Sarah Colvin lives in a village in Kent. She loves drinking tea and she loves being creative. She has found real joy in making original jewellery from well-known products. One of the most well-known products in England is, of course, TEA, so Sarah uses tea box packaging to make beautiful necklaces. But there’s more to Sarah’s story than just drinking tea and making jewellery.
Sarah’s Story
Earlier this year, Sarah went to South Africa for 3 months to volunteer for an HIV/Aids charity called Ethembeni, which means a “place of hope.” While at a women’s empowerment project there, she learned how to make jewellery. After a few weeks in South Africa, Sarah had a real sense that she should return long-term and use her skills as an Occupational Therapist for the charity.
In January 2013, Sarah will go back to South Africa for 2 – 3 years. She will be developing a palliative care unit for HIV patients, carrying out home visits, and will continue her involvement in the empowerment project. In order to raise funds for her work (she will not be receiving a salary), she set up a jewellery business, making and selling necklaces made from Yorkshire Tea (as pictured in this post), Whittards Tea, Clipper Tea, and Twinings Tea box packaging.
To order a custom-made tea necklace or any of Sarah’s other unique jewellery, visit and Like her Facebook page.
Giveaway
Sarah’s tea necklaces are not only charming – they’re fun! I have seen a lot of tea jewellery in my day, but these necklaces are by far the most distinctive.
To celebrate our recent milestone of reaching 1,000 fans on the Tea in England Facebook page (thank you, everyone!) I am giving away a 23-inch Yorkshire Tea necklace (the one pictured in this post) made by Sarah. Anyone can enter; I will post worldwide.
How to Enter
1. Leave a comment to this post telling me something about tea such as your favourite tea, a tea quotation, a special tea experience, or anything else as long as it’s about tea. You MUST also include your email address or a link to your email address. Any comment without an email address in it will not be considered.
2. Entries will be accepted until 5pm GMT (12pm noon EST) on Saturday, December 1, 2012.
A random number generator will then be used to select a winner who will in turn be notified via email by Monday, December 3, 2012, and announced shortly thereafter on the blog. I will send out the necklace to the winner by December 10, 2012.
Good luck!
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I'm Denise, an American expat Anglophile living in Surrey, England. Rather conveniently, I love tea. The longer I live in this enchanted land and the more I see and do, the more I discover that in one way or another almost everything here has a tea connection. 
One of my earliest memories of tea, as a very small child so long before I actually drank tea (which was very much the beverage of grown ups) I remember my lovely Daddy coming in from work for his “elevenses” or “threeses” saying this little rhyme which always made me giggle
One, Two, Three, Mother caught a flea
She put it in the teapot to make a cup of tea
The flea jumped out and Mother gave a shout
In came Father with his shirt hanging out
I love that, Deborah, and have never heard that one before. Thank you for sharing and good luck with the draw! x
“If you’re like me, you like your tea; come and share a cup with me.” Tea, for me, equals the great company of friends, best party dresses, hats, fancy food, pretty decorated tables, flower centerpieces, everything girly and FUN ~ but even if alone, as I often am:
The Tea Party
“I had a little tea party
This afternoon at three.
‘Twas very small -
Three guest in all -
Just I, myself and me.
Myself ate all the sandwiches,
While I drank up the tea;
‘Twas also I who ate the pie
And passed the cake to me.”
~ Jessica Nelson North
Hi Karen, and good luck with the draw! I love your quotation and poem!
THANK YOU DENISE! I’m keeping my gloved fingers crossed
Now, would that be milk in your tea, dear? One lump or two? *gg*
As part of the Commonwealth, you do know there are some of us Canadians who feel tied to the Brits with a heartstring, and view friendship with you as a heartlifter! *smile*
Ta, Karen. x
Every afternoon around 3, I make myself a cup of tea. Maybe an Assam, green, puerh, Lady grey, etc. I don’t have any real favorites. I like to try different teas. My next door neighbor and I enjoy having a pot of tea while having our Bible study. So relaxing and gentle!
Hello Shari, thank you for entering the contest. There’s nothing quite like a mid-afternoon tea break!
When we lived in England, we enjoyed being able to have a good cup of tea where ever we went. But here in the US, it is not always the case. Very few cafes make a decent cup of tea. I actually carry a couple of Taylor’s tea bags (which are thoughtfully sealed in non-poreous envelopes) in my hand bag for those times when the real thing is “NEEDED”.
