Local Business: Pollen Tea Room

I mentioned the other day that this is not a food blog. What I meant to say was, this is not a blog about eat places. There are so many amazing people out there talking about food in Hobart, where to go, what's new... I don't need to fill that space. However, I am happy to talk about growing food (as that's all part of having a garden and working towards sustainability - but I'll talk about that more another day), and I am always, ALWAYS happy to talk about tea. Drinking tea, making tea, the cool things to put tea in and accessorise tea... few things are better than a cup of tea. 

Which is why I am going to talk to you about Pollen Tea Room. Tucked into a beautiful old building on Hampden Road in Battery Point, I hear that Pollen Tea Room has been around for a while. I also have no idea why I've never heard of it before, but I am so grateful that I did! 

So my weekend involved my first visit, and it won't be the last. A warm atmosphere with a lovely outdoor area, Pollen Tea Room are more than just another cafe. Their tea menu is the most extensive I have ever seen, and showcases their own blends, with a priority towards organic and ethically sourced, as well as a focus on chai - my favourite!

The food menu is really pleasant, once again focusing on organic, seasonal and local where possible, and most intolerances/allergies catered for. 

Pollen Tea Room is the perfect spot for a quiet moment, or an intimate catch up with a good friend over the best thing in the world - tea. 

This is the blend I took home!

Even better, if you love the tea you've had, they sell all their brews in take away packets, and you can order online as well. There's also a beautiful range of handmade teaware you can purchase from their website. 

As always, I only mention a business on here that I love, I'm not getting paid or anything out of this review except for sharing something awesome with you! All pics except for the first one lovingly stolen from the Pollen Tea Room website :)

Weekend Moments: Tea, flowers and fans

Have you had an amazing weekend?! I did! It was a long weekend here in Hobart, Monday being a local public holiday because of the Hobart Cup and Regatta Day. I didn't go to either (I don't support horse racing and I'm a little old for show rides) but what I did do was a rare treat - I was home alone for the weekend! My lovely man was off to Melbourne for a bucks weekend, and so I happily did my own thing for a couple of days.

When was the last time you had some time at home on your own? Can you remember? I know that for some people the idea of being home alone, especially overnight, can be a bit daunting - and maybe for some people they wouldn't know what to do with themselves without partners, kids or other people in the house - but I highly recommend spending some alone time at least a few times a year, because its amazing! You can work with your own energy levels, do exactly as you please and appreciate the peace and quiet. Of course if you have cats like I do, company is never too far away anyway, but I just love flitting between this and that, balancing housework with hobbies, sleeping with the curtain open so I can see the stars and watch the trees in the wind...

Now I don't want to turn this into a food blog (it's on my list of what this blog is not about - food!) but I'm making an exception for Pollen Tea Room. Have you heard of it? If not I'll tell you all about it later in the week - the image in the top left of my weekend moments box is of a lovely organic earl grey I had there.

Also, I can't wait to show you some photos of the amazing flowers I purchased from the farmers market!

Plus, I was lucky enough to come across an amazing market find in the most unlikely of places. More on that later too. 

Anyway I hope you had a magical weekend! Don't worry, by the time my lovely fellow was due back I was sick of my own company and ready to share my space with someone again - no ideas of batcheloretting it up for me that's for sure (which is lucky seeing as we just booked in our wedding in February 2016! Eeeeee!!)

Apricots!

Living in a cooler climate means summer is a feast of local stone fruit, and for me, berries and stone fruit are something worth getting excited about. I can't remember if I realised there was an apricot tree in my backyard before or after I purchased my little house, but its definitely one of the things I love about my property and this year has been a particularly bountiful harvest. The thing with fruit is that it's all ripe pretty much at once which means a huge picking effort happened on the weekend!

Even after giving away bucket loads, I still had heaps left over so I popped a sign out the front and sold some to the neighbourhood! 

So my weekend was filled with fruit picking, grading and jam making! Oh I did have time to pop down to another market, which I will tell you about shortly. I have a dream of making a little stand out the front of my house and selling my excess jams, chutneys and other home made creations... maybe that's what my apricot sales money can go towards!

