Happy New Year from My Tea Diary!

 

Resolutions for the New Year

 

photo courtesy of Unsplash.com

I imagine many of us will welcome the arrival of 2021 with open arms! And, as we welcome the arrival of this new year, we probably cannot help but think about things we would like to change or improve in our lives.  I guess that is what new year's resolutions are all about.  So I will share with you here a few of my tea blog-related resolutions for 2021.

First, I plan to use my background in art history and in library science to find and link to sources of tea-related information and imagery from this website. Here is how I plan to start:

• Update the "My Tea Library" page with all of the books I have added to my personal tea library since I first typed up that list a few years ago.  
• Annotate many of the entries in the list.  
• Link the books on this list to online book sellers.
• Continue to add to the "Imagery" page on this website (see menu bar at top of screen) which links to a number of digital image collections. 

Next, I hope to write and post new blog content more regularly. 

These things should keep me plenty busy for a while.  And I hope they will result in a website that is a rich information resource for tea lovers.

Share Tea Love with Your Community

 I recently set up a tea-themed display at my local library branch.  This is a wonderful way for any tea lover to share her/his/their love of tea with a local community. 

The display I created is on view at the North Asheville Branch Library, Asheville, North Carolina, for this month of December.  It features books from my personal tea library which are also available for check out through the Buncombe County, North Carolina library system.  I identified each book with the type of person I thought it might appeal to.  For example, some of the book headings are "Tea for the fiction lover" (Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See), "Tea for the memoir lover" (Infused: Adventures in Tea by Henrietta Lovell), "Tea for the Activist" (The Way of Tea and Justice by Becca Stevens), and "Tea for the history buff" (For All the Tea in China by Sarah Rose). You get the idea.

In the display, I also included an assortment of different style tea pots, a Limoges tea set, and two children's ceramic tea sets. I also included a flyer entitled "What is tea?" as well as two botanical drawings of the Camellia sinensis.

The exhibit has been well received by both library staff and the public.  For me it has been a fun way both support my local library and share my love of tea with my community.

Photo is courtesy of North Asheville Branch Library.

Photo is courtesy of North Asheville Branch Library.

New Teapot Mosaic

 

Homage to a Teapot - My most recent artwork

 

I just completed this tea-themed mosaic.  It's rather Baroque, but great fun.  I had a fabulous time putting it together.

Creating Decor for Your Own Spooky Victorian Tea Party

It’s that time of year: time to get spooky! With this in mind, I’ve crafted décor for a Victorian Halloween Tea Party.  These projects give a nod to some spooky Victorian pastimes such as palm reading, crystal ball gazing, and divination with tea leaves (also known as tasseography).  At the tea table, we will display our curious collections under bell jars.  And we will drink a full-bodied black tea accompanied by tea sandwiches, scones and sweets. So read on to learn how you might craft décor for your own creepy Victorian tea time.

 

The first crafted items that I will discuss are the decorated pumpkins.  After all, what is Halloween without pumpkins? I purchased all of these pumpkins at a thrift shop. 

 Instructions:

1)      -Paint two layers of white chalk paint, allowing drying time between layers.

2)      -Sponge on off-white chalk paint.  Allow to dry.

3)     - Rub a very light coat of “tea stained” wax on the stems of the pumpkins.

4)      -Trace the silhouette of a teapot onto the largest pumpkin. Paint it black. Once dry, attach a cameo brooch to the silhouette.

 

 

The next crafted item for our spooky Victorian tea is a small crystal gazing ball. Crystal gazing, or scrying, was a form of popular entertainment in Victorian circles.

Instructions:

1)     - Find a black and white clip art image of an ornate tea pot.  (You can find a number of these at http://thegraphicsfairy.com)

2)      -Size and print the image onto clear transparency film.  Transparency film is available for laser printers, copiers and inkjet printers.

3)      -Trace a circle around the image using a thin tip sharpie marker. Cut out the image just  inside the lines of the circle.

4)      -Roll up the cut out image and slip it into a clear Christmas ball.  You can find these clear balls at any big box craft store.

5)     - Attach the clear ball to the top of a candlestick using the adhesive of your choice.  I used Lexel by Sashco.  It is a clear, paintable caulk that is available at hardware stores.

 

Victorians were avid collectors.  For this spooky tea party we will display our collection of shrunken skulls under a bell jar.

 Instructions:

1)      -Choose a silverplate plate that fits under your bell jar.

2)      -Cut the end off of a Styrofoam ball and glue it to the silverplate plate with the adhesive of your choice.  I used Weldbond.