I applaud Sarah’s commitment. This sounds like a great enterprise, and I wish her e Rey success.
Thank you for entering the draw, Priscilla and good luck! Believe me, I know what you mean about not always being able to get a good cup of tea in the States. I’m getting spoiled living here in England.
I chair a Tea Ministry at our church. These would be excellent door prizes. I am so impressed by what Sarah is planning to do . I will look into ordering some jewelery.
Hi Belinda, good with with the draw and thank you for your comment. Sarah’s work is truly worthy, and the necklaces are so unique.
Thanks Belinda that’s very kind of you. I’m busy preparing my stall for this coming thursday at a ladies Christmas shopping event but after that would be happy to create some necklaces out of Yorkshire Tea packaging for you. Gotta love tea!
When I was a small child growing up in England one of the most sweet memories of tea was when I was about 5 and needed to leave for school my Dad took the tea from my cup and poured some into the saucer and blew on it so I could drink it before I left , he repeated this till all the tea was gone. it still makes me smile.
Many years later when I gave my American boyfriend a cup of tea I did not realize this was his first cup, he really enjoyed it till he took that last gulp and ended up with a mouthful of tea leaves which he ended up swallowing because he felt it would be bad manners to spit them out. I must admit I had a hard time keeping a straight face.
Polly put the kettle on
Polly put the kettle on
Polly put the kettle on
we’ll all have some tea
Sukey take it off again
Sukey take it off again
Sukey take it off again
They’ve all gone away.
Sukey in the mid 18th century was Susan and Polly was Mary.
This poem was also mentioned by Charles Dickens in ‘Barnaby Rudge, written in 1841 .
Hi Avril! I’m glad you have entered the draw, and best of luck! Loved your tea stories (and poem). I hope that boyfriend wasn’t put off tea for the rest of his life! lol
No I married him and he’s grown to love tea but like others have said tea in the US is awful I do pay visits to the local British shop to pick up tea otherwise I would be drinking coffee.
Hello, Denise!
I accidentally came across your blog today and loved what I’ve read so far! I love England and I love tea. I am Greek and here in Greece we used to drink tea as a beverage when we had a cold. We drink a kind of tea that grows in the mountain, that’s why we call it ‘ mountain tea ‘.Nowadays more and more people drink green tea. My preference is green tea with fruity flavours like green tea with mango or with orange, apple, red pepper and cinnamon or my latest favourite green tea with vanilla and crocus.Absolutely gorgeous !I’d really love to try English tea!
Loved Sarah’s story It seems to me she’s a great woman!
Thanks for hosting this giveaway!
Have a nice day!
Hello Helen, lovely to ‘meet’ you and thank you for entering this draw – good luck! I do not know very much about Greece, so your information about ‘mountain tea’ was fascinating! Do you know what type of plant this ‘tea’ is made from? I am like you, I preferred flavoured green tea over plain green tea…but vanilla and crocus?!?! Wow! That’s the first time I’ve heard of crocus being used in tea! Thanks again for your comments…
“She raised her hand to cut me off. “I am aware of your epistolary flirtation. Which is all well and good–as long as it’s well and good. Before I ask you some questions, perhaps you would like some tea?”
“That would depend on what kind of tea you were offering.”
“So diffident! Suppose it was Earl Grey.”
I shook my head. “Tastes like pencil shavings.”
“Lady Grey.”
“I don’t drink beverages named after beheaded monarchs. It seems so tacky.”
“Chamomile?”
“Might as well sip butterfly wings.”
“Green tea?”
“You can’t be serious.”
The old woman nodded her approval. “I wasn’t.”
“Because you know when a cow chews grass? And he or she chews and chews and chews? Well, green tea tastes like French-kissing that cow after it’s done chewing all that grass.”
“Would you like some mint tea?”
“Only under duress.”
“English breakfast.”
I clapped my hands. “Now you’re talking!”
― David Levithan, Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares
ha ha ha ha Excellent, Elena! Best of luck to you in the draw!
“If you ask Zen people they will say tea is not something that you pour with unawareness and drink like any other drink. It is not a drink, it is meditation; it is prayer. So they listen to the kettle creating a melody, and in that listening they become more silent, more alert.” ~Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
Beautiful, Christine. Thank you for that and thank you for your entry in the draw. Good luck!
What an inspiring woman! I can’t imagine dropping everything and going to South Africa.
