Iced Tea and Cookies - Painting

A few months ago I was asked by a client if I would paint a still life that included her Grandmother's antique iced tea bottle.
I looked around for other things that went with the vintage bottle, you see, even though my paintings are of "things," I still like them to tell a story.
The bottle had to be the featured object and since it was clear glass, I didn't want anything too colorful that would overpower it.   I chose a light back ground, I felt that a dark background was too dramatic for the easy feeling/mood that I was trying to accomplish.

To get started I sat and thought for a while about the time when the bottle would have been used and what might have been served with a glass of iced tea back then.
I had a vintage hobnail plate and had made some cookies the day before and thought with a plain drinking glass, this would be enough to tell a story but keep the arrangement simple and light with the bottle as the star.

After arranging the elements to my satisfaction, I used clamp on lights to cast some shadows, giving the plain background some interest. 
My client was very happy with the finished painting and the cookies were yummy!  :) Tracy