The Tea Bar at the Hermitage

I wrote on my other blog about my going into summer mode. In that essay I meant summer mode for ministry. Today is the first day of true summer vacation for me, who works in a public elementary school. On this blog summer mode means other things.

For example, I re-organized my tea and made a tea bar. I've accumulated various teas through purchase or gifts. I crammed them all into nooks and crannies in this kitchen, which is very small. In fact, my entire apartment is 450 sf, and I call it The Hermitage in the summer because I dwell quietly in here and rarely come out.

Living in a small space means having a good memory as to where stuff is, and keeping it organized so you can get to it. In a tiny space, it's rare that I can just go up to something and pull it out, usually it means having to move at least one thing to get to another. Th stuff I use all the time has priority and is always accessible.

The tea has now become a priority. I want to know what I have and be able to gt to it. That means moving some stuff around and re-dedicating other things (like the mason jars) in order to accomplish this. Living small is easy but it takes dedication and practice.

Here is my bar:

The tea set is a British genuine Whittard Clipper series pot and cup. The mug to the side is a favorite alternate to the cup. I have my favorite coasters at the bottom, a friend crocheted those for me and I just love them. The mason jar is a homemade canned banana peppers to use as antipasto when I have tea.

In the mason jars along the top I have Yogi Honey Lavender tea which is smooth and refreshing. Next is Tazo Darjeeling, Organic Rose Hip tea, Rooibos from South Africa, Chai Spice black tea and some Chamomile, and last along the top is a green tea which I enjoy chilled in the summer, with lemon.

In the first of the two jars next to the Whittard set we have some very expensive Talbot tea and a couple of English Breakfast Teas from Harney & Sons. The second container holds copious amounts of Hibiscus Flower tea, which I only enjoy chilled.

I like it. It feels civilized.

Something else I've been thinking of is organizing my crafting supplies. I haven't done any book binding or collaging for a very long time. I gave away the bulk of my supplies a few years ago. But now I feel the urge again. When I gave away my stuff I consolidated it all to one antique trunk in the bedroom. Everything is crammed in there. Living in small spaces all my life, I've always had my art supplies scattered around. Large papers were under the bed, tools were in a bureau drawer next to the socks, paints were in the china cabinet. In this apartment having it all in one spot, albeit the trunk has been OK for the few times I've wanted to drag anything out. But now it's a pain.

You ladies know what I'm talking about, when you want to craft you like to browse through all the papers and get a bird's eye view of all your stuff. Having it easy to get to also means more likely to actually craft instead of just thinking about it.

Living in a small space like I'd said means prioritizing. So why have the extension cords and light bulbs in prime space when I can have my crafting supplies in prime space. I have an antique bureau in the living room that has 9 drawers. Three of them hold candles. One holds extension cords and light bulbs. One holds Christmas bags and ribbons. All of these aforementioned items are used extremely infrequently. Candles when the lights go out, Christmas wrapping once per year, extension cords hardly ever.

I plan to move the bookbinding stuff to the bureau in the living room and the stuff in the bureau to the trunk. The table in the kitchen is where I write, read, eat, and craft. It is a good table with a large top, and is next to where I place my tea or coffee or water. There is good light  and I can happily sit there and make stuff, even having the laptop on the table with a sermon or a movie playing.

I don't need to dedicate all 9 drawers to junk. This is prime space.

I spend most of my time in the kitchen,
having the craft supplies nearby would be great

Anyway, not huge problems. It's nice to worry about my craft supplies instead of the hunger of students at school ... or why they miss so many days at school ... or why they have tear stains on their dirty face...

It's nice to kick back and only worry about reorganizing something!