The Market

I know it's already Wednesday but did you have a great weekend?! I hope you had the time to do a little bit of what you love (because that's what weekends are for!). It's been dark and gloomy here in Hobart lately, not summer weather at all, but we can't complain too much because all the rain is keeping things green and I do spare a thought for the many people on tank water who must be sighing with relief to have a decent top up before the hot weather arrives.

This weekend was extra special as it was the last "The Market" for the year. The Market is *the* market for boutique, quality items from local Tasmanian independent makers and designers. Held in The Masonic Temple in Hobart, The Market hand selects each stall holder to ensure the items for sale fit with their philosophy, and a packed hall on Sunday was the best indication that their formula works! And of course why wouldn't it, with so many beautiful items to buy direct from their maker. 

The Market is on 6 times a year, so you'll have to wait a while for the next one, but I can tell you now, the wait is definitely worth it! So much good stuff, every stall holder was unique, well presented and very polished, and the items were just so beautiful! Some sellers were so busy I couldn't even get in to see their range properly. Luckily The Market website is fantastic and even has a Look Book for each market which you can peruse, and then head to the Profiles page to find the artist and their beautiful wares. 

I'd already had a look through and pin pointed the artists I was especially interested in, so my first stop was Sea Soul Studio. I'm not sure if it was the dreamy and quaint porcelain pieces or the story of their creation in a beautiful 1800's cottage studio which made me fall in love - perhaps both - and I just knew a stunning driftwood spoon had to be mine. 

They were even more amazing in real life and I took a (bad) photo while deciding. When I asked Sarah if I could take a photo, she laughed and said "as long as you're not sending it to China to make copies!". Turns out that an overseas manufacturer had contacted her to say they could replicate her product in a factory for a fraction of the price! Can you believe the nerve?! When I said the photos were for a new and not-very-good blog, she asked for a card! I never thought a blog would be interesting enough to warrant a business card but perhaps its worth considering...

Anyway back to the market! Driftwood spoon in hand, I wandered through the other stalls snapping where I could.

Little Twig's display is their namesake

This pic is a little fuzzy but I still had to share their cute sign!

I would have loved to get better snaps of the gorgeous displays but unfortunately there were too many customers! What a nice problem to have :) I bet there are some very lucky people getting some beautiful gifts this Christmas.

Did you spot my terrible photo of this beautiful calendar?! Bon Mot Design - Bec Adamczewski - is the creator behind this lovely piece. Here is a better pic borrowed from the Facebook page - I love the colours, the woodland theme, and the beautiful saying across the top! Notice how all the little animals are in pairs?! It just looked amazing in the frame too.

You can purchase this calendar from the Facebook Page

The calendar isn't on Etsy but Bec's other sweet designs are, you can find them here. I can't stop thinking about the wall calendar, I'm thinking I might have to make some room for it in my office upgrade - which I am still working on, and will update about soon!!

Do you have a favourite market? Or is there somewhere else you head in the Hobart area to buy your local loves?

Shopping Locally this Silly Season

I know it might seem a little typical of the times, but as we head into the silly season, where Australians are forecast to spend a whopping $32.6 billion dollars on food, gifts and home decor, I want to get on the bandwagon and really encourage you to think about where your dollars are really going.

Perhaps, in this crazy world of excess and commercialism, its truly time to sit back, reassess how we do this time of year, and make a conscious effort to be more local with our spending. Because money spent at retail chains and corporate giants simply lines the pockets of shareholders, whereas spending money with your local retailers helps keep their doors open, their kids in out of school activities, and means they can then contribute to their local community as well. It also means you can have more of a say about the conditions your gifts were made in, and where the parts of the gift were sourced.

Why buy a mass made candle, when you can support a local person who makes beautiful candles from Tasmanian beeswax? Think about it. You're supporting the farmer, and the creator.

Perhaps think a little further - if you buy a range of local jams and relishes from a stall at the Hobart Farm Gate farmers market, your dollars are supporting a local maker, a local business, and your lucky gift recipient is eating a preservative free product made from locally grown fruit and veg which is in turn supporting a local farmer! That's at least three lots of families who live in your area, send their kids to school with your kids, and work and (hopefully) support the community you work and support. Perhaps the maker had their labels designed by a local artist, perhaps their business cards were printed with a local printer.... the flow on can be endless if you think about it.

