2022
The Second Project of the New Year
categories: unquiet things
On the first day of 2022, we revamped my desk setup, and it’s a pretty exciting thing. This monitor is enormous and yet I have so much more room on my desk! For knitting! Er….I mean… writing, of course!
For our second project, we kept it small. Small wins are great, too! As a matter of fact, I think this was a day full of small wins. I cleaned the bathroom too, and for someone who has been avoiding this task for six months, this is maybe actually a major win.
So, anyway, this second project…
I am very easily influenced and I’ve been seeing these home coffee stations all over TikTok and YouTube. I love the idea of dedicated spaces for things and so I wanted one, too! Often they feature a slew of Torani syrups (blech*) and a Keurig (also blech**) and various trays and baskets and shelves that I’m assuming someone bought specifically for this purpose.
But we decided we’d just make do with what we could find around the house. It’s not a very sophisticated or “aesthetic” display with regard to the elegance of the configuration or the beauty of the containers, but whatever–we didn’t have to spend a cent to do it!
It’s not perfect, but already the area feels less cluttered, and just…more intentional, I guess? While I’m not a “serious” coffee person and don’t know much about coffees or beans or preparation techniques, I suppose you could say I take the enjoyment of my morning coffee somewhat seriously, so this seemed like a really nice thing to do for the new year. Just a little project, with really lovely results.
In this spot, we have our french press, our hand-grinder, a little frother, a Moka pot, a whole bunch of teas and sweeteners, some coffees, and a little matcha bowl and whisk. Also, a Fika book, which I got two years ago and haven’t made a single thing from, so I think that might be my challenge to myself this year. Prepare one fika treat per month!
How do you arrange your various little spaces? What bite-size projects might you work on for substantial results? And do you have a little coffee/tea station? I wanna see!
**sorry! But blech!
If you would like to support this blog, consider buying the author a coffee?
Susan Jamison says
Super cute! I'm addicted to that tulsi rose tea!
S. Elizabeth says
That tulsi rose tea was a gateway drug--I think I've got boxes of every single variety they make, now!
Natalie Nelson says
I just found your blog by way of twitter by way of Tik Tok and Isn't social media grand? That all is to say that I love your writing and way of looking at the world. Thank you! - Natalie/gnatnelson (superfanforlife)
S. Elizabeth says
Ahhh! Thank you for the comment and the kind words AND for sharing how you found me--I am always curious about these things!
nedotykomka says
I cram an assortment of tea cakes, bags, samples, annotated tickets extracted from tea cakes I've enjoyed, etc, along with the requisite pick (for breaking tea cakes apart) and head-shop scale shaped like a PSP into more or less a cubic foot of cabinet space fondly referred to as the "tea hole"
S. Elizabeth says
Oooh! I knew this little area was missing something! Maybe a little treat tray or cookie jar or something...? Thank you for the idea!
Emera says
This post is maximum cozy! Good on you for being able to repurpose things you already had in the house.
I'm going to have to steal the "tea hole" terminology from nedotykomka's comment. I think my "tea hole"'s only praiseworthy feature is that's it's sorted, left to right, from 0-caf to most caffeinated.