My favorite cup of tea is probably very “un-English”: Stash black chai with plenty of milk and sweetener. Yum!
-Abigail
http://www.PictureBritain.com
Hi Abigail, it’s okay to go ‘un-English’. Once in awhile.
Good luck on the dray! (P.S. I love chai.)
Hi Abigail,
Thanks for your encouraging words! Life is indeed an adventure hey. But the journey is always made easier with a good cup of tea.
Would love to participate and what a wonderful project. I wish the artist the best of luck! (If you want, I am happy to reblog this on my blog – with full credits to yours, of course – to generate a little extra readership. Just let me know, you can contact me through my email
).
A tea story? Here is one from today. I am visiting Spain for work and decided to be a real tea snob and bought some high-grade loose leaf tea in sophisticated mesh tea temples at the airport. Spanish tea is notoriously disgusting, you see
(Just my humble opinion). So I got up to have breakfast at the hotel today and looked forward to sneaking my own tea into a cuppa with hot water and drinking some lovely Earl Grey. I steeped my tea and sipped it and.. ugh, disgusting! See, you might buy fancy tea but if the WATER is poor quality also… well, you just do not stand a chance 
I will have to try again then, with better water
Take care!
Glad you are in the draw and good luck! Thank you for the story but I am sorry to hear the water is bad in Spain. Water quality is so important! I was in Spain and Portugal in September and did not try any tea in Spain, but had lovely Azores-grown tea in Portugal. x
Azores-grown tea? That sounds intriguing… do tell more!
Oh yes indeed and it was lovely! I purchased their Orange Pekoe Tea (in Lisbon). Absolutely stunning. http://www.gorreanatea.com/
Amazing woman! And what a creative use of tea packaging. delightfulrepast at aol dot com When I think of all the tea packaging I’ve tossed in the recycling bin all these years! I’ve been drinking tea since about age 2 and drink an average of 6 cups a day. I like loose tea rather than bags, Darjeeling, Yorkshire Gold, Twinings Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Harney, Taylors of Harrogate, Fortnum & Mason, different teas at different times. My kettle barely has time to cool off between pots!
Hello Jean, I know what you mean about the kettle barely having time to cool off! ha! Good luck in the draw!
What a wonderful, generous giveaway, Denise! I would love to win it! And what a great story about Sarah. Such impactful work she is doing! Let’s see…a tea comment. Your blog, Denise, has opened my eyes to the wonderful world of the tea experience. I have learned how to brew a proper tea! I love hearing about the history of tea and tea drinkers and really am acquiring a discerning taste. (So glad I have left my coffee drinking days behind.). Thanks, sweetie, for being here and congrats on 1,000 fans! That happened fast! People know a good thing when they see it! xo…Karen
Yay, Karen! Good luck on the draw and thank you very much for your heartfelt praise. I really appreciate that. It will be my pleasure to walk beside you on your tea journey! x
I do love tea, you know. Right now I am enjoying a lovely darjeeling.
Definitely I would love to win this necklace.
Hi Marilyn, thanks for your comment and good luck in the draw! (Your email is included in the form where you typed in your name, so you’re good to go.)
Thank you for your generosity! And best wishes to Sarah, and thanks for her support of the good work. Tea is for peace!
stephw3-at-yahoo-dot-com
Hello friend
Tea is for peace indeed! Good luck in the draw. x
Wonderful work Sarah is doing to enable her to come back to work with us at Ethembeni. Our thanks to those who are supporting her in this venture… Enjoy the beautiful necklaces! I am hoping that Sarah will expand her range to include some of our South African Rooibos tea brands, as well as the many regular Ceylon tea brands that we enjoy! WE love TEA TIME here in The Last Outpost!!
How lovely to hear from you Shelly. We applaud you and Sarah and the work everyone is doing at Ethembeni. Enjoy your teatimes in South Africa! xxx
I will share my earliest tea memory – my mom would bring me toast and English breakfast tea whenever I was sick in bed…….perhaps it happened earlier, but I first recall it when I was in 1st grade, sick with the measles. My mom continued to bring me tea and toast if I was sick until I moved at age 22. Thanks Mom!
Welcome to Tea in England, Lynne and thanks so much for your comment and sharing such a lovely memory. You had a very loving Mom!
I absolutely love tea and toast. It’s my favourite thing – well, almost – in the world.