3)     - Glue moss over the Styrofoam ball. I used Weldbond. Let dry.

4)      -Stack your mini skulls and glue them to the moss coated ball.  Also glue them together.  I used Lexel as the adhesive for this part of the process.

5)      -Stick floral pins and butterfly or dragonfly charms into the moss coated Styrofoam.

6)      -Once dry, place your bell jar over the arrangement of curious items.

 

The illustrations in these vignettes are from the digital collections of the Library of Congress and from the New York Public Library. To search the digital collections of these two institutions, go to the following two web addresses and enter “tea” as your keyword search term.

http://loc.gov/pictures

http://digitalcollections.nypl.org

 

Tea History at the British Museum

Creative Commons use. ©The Trustees of the British Museum.

Fun fact:  The British Museum hosts both a podcast and a blog! That is news to me.  I was thrilled to learn this recently and, of course, immediately searched both media for episodes featuring tea. Given the British peoples’ long history with tea, I was not surprised to find that at least one episode of both the British Museum podcast and the British Museum blog focuses on the history of afternoon tea.  For an entertaining peek into the workings of the British Museum, including a brief talk on the history of afternoon tea, go HERE.  To read a short blog summary of this history written by British food historian, Tasha Marks, go HERE.  Both are primers on the history of afternoon tea and include nothing that you tea lovers have not heard before.  But I find it such fun to find new descriptions of this oft-tread history. These resources are worth the look and the listen!

Tea Find at LIDL

 

This tea find will be of particular interest to my readers on the East Coast in the U.S. Yesterday, my husband and I took a productive trip to the discount grocer, LIDL.  While there, I was surprised to find this loose leaf tea blend from 1001 Delights called "Chai Tea." The package lists the following ingredients for this blend: black tea (rainforest alliance certified tm), ginger pieces, cinnamon, chili flakes, cardamom, black pepper, orange peel, and cloves.

Earlier this morning, I brewed a pot of this tea and found it to be lovely.  I enjoy my black teas plain, even chai blends, and enjoyed this one plain as well following a 5 minute steep.  

I am sharing this find because the taste is good and the price is quite a bargain. This 5.2 ounce bag (FSC certified paper packaging) of the loose leaf chai tea blend cost $2.99 plus tax. That speaks for itself.

Love Your Skin With TEA.L

 “We love tea.” That is how TEA.L, a producer of all natural body care products, begins its discussion of its company philosophy.  When I learned about TEA.L back in 2019, I was immediately intrigued by their embrace of tea for self-care.  And I thought:  all-natural body care products that are made with real tea?  Yes!  Count me in!

 

I wanted to try all 3 TEA.L products, so I ordered the TEA.L Ceremony Set which includes the green tea & guayusa face lotion, the green tea & rooibos body lotion, and the green tea & yerba mate eye cream. I used these three products until gone and was hooked. The delicate scent of these all-natural products (no artificial fragrance) suited my very sensitive nose and appealed to me - especially in the lotion and cream that I use on my face.  The scent of the body lotion is delicate and appealing as well. After using these products for a while, my skin felt soft and well hydrated. So that’s my testimonial regarding the products. 

 

My initial exploration of the TEA.L website convinced me that not only did I want to try the TEA.L products, but that I wanted to learn more about the men behind them.  So I have interviewed TEA.L founders, Zhao Lu and Ronald Taylor.

 

I love your philosophy that everyone deserves to practice self-care.  Tell us a bit about your self-care routines - both those that involve tea and those that don't.

 

Covid has completely changed our self care routines in a very positive way, as we are able to dedicate more time to self care with less social distractions. Tea plays a central role in our renewed routines, as now we actually have time to follow a routine daily and steep loose leaf almost every single time. I (Zhao) usually have 4 cups of dragonwell a day and I changed it up once in a while with Guayusa (if I need more caffeine) or some sort of Chinese black tea. Ron, on the other hand, prefers Gyokuro or Yerba Mate in daytime. We do enjoy Rooibos together after dinner to aid digestion or mellow down before bed.

 

Outside of tea, we lift weights 5x a week in our home gym, which really helps relieve stress and build up stamina. Another area we are focused on is sleep hygiene, i.e. being mindful of winding down an hour or so before bedtime, no phones, no TV, and incorporate aromatherapy into the unwind process. We actually drew inspiration from aromatherapy to develop the scent for TEA.L products: we want to make them smell like something we are happy to fall asleep to.

 

In the "About TEA.L" page of your website you encourage people to live authentic lives that reflect who they are beneath any label they might carry. This is a beautiful idea and I would love to hear more about how authenticity comes through in your own lives, in your company, and in your products.

