Winter Respite and Cozy Tea Table with Cardinals + Sweet Easy-to-Build Snowmen

Enjoy a winter respite with a cozy tea setting by a Winter Nesting Tree. You’ll find Snowmen, Cardinals, a relaxing tea blend, as well as ‘Easy-to-Build’ Snowman Cookies, a sweet treat and baking/decorating project for a cold winter day.

Welcome to the January edition of Tea on Tuesdays,

a celebration of tea on the third Tuesday of every month.

Pam and I are happy to welcome back Sarah at Hyacinths for Soul,

 joining us as a guest for tea today.

We’re glad you’re here, pour yourself a cuppa and join us! ☕

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January is a great month to recharge and relax after the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

I’m enjoying a winter respite and some cozy nesting by our Winter Nesting Tree.

Our Winter Nesting Tree provides some welcome sparkle and twinkle,

as well as an antidote for the winter blues after Christmas.

It’s decorated for the month of January and February with sparkling snowflakes,

icy branches, pine cones, nesting birds and glittery nests.

Cardinals and snowmen have gathered at the table for a celebration of winter. . .

Snow is a somewhat rare occurrence for us in the Southern Piedmont of North Carolina,

but a girl can hope! Our snow is typically of the ‘here today, gone tomorrow’

variety, if we do see some flurries or accumulation. ❄️❄️❄️

I took these photos several years ago when we had 7 inches of snow and I spied these

Cardinals in the snow-covered branches.

Instead of snow, we’ve had over 6 inches of rain this January. . .if

raindrops were snowflakes, it would take several weeks for us to dig our way out!

It’s a “Marshmallow World in the Winter” and

Cardinals have flocked to nest in a Marshmallow Topiary Tree. . .

DIY Marshmallow Topiaries are budget-friendly craft project and fun to create!

Cardinals are temporarily perched on the marshmallows

with a bit of Museum Putty / Quake Hold.

The marshmallows have firmed to a rock hard texture and the cardinals can be removed

without damage to the birds or topiary.

Join me for a cup of Cool Winter Herb Peppermint Bark Tea

in my favorite snowman mugs and teapot,

with a brilliant red cardinal perched on the lid.

The Republic of Tea – Peppermint Bark, Cool Winter Herb Tea, is caffeine-free with

organic green rooibos, organic peppermint, vanilla and cocoa,

ideal for a winter respite.

Heather Myers folkart snowmen belonged to my mother-in-law,

who was a big fan of ‘snowfolk’ . . .

They believe in the spirit of Christmas and celebrating winter!

☃️ ❄️ ☃️

Cardinal scrapbooking stickers from Michaels were added

for some winter birding details.

An embroidered snowflake runner is layered over warm and cozy plaid throw,

serving as a tablecloth.

Cardinal Christmas ornaments were repurposed as napkin rings,

with a wreath design encircling a pair of napkins.

Help yourself to a Snowman Sugar Cookie,

as fun to “build” as they are to eat.

These snowman cookies would be fun, sweet treat and project for little hands

to help make on a cold, winter day!

To start you’ll need some sugar cookies or cookies of choice;

3 – 3 1/2 inch cookies provide a good size base for decorating.

For quick and easy sugar cookies, I used Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Cookie Dough – (16oz/24ct),

available in the refrigerator section of the grocery store.

Follow package directions for baking.

You’ll also need:

❄️ Peppermints for earmuffs; 2 per cookie

❄️ String licorice (I used Twizzlers Pull ‘n Peel)

❄️ 6 – 8 Orange gumdrops cut into 3 to 4 triangular pieces each

❄️ Chocolate chips; 5 per cookie for eyes and mouth

❄️ 1 can vanilla frosting or frosting recipe of choice

Note: Betty Crocker Whipped Vanilla Frosting won this blind taste test as a favorite canned frosting.

To make:

❄️ Allow your cookies to cool completely before decorating,

covering them with a generous layer of snowy white frosting.

❄️ Separate licorice strings, cut each string in half with kitchen shears.

❄️ Cut orange gumdrops with kitchen shears into triangles for a carrot nose.

You should be able to get 3 – 4 triangular pieces per gumdrop.

❄️ After spreading frosting on cookie, add licorice for band of earmuffs and peppermint candies.

❄️ Place chocolate chips on face to make eyes and mouth;

add a gumdrop triangle for a snowman “carrot” nose.

❄️ Allow frosting to set and ‘crust’ before placing in an airtight container or snowman cookie jar ;)

until ready to serve.

Table Details:

Snowman Mugs, Teapot, Cookie Jar, Ridgefield Home / HomeGoods, several years ago

Embroidered Snowflake Runner, Plaid Throw, Napkins / HomeGoods, several year ago

Cardinal Ornaments / Hobby Lobby

Red and green plaid plates / Pottery Barn, several years ago

Cable knit salad plate / Michaels, several years ago

Twig flatware / Pier 1

Snowmen / Heather Myers for ESC Trading Company

Mini Cardinals / Amazon

Print Recipe

Easy to Build Snowman Sugar Cookies

Little hands will enjoy helping ‘build’ and make these snowman cookies. A sweet, fun treat for a cold winter day!

Prep Time45 minutes mins

Cook Time0 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate chips, peppermints, red licorice, snowman cookies, sugar cookies

Servings: 24 cookies

Equipment

• kitchen shears

Ingredients

• 24 sugar cookies or cookies of choice use a 3 to 3 1/2-inch cookie so it has plenty of surface area for decorating
• 48 peppermints 2 per cookie for earmuffs
• 12 pieces string licorice cut in half (I used Twizzlers Pull ‘n Peel)
• 6 - 8 Orange gumdrops cut into 3 to 4 triangular pieces each
• 1 can vanilla frosting or frosting of choice
• 120 chocolate chips 5 per cookie for eyes and mouth

Instructions

• Allow your cookies to cool completely before decorating, covering them with a generous layer of the frosting of your choice; use canned frosting or your favorite buttercream recipe.
• Separate licorice strings, cut each string in half with kitchen shears.
• Cut orange gumdrops with kitchen shears into triangles for a carrot nose. You should be able to get 3 – 4 triangular pieces per gumdrop.
• After spreading frosting on cookie, add licorice for band of earmuffs and peppermint candies for ear "covers".
• Place chocolate chips on face to make eyes and mouth. Add gumdrop triangle for nose. Allow frosting to set and 'crust' before placing in an airtight container, layering with wax paper until ready to serve.

Notes

For quick and easy sugar cookies, use Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Cookie Dough - 16oz/24ct, available in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. Follow package directions for baking.

Join Pam and Sarah for more winter tea inspiration:

Pam at Everyday Living

Sarah at Hyacinths for the Soul

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