I love how tea brings people together in so many ways — in friendhip, in crisis, in understanding… tea is sustenance, refreshment, and ritual… and golly it tastes good, too! Beautiful necklace, VERY beautiful story, and I thank you for sharing both with us.
– Trixie (Ann) of The Tea Drinker
Trixie! Glad to see you in this draw and good luck! Tea does all those things, but I think my favourite is the friendships it forges.
I was raised a southerner on iced sweet tea with lemon, but now I love hot tea. My favorite tea is Lady Londonberry. I think what Sarah is doing is really wonderful and the necklaces are beautiful. I wish her every success in this worthwhile endeavor!
Hi Carol and welcome to Tea in England! Thanks for your comment, good luck in the draw! So tell me about this Lady Londonberry tea – what is in it?
•There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea. -Bernard-Paul Heroux
PG tips in the morning, Green tea in the afternoon, Chai tea after dinner….Earl Grey when I need a comforting feeling of childhood.
Tea in England FB page brings such joy to my day…thank you!
Hi Nicole, thank you for the compliment.
Good luck in the draw – and I’m right there with you as far as that cup of PG in the morning!!!
An inspiring story Denise. Tea can be the catalyst for so many good things.
Tea wisdom from The Kinks from “Have A Cuppa Tea ”
‘Whatever the situation, whatever the race or creed,
Tea knows no segregation, no class nor pedigree
It knows no motivations, no sect or organisation,
It knows no one religion,
Nor political belief.”
Thank you for telling us about this wonderful lady.
I have been saving tea boxes for a project. My parents taught me to recycle many years ago!
Have a happy day, dear Friend,
Mary Jane
Hi Mary Jane, It’s always so nice to hear from you. I hope you are well, and best of luck in the draw! Please keep us posted on the project you end up doing with your tea boxes!
Hi all, I’m an American with a British best friend.
Never being a tea drinker in the past, she encouraged me to try it. So, I bought a box and made my first cup, but hated it. She was curious as to how I made it and what I added. Not owning a kettle (and yes that made her faint) I boiled my water in a pan, poured it over the tea bag, and then proceeded to add sugar, honey, & lemon (which made her giggle).
She has since decided I really don’t have mad tea-making skills to procure a “proper cup.’ I guess I’ll just have to wait until I’m across the pond and she can make me one herself.
Thanks for the opportunity to win. I love your page; maybe one day I can claim to be an official tea drinker
Hi Salina and welcome to Tea in England! Good luck in the draw! Thanks for sharing your tea story. I’m here to tell you that there’s nothing difficult about making a good cup of tea. Honest! You can do it!! We’re all behind you!!
P.S. I just left a message on your blog. x
I am, indeed, grateful to my cousin, who started me on drinking tea in my teens. It’s pretty much all I ever drank throughout my life. It warms me, comforts me, and I don’t know how I would’ve lived without it. I love having a drink with so many flavors …. always one to suit my mood. Thanks, Sweetie! <3 *winkwinknudgenudge*
Aww, thank you Christy. <3 You’re so right about tea, it’s a ‘mood’ drink and there is one for every.
A fond memory of mine was watching my Mother and her lady friends take tea on the verandah. The tea was poured from a silver tea pot, and the milk and sugar were in similar containers. Even the tea strainer was silver, and when not being used, it sat in a little bowl specially made for this purpose. The tea was invariably Liptons, and it was exported from England to us in Jamaica, wrapped in silver foil, with an outer dark blue paper wrapper, which slipped over the silver paper wrapper, leaving the two ends of the little packet exposed. It was such fun to see the packet opened for the first time, and watch as the tea leaves were decanted into a tea caddy. I have never seen tea contained in such a manner since, so I assume that it must have been for the export market.
I’m so glad you’ve entered the draw Rosie, so good luck! Thank you for this lovely word picture. I would guess that Liptons, at that time, was an excellent quality tea (unlike today). It sounds like your Mother and her lady friends knew a thing or two about tea! x
Wow! Look at all these wonderful comments! Love it!! xo
I always enjoy a good cuppa tea. I was raised in England, I loved going to my Nanna’s after school for tea…I had my own special cup and saucer, of which I still have today. I am grateful to be able to continue this tradition with my grandchildren as I did with my children growing up. We enjoy a good brew of Yorkshire tea’ PG tips or Tetley tea, and a few biscuits to dunk! Thank you for letting me enter into your contest…I love the necklace!