 

Living authentic lives came from a place really close to our hearts. Both me and Ronald learned the importance of self-care, both physically and mentally, while growing up gay in small towns. And I personally immigrated to the US 10 years ago from China with limited language skills and zero acquaintance. As we stumble and tumble to establish an authentic self in our adulthood, we have to fight the stigma and prejudice associated with the labels put on us. I think a lot of people nowadays can relate to that experience to a certain extent, and that experience continues for all of us. Through TEA.L, we want to empower everyone with labels on their backs by giving them an authentic way to heal after they work so hard to establish their true self. Tea, for the longest time, instead of being known by their names, origins and unique profiles, carries a color category and lives in a pre-packaged teabag or some sort of chemical extract for beauty purposes. So I can’t think of a better vehicle to carry that message.

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to “talk” with me Zhao and Ronald!  

And now for a special offer from TEA.L: You will receive 30% off of your full TEA.L order between now and September 30, 2020 with the exclusive code TEADIARY30. You can only use the code once, so fill up your cart the first time around.  Visit TEA.L at https://tealotion.com/ to get your discount by entering TEADIARY30 at checkout!

Interview: Tea in Art with Madame Magar

I have followed artist Leigh Magar, a.k.a. Madame Magar, for a couple of years now on social media. She is a Charleston, South Carolina, based artist who explores fashion, fine art, performance, and history. I am interested in her use of tea as a dye medium for her textile art.  So, I reached out to her for an interview.

LYNN:  You are known for your “seed to stitch” indigo dyed textiles which are turned into fashionable frocks, home accessories, and textile art, but I also know that you use other natural dyes. Tell us a bit about your use of tea as a dye.

LEIGH: The Madame Magar “Seed to Stitch” philosophy is inspired by nature and utilizing local resources to create one of a kind Seasonal/Limited/Local dresses, and using dress scrap cloth to create accessories and textile art. The Charleston Tea Plantation is a nearby/local tea farm that I use to dye cloth; usually mixed with other natural dye plants.

LYNN:  Can you tell us a bit about tea in your life. I understand that you, like I did, grew up in the South Carolina Upstate, so I imagine that you grew up drinking sweet iced tea.  Is that right?

LEIGH: Tea is a memorable part of my life. I grew up drinking very sweet iced tea; especially at my grandmas Sunday table! I feel that Iced Tea is a vital part of the south and home; long ago; when I went to design school for hat making in Manhattan, iced tea was one the most missed things for me! I grew up drinking very sweet iced tea; especially at family gatherings, so the beverage brings back those memorable occasions.

LYNN: Do you drink hot tea? If so, when and how were you introduced to that?

LEIGH: After high school and leaving sparkle city (Spartanburg, SC) for Charleston SC; for a spell I brewed herbal teas but I just liked the ceremonial aspects of it; the delicate vintage cups and saucers; the plants and herbs; a premonition of my dye life!

LYNN: I know that some years you offer a tea dye workshop and luncheon for Mother’s Day. I imagine that the circumstances surrounding this year’s Covid 19 pandemic have led to the cancellation of a 2020 event of this type.  Can we look forward to your hosting of a similar event on other occasions once things open back up? 

LEIGH: Yes all of my natural dye courses have been postponed until we are all able to gather safely again. The Mothers Day Tea was inspired by the Teas given years ago; during Spoleto festival at The Confederate Home and College in Charleston; held in a beautiful outdoor courtyard garden; handmade triangle sandwiches, okra pickles, benne wafers, and of course tea!

As far as workshops; I have started a Blue School; as part of my “seed to stitch “vision, teaching growing, harvesting, processing indigo; so most of my workshops are Private, Custom courses available upon inquiry; but I do look forward to the future being able to host natural dye courses interwoven with local/Seasonal Flora and Fauna, Food, and culture. 

My Courses are very small and limited so as to insure a true hands on/in depth experience. 

I offer 3 day dye sessions-indigo season(May-August)”seed to dye pot” indigo season course; learning every step of the indigo process from seed to dye. 

I have also started a CSTA: (Community Supported Textile Agriculture) program.

Members receive Madame Magar natural dyed and handmade local home goods and textiles and collaborative offerings from local Johns Island farms.

First delivery is Summer Solstice; June 20

Please inquire if interested in details.

All Inquiries: madamemagar@gmail.com

To purchase or view my work:

Instagram @madamemagar

Dresses available at Worthwhile: @shopworthwhile 

Shopworthwhile.com

Madamemagar.com