Tea.

That's all I need to say really. Tea. It's delicious, healthy and relaxing. Tea. I can't get enough. There's nothing better than a good cup of tea in the winter or some iced tea with fresh mint in the summer (I'm having some of that right now.) There's a great little tea shop on Rivington Street in NYC called teany. It's owned by Moby (that's irrelevant, I guess, but I am probably known for throwing in irrelevant information) and offers a huge variety of wonderful teas. They also serve vegan food, as Moby is vegan himself. There. I made that little tidbit relevant. Sitting outside the shop with a cup of tea and a sandwich was a lovely NYC experience. I do have to mention an interesting little story though. I was once by there with Tim and my mother-in-law on a chilly, rainy day. We planned to eat at a restaurant nearby and then go back to Teany for, what else, tea. Tim and I couldn't remember how to get to the restaurant from the train station where we had gotten off. Robin was tired of us wandering around looking. She took it upon herself to head back by Teany and ask them for directions. The shop is in a basement level of a building and she had to descend some slippery, wet stairs on her way into the shop. Well, she slipped, fell flat on her back and hit her head on the concrete stairs. Tim and I were still a half a block away waiting for her on the corner. After a little while, we went back to look for her thinking she had been tempted into a cup if tea. Nope. She was sitting on a little chair next to the counter waiting. The servers hadn't offered to call us or even offered a cup of tea. She was wet from falling. The stairs themselves were quite wet. After making sure she was fine, we decided to stay for tea to give her a chance to rest and warm up. While sitting there, several other people slipped on those stairs, but none of them fell. We finally mentioned that they might want to do something to prevent another accident. At that point they mopped up some of the water and put out a rug. Drinking our tea wasn't at all relaxing. It was clear that they wanted us out of there as soon as possible. I imagine they were afraid that we were aware of who owned the shop and were going to sue or something. Whatever the case, it was incredibly rude and we were incredibly angry. The icing on the cake was them actually charging us for the tea. The point? I thought it was an interesting story. And, well, it demonstrates our love of tea. Because, despite our anger, we returned to that tea shop because we couldn't resist the tea! And, well, I don't feel even the slightest bit of guilt about it.

Do any of you have a tea story you would like to share? Or a favorite tea or tea ritual? If so, please share with us in the comments section of this post.

Since tea is the subject of this post, I thought it appropriate to feature some tea-related items that I've found on etsy. Be sure to check out the shops. They have many more beautiful things. Just click on the shop or item name to be directed back to their etsy shops.

Brookish Handmade Goods
Take Tea With Us - Tea Bag Caddy ($10.00)




Stilletto Heights
After the Tea Party - Reproduction Art Print ($18.00)




Marci G's
Red Poppy Tea Bag Holder ($10.00)




Dewberry Vintage
Tiki Table Tea Set ($25.00)




Wildroot Botanicals
Take it Easy Tea ($6.25)




Cornflower Creations
Spring Swallow - Hand Embroidered Tea Towel ($17.00)




Rose Bush Designs
Tea Stained Thank You Set of 6 ($15.00)




Savvii
Blackberry Sage Tea - Whipped Body Frosting ($3.25 - travel size)

Mother's Day Gift Guide-Part Two (I'm baaack.)

Alrighty-O. Yes, I really said that. You aren't imagining it. I'm in a goofy mood. I'm back and I've got more suggestions for Mother's Day gifts. I've decided to do four installments of five items. This is in part because, as I discovered yesterday, these are difficult decisions and it takes time. I was also thinking that large gift guides can be overwhelming. This way you can slowly absorb the ideas and perhaps one will stand out to you. Before I get started with the guide, I have to slip in a "Brennan of the Day." Yesterday she was playing with the grass from her Easter basket. She grabbed a handful of it, held it up to me and said, "This is God's hair." I have no idea where that came from.

Mother's Day Gift Guide-Part Two



"Green Teapot II" is from a new etsy seller (joined this month) who also happens to be from my old stomping ground of Pensacola, FL. Back to Earth is full of absolutely beautiful work. And wouldn't it just thrill you to be his first buyer?

Don't you just love, love, love this clutch from Fiaz Co? It looks almost like it has been hand painted. The inside is lined in a robin's egg blue silk. Handmade. Need I say more?

For the mother who sews..."Alexander Henry Camden Fair Red, Yard Set." Fabric Worm is full of gorgeous, colorful and sometimes quirky fabrics that I would love to get my grimey little hands on. If you aren't crazy about this set, there are tons and tons to choose from.

This is quickly becoming a gift guide for me. I can't help it. A girl loves what she loves, and I totally love this needlefelt art. Deebs Fiber Art shop offers the "No.379 Lone Tree Too" both with and without a mat. Add a frame and you've got a truly unique gift.

The "Twisted and Textured Silver Dangle Earrings" are handmade from 99.9% pure silver by Beadz N 'Thingz. I think they look light and springy, but would work just as well with a sweater this fall. And just think, you can impress your mother with your knowledge of handcrafted fine silver.

Be sure to check out the comments for yesterday's post. "Meltem" is offering a freebie with a $50.00 purchase in her shop this weekend.