Sunday, March 25, 2012

I'm Banning Unsweet Tea - You've Been Warned

Here are the facts.

Tea, in its natural state, is unsweetened. My personal opinion is that this is the only way it should ever be consumed. However, unlike Mayor Bloomberg, I believe in freedom of choice and do not think that people should be telling other people what they can or can't eat or drink.

However, I'm more than happy to ban a word or two, especially a word that keeps me from the pursuit of happiness, and by happiness, I mean unsweet tea.

The problem with the word UNSWEET (aside from the fact that it's not a word) is that it contains the word SWEET and so it's misunderstood 100% of the time.

It goes like this.

Pull up to Taco Bueno.

"Welcome to Taco Bueno - can I help you?"

"Yes, I'd like a bean burrito and a large UNsweet tea."

"Okay that's one bean burrito and a large sweet tea."

"No, that's an unsweet tea."

"Okay I've got a bean burrito and a medium sweet tea."

"Um, no, that's a LARGE UNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNsweet tea." (Silently adding "you *#$*")

"Okay so your total is $3.14, please pull up to the window."

Where, of course, I'm presented with a SWEET tea. Disgusting.

So here's how it's going to go. Tea is tea. Tea comes unsweetened from God. If I say I want a tea, it will ALWAYS mean I want it unsweetened, like in the old days, before people from the deep south infiltrated the great Republic of Texas with their corn syrup. If you want to ALTER your tea, then please indicate the unnatural state that you'd like your tea in with a modifier such as "sweet" "peach" "raspberry" or any other descriptor indicating you'd like to pollute your tea with something.

I'm only asking for the same rights people who drink Coke have. You don't pull up to Sonic and say "Hi - I'd like a Route 44 UNcherry UNdiet UNcaffeine free Coke" - you say "I WANT A COKE."

I rest my case.

I feel better already.

Now at my monthly stamp class this month (where I drank buckets of unadulterated tea) we did the faux suede technique to make a little flower on a card inspired by this card. I loved how her bold design with the lattice die showed off her pretty pink flower. I couldn't figure out how to make my flower as fluffy as hers, so mine isn't quite as fancy, but you get the idea.

Stamps: Elementary Elegance 
PaperWhisper White, Melon Mambo Textured, Basic Black
Ink: Basic Black 
AccessoriesLattice Die, Island Florals Die, Brad, Big Shot, Edgelits, Adorning Accents Embossing Folder

We also made a matching fancy envelope with the Edgelits and the matching Adorning Accents Embossing folder, which as a blast. I love how pretty those turned out. Remember when you are making these, to cut the envelope flap before you emboss - if you emboss first, you will flatten out the embossing when you run it back through your Big Shot to cut. 

I'm filming some fun tutorials this weekend - using some pretty different techniques and toys, so I hope they turned out and you can see them soon. I think you'll be surprised. 

No go forth into the world, free from that horrid ex-word "unsweet" and enjoy life!!

Loveyameanitbye.

17 comments:

  1. UNSWEET?! GAH! MY EARS! MY BRAIN! And yes, the Deep South has infiltrated the "yeah, we're South of the Mason-Dixon Line, but we're not SOUTH South" where I live in MD, too. Sweet tea makes me gag. I like it plain, or with a bit of lemon to make it even more bitter. It's how I roll.

    I've yet to master the faux suede technique. Yours is really purty!

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  2. I'm with you - if it is sweet I can't drink it! Tea does not NEED sugar! :D

    Love your card!! Love that die as a border.

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  3. Oh Lydia, I fall more in love with you every time I read your blog, lol!!!!!! I'm SOOOO WITH YOU! Anything other than a fresh slice of lemon in tea is a SIN!!!;)

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  4. Great card. I guess you have to ask for a cup of hot water & a tea bag.

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  5. What kind of Southern Belle are you?!?!?!?!?

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  6. You mean if you order tea it comes sweet!! No thank you, and not in my coffee either. I'll tolerate milk in coffee but not in tea.
    What a wonderful envelope, and oh my, I bet the faux suede is fabby for flower-making.
    I was thinking of you today when I came across a quote (reading Julia Child's My Life in France)- "A house without a cat is like life without sunshine".

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  7. Love the CAS card design. Your pink flower is a great accent and I love the understated 'Hello'. Great contrast.

    I think you need to come visit the Maritime provinces. We don't mess with tea. It's brewed strong, can have milk but sugar is a no-no. It's workers tea and a great pick-me-up.

    Hope you have a great un-sweetened week! :D

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  8. I, too, have "fun" at drive-up windows getting UNsweet tea (in Tennessee)so I feel your pain! Love your card. I tried making the flowers on the original and came up so short that I still have three base cards with the black strip/white lattice die laying in my work area. Your card is beautiful!

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  9. I would just like to say Amen. I don't know what's gotten in to people but some of the sweet tea they server around here in MO is more sugar and water than it is tea. Boil me some water, throw some tea bags in it and then pour over a whole glass of ice. THE END.

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  10. I agree too. Hate sweet tea! Reminds me of when I moved to CA in the 70's (eek - that long ago?) and tried to say "I'd like a cheeseburger" - never thinking I'd get at California cheeseburger with all the gunk on it - like mayo,tomato, lettace, ketchup etc. No one understood that I "meanitwhenIsay" plain - meat, cheese and bun! Now I have to say PLAIN even back in MN. Thanks for letting me vent, Lydia.

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  11. It's like drinking wet sugar through a straw. Unfortunately, I live in a country that doesn't believe in iced tea (sweet or unsweet). Actually, they don't really even like ice. Strange.

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  12. Dude. You live in Texas. If you want nasty unsweet tea as the norm move to MN! Tea should be sweet as God gave us the good sense to add sugar to it! :)

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  13. Anonymous, get a life and a new attitude!!!!!! Also Anonymous, Lydia is a lady, not a dude!!!!!! Lydia, I so agree with you. If we order an iced tea, it should come WITHOUT sugar. If you want it with sugar then say a SWEET ICED TEA! Duh!!!!! Incidentally, I drink my tea WITHOUT sugar also no matter what part of the country that I drink it in!!!!!! oh, yeah, you posted a card....lol. Love it!!!!! Gorgeous! Did you trim down that lattice after you ran it through the bigshot? Looks cool that way!

    Miss you lady, Hugs, Lisa

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  14. When I visit your lovely state, I order PLAIN No Sugar Tea. :) The whole "unsweet" thing tends to lead to blecky things. :) Great card!!

    jennik

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  15. Hey, Lydia! Happy day to you. I ran across this post while looking for another card of yours I'd cased a while back. The original you linked to was made by Dawn Olchefske (as you know!). She is my upline and we made this in a class. To get the flower fluffier, here is what we did: punched a few scallop circles, ran them thru the crimper SEVERAL times in different directions until we could actually peel the paper layers apart. Then scrunch them up real good, fasten in the middle with a brad, and fluff them up. Pretty easy! Thought you'd like to know. :) Have a good one. And thanks for ALL your awesome posts!

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  16. Thinking again . . . the flowers were created with the Fun Flowers Die (Melon Mambo & Rose Red cardstock) and Island Floral Die (Peach Parfait & Tangerine Tango). We used the Faux Suede technique to break up the fibers and create suede texture layers (i.e. crimper). Wanted to clarify that! :)

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  17. GASP! And you call yourself a Texan! SHAME.

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