is spectacular- adorned with fountains, a koi pond, and a breathtaking variety of maple trees and plant life. The ambiance created in this gorgeous natural setting elevated everything all the more. It was absolutely stunning!

I am pictured here with Millie Huff, Executive Director of the Sacred Heart Cultural Center.  My friends and I toured the facility.  What a beautiful building!

This historic building, once a Catholic church on the brink of ruin, was rescued by a family from Augusta and transformed into a thriving arts center for the community.

I was accompanied by my dear friends, Caroline and Ida, who are always ready for tea adventures. For all of us, this was such a fun opportunity to meet and connect with new people.

I designed Caroline’s pink and blue fascinator to go with her dress.

As I’ve long believed, tea has an extraordinary power to bring people together in the most wonderful ways, and this tea was no exception.

 

In chatting with everyone, I got a surprise when I discovered that one of the guests had attended the same high school as my husband—a great reminder of the small world we live in.

 

When I left, I took with me wonderful memories of the day and a hope to attend next year’s Sacred Heart Fundraiser Tea.

 

My deepest and most heartfelt thanks to Patty for inviting me to speak at her beyond fabulous event and for allowing me the joyful experience of this spectacular day.

 

Learn more about how you can support The Sacred Hearts Cultural Center here

This has been quite a year for me!  Being featured once in Tea Time Magazine, one of my all time magazines, was a dream come true.  Being included in the next issue, was the best Christmas gift that I could have been given!

Click on link below to read the article.

Tea Time Traditions

In 2019, I had written a short article and submitted it for the Tea Diaries section.  I wrote about the Ladies Historical Tea Society, of which I have been a member since 2007.  I met the group while showcasing my hats at a Kentucky Derby Hat Tea at a beautiful Southern mansion in Harrodsburg, Kentucky.

I became lifelong friends with many in the group.  Our fearless founder, Rebecca Chamberlain and I became good friends.  She has since moved to Savannah, where she lives and works as a successful illustrator/artist.  Rebecca is pictured in the coral suit in the middle.  This photo shows the day I met the ladies.

 

After Rebecca, Darleen Chamberlain, pictured on the right, became our longest serving member.  We have had so many wonderful holiday teas at Darleen’s home.

These photos are from our many Christmas teas.  As you can see, we are a pretty happy bunch.  In the first photo, we are holding the tea cups from our annual tea cup exchange.  The lovely blue and white tea cup that I am holding was shown in the Tea Time article on my business in the September/October 2021 issue.

 

 

The below photo is from our last tea, held in 2019 at Natalie’s.

This group of ladies has been such an anchor for me during the past few years.  When my parents passed, they attended the visitations/funerals.  Our teas have brought such joy to my life.

It’s currently 86 degrees. One can hardly interpret this as a nip in the air, however fall is just around the corner.

Did you know that September is Fall Hat Month?

How to celebrate?

1. Bring out your fall hats.  Do any need repairs?
2. You can always a purchase a new hat to suit your mood and complement items in your fall wardrobe.
3. Color wise, you can never go wrong with navy, winter white, grey, black, taupe and brown colors.  Winter white is stunning on most people.  Visit this link to read our blog about winter white hats.
4. I’d also like to call your attention to vintage pieces.  Visit your favorite vintage store to see fall vintage hat.s ds me of a number of similar styles accessorizing Ralph Lauren’s fall collection.

I enjoy summer’s laid back attitude and am sorry to see it end.  The prospect of finding the perfect hat for cooler weather may one of the season’s most rewarding compensations. I wish you all a happy Hat Month and happy hunting.

by Polly Singer

Working with a limited cache of materials on a tight deadline, a deadline which came on the heels of months of tight deadlines does not make for ideal working conditions. This was the situation when Polly was asked by a magazine stylist to create a hat for a photoshoot.

In June, soon after the Kentucky Derby rush Polly received a commission from Tea Time, a magazine devoted to “the many delights of taking tea”. She was asked to fashion a Victorian style hat to be used as a prop in a photo illustration for an article entitled Hats off to Mrs. Beeton, a piece about Beeton’s Book of Household Management, an 1861 publication on the proper running of a household.

“As I was swamped with orders, I had limited time to design this hat.  I literally had to use items that I had  on hand, which forced me to be very creative. I’ve always enjoyed special design projects.”

After researching hat fashions of the era, Polly chose a chocolate brown parisisal straw for the body of the wide brimmed hat. Then she began to dig. With stores depleted by filling Derby orders and no time to order more supplies, the hat would have to be assembled with materials on hand.

A quick scavenger hunt through the small studio first yielded a swath of cut panne velvet in the perfect shade rich brown. Then, she looked to feathers. Ostrich, pheasant or peacock? Ostrich feathers were a definite, as followers Mrs. Beeton’s advice would have used ostrich feathers as knick-knack dusters.

If one phrase describes the Victorian approach to design that would be “too much is never enough” therefore the best answer seemed to be, “all of the above: ostrich, pheasant and peacock feathers.”

As for flowers, a couple of nosegays in aubergine velvet were unearthed. But the hat still lacked a focal point and needed an element of bright color to offset the rich browns and plums. Since none of the silk flowers which are the mainstay of her more elaborate designs were available in an autumn palette, Polly took a large scrap of pumpkin hued silk and used milliner’s magic to fashion it into a cabbage rose that could have been the pride of any Victorian English garden.

One of the real treasures from the Singer “I may need this someday” archive was a cluster of glass beaded grapes which when added to the hat provided a subdued bit of bling and served to bridge the dark tones of the hat and the brighter orange rose.

Tea time magazine was delighted with the result and featured a full page photograph of the hat on page 24 of the September/October issue. This issue is currently on the stands, we invite you to admire the result of our scavenger hunt and enjoy the usual entertaining and informative fare Tea Time has to offer.

 

by Polly Singer