A cute gift: tea mug, bag holder and mug mat

I wanted a special farewell and good luck gift for a co-worker. I thought that it should be cheery, useful and uniquely from me.
I found this lovely travel mug, unique because it has a stainless steel interior and a china outside.

It is pretty and made me smile.
So I figured that if I gave her a mug mat along with a box filled with an assortment of tea bags that she would enjoy it for a while.
The tea shop carried individual bags so the assortment was easy. I wanted a little box-- then I remembered the lovely thread catchers that my dear friends Sharen and Maureen made.
Sharen shared this link to the original blog tutorial: The Stitching Room
http://thestitchingroom.blogspot.com/2007/10/thread-holder-pattern.html

And here is the final set, pretty cute, eh?

p.s. The mug was purchased at "Everything Tea" in London, Ontario. It is on Talbot Street but there is no website. It is a lovely shop filled with beautiful tea pots, cups and a wide selection of teas. They have so many wonderful tea cups, strainers and spoons.

My favourite place to shop for actual Tea is The Tea Haus. It is a tiny shop at the Covent Garden Market, filled to the ceiling with lovely glass tea canisters. There are so many varieties, the selection is endless. I especially love the flowering balls - like the jasmine balls, or dragon pearls or the chrysanthemum or the Three-Flower... Absolutely beautiful in a glass pot. One ball usually will serve 2 or 3 pots worth of tea.