Hello Jacqueline, nice to see you over here and good luck in the draw! Thank you for sharing your family tea memory. I love stories like yours. <3
I LOVE Yorkshire Tea and I love handmade jewelry and am missing Africa – LIved in Ghana for a year and hoping to go back to South Africa or Zambia next year for some communication development work. Thank you for sharing Sarah’s story and her jewelry – great time to stock up on gifts and I would much rather support an industrious young woman than a multinational conglomerate any day! Thinking of tea and Africa reminded me of the song “Tea in the Sahara” (see lyrics below) – not sure how many know it but it was very popular in the UK when I was a kid. I go to great lengths to maintain a stash of Yorkshire tea with me where ever I am (which is not always very easy – so happy it is very light in the luggage!) because, as others have pointed out – when you are away from home, it is not always possible to find a good cuppa! All the best! LOVE your blog
xx
___________________
“Tea In The Sahara”
My sisters and I
Have this wish before we die
And it may sound strange
As if our minds are deranged
Please don’t ask us why
Beneath the sheltering sky
We have this strange obsession
You have the means in your possession
We want our tea in the Sahara with you
We want our tea in the Sahara with you
The young man agreed
He would satisfy their need
So they danced for his pleasure
With a joy you could not measure
They would wait for him here
The same place every year
Beneath the sheltering sky
Across the desert he would fly
Tea in the Sahara with you
Tea in the Sahara with you
The sky turned to black
Would he ever come back?
They would climb a high dune
They would pray to the moon
But he’d never return
So the sisters would burn
As their eyes searched the land
With their cups full of sand
Tea in the Sahara with you
Tea in the Sahara with you
Tea in the Sahara with you
Tea in the Sahara with you
–The Police, Synchronicity (1983)
Hi there, Elle, and I am now humming ‘Tea in the Sahara’ ! lol Thanks for sharing that and for entering the draw. Good luck! It sounds like you have had and do have a very interesting life! I appreciate your nice words about my blog. x
What a surprise to find that tea tastes so good…particularly with milk and sugar!! As a child, tea was usually served thick, strong, sweet and iced. My grandmother would boil Lipton bags for about 10 minutes and then let them steep until the water cooled a bit before putting 1 cup of sugar in a half gallon of tea. Hot tea was only served for breakfast…boiled and very strong!! Love Yorkshire Gold in the afternoon and evening, in a cup and saucer, hot with milk and sugar! For me, tea has become more about the total experience than just the beverage…hot or cold. It’s about the aroma, flavor, dishes, history, blends, etiquette, teapots, china, “nibbles,” etc. A tasty, interesting hobby!
Hi Brenda, good luck in the draw and thanks for your comment. I’m a milk-and-sugar tea drinker as well (most of the time) and agree with you about tea being about the experience. x
I’ve been meaning to enter all week, and time is running short so here I am! Not only is Sarah talented with her jewelry making skills, she has a compassionate heart to serve others!
My tea ritual is a cup of Betty’s house blend each evening….and dreaming of actually having that cup of tea at Betty’s one of these days!
Hi Connie, you got in just under the wire! Thanks for entering and good luck! I’m dreaming about having a cup of tea at Betty’s some day, as well!
As I run up to 100miles per week with my training, I think it’s a nice cup of tea that gets me out at 6am pounding the pavements and keeps me going on that long run knowing that a hot mug of tea awaits me! I am very fussy with my tea brands however, and also how it’s made. It can only be Clipper tea or Twinings English Breakfast. I have to have it from a teapot too! My favourite treat is a traditional tea room with lovely vintage china, tea leaves and of course, freshly baked cake or scones! Yum. Whether I am happy, stressed or fed up, tea is what I turn too….nothing beats a good catch up with your friends and a good pot of tea!
Sarah Harris
Sarah, I do the same thing you do (except not in relation to running) … I use a hot mug of tea as incentive for many things throughout the course of my day. And as for traditional tea rooms … well …. I’m their biggest fan. I heard that Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood were thinking of doing a series on saving the traditional tearoom. I’ve tried to find out some information about it, but no luck so far. It would be a fab series, I think. Thanks for stopping by Tea in England, and for your participation on our Facebook Fan Page!
Searching in Google raised your websites – I’m delighted it did, cheers.
Welcome to Tea in England and I hope you enjoy your visit!