And here's another thought - what about buying second hand? The vintage craze is well and truly in full swing so why not take advantage of the trend and buy your loved ones a vintage cake tin, or a retro vase, or a antique tea cup? Recycling, a unique item, and also supporting a local shop or market stall are all advantages of something that's used. 

Use the opportunity to tell your gift receiver your new philosophy behind the gift - nothing says thoughtful like a person actively supporting local this time of year.

So if you're still with me, here are some places you can start looking right here in Tasmania:

Gorgeous artwork from My Little Pixels

Aren't the dreamy colours in these pictures beautiful?! Isn't it nicer to decorate with a local artist, with images from Tasmania, than the mass produced items from the big retailers? 

There are so many that I love, the trouble would be picking which one! Anna Jane also makes her artwork available in phone cases, pendants and calendars!

You can find My Little Pixels on Etsy and Facebook. (And Anna Jane is having a sale at the moment too! Woo!)

Vintage finds with A Creative Lifestyle

Jane must have the best luck ever in finding on trend and sweet items out and about, because her Etsy shop is packed full of pre-loved vintage pieces! I especially love the more industrial style items like wire baskets...

...vintage keys...

...and these quirky wooden shoe forms!

I purchased some great items from Jane, and they came wrapped in old dress patterns and she included a sweet gift too - I can't wait to show you once I finish my craft room upgrade!

Especially good if you don't have the time to go scouring yourself, why not give something unique and pre-loved this year?

Cards with an Australian twist with Trees 4 The Wood

Don't you think its funny that here in Australia people still insist on cooking winter meals at the height of summer, and decorate their homes with frosty santas, snowflakes and wintery evergreens? I see this style in seasonal cards all the time and that's what to love about Grace's hand printed, linocut Christmas cards, featuring local fauna and flora.

What's not to love about this hand printed, hand painted card? Aren't they the sweetest thing! 

And see that funky pencil there? You can buy those from Grace as well! In fact it was these very pencils that lead me to her Etsy page in the first place!

You can even check out Grace's blog to see how she hand prints these cards, right on her kitchen bench! 

Beautiful Books with Jennifer Skelly at Red Parka

Do you love books? I sure do and what better way to support a local bookshop by buying a local book? Especially a book about local birds!! With both words and illustrations by Jennifer, you can check out her funky stuff here on her website. 

So there you have it. Just a couple of the endless options of items you can buy this silly season from local people. And don't forget, local markets (both traditional and artisan), the Farm Gate farmers market and the new Hobart Twilight Market are also great resources for finding local sellers. 

I know this post is only scratching on the surface! Where do you shop locally? Any Tasmanian favourites?

*This is not a sponsored post, I genuinely think these artists and sellers rock, and you should totally buy me a present from them!*

Creating a Living Wreath with Kate at Botanical

Botanical is at 139 Macquarie St, Hobart

Did you know that there is an amazing new florist open in Hobart?! The first I knew about Botanical was driving past on my way home from work, I couldn't miss the stunning window display which instantly reminded me of the florists and flower shops I've admired in Melbourne. I knew straight away that this was something different. Of course this meant my daily drive involved checking out the window to see what was new, because every couple of days the display changes! Wire cage Edison bulbs, terrariums, hanging pots and of course abundant blooms spilling onto the pavement, I had to know more!

Thankfully Botanical has a beautiful website and after reading all about Kate, her business and seeing the beautiful photos of her flowers, I was so excited to find Kate hosting workshops right in her lovely shop! Luckily that very day I needed a gift to celebrate the birth of my best friend's first baby, a perfect excuse to call in and sign up for the last spot for the Living Wreath workshop and collect a very cute succulent terrarium on the way.

Saturday couldn't come around quickly enough! What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than with 8 lovely ladies, creating something amazing among beautiful gift ware and the heavy scents of hundreds of flowers.

Kate's passion is infectious! Her style is organic, natural, simple and classy, allowing the flowers to be the star of the show - no leery cardboard boxes or glitter spray here! During the class Kate told us, "Do what you love. If you don't love what you do, you won't succeed" how true is that?!

No doubt like you, I've seen living succulent wreaths online, including how to guides. I've probably pinned quite a few but like a lot of these sorts of projects I've just never gotten around to actually making it happen. Plus why try and work your way through hard to follow online instructions when you can support an amazing local business and learn from their many years of skill?

Kate shows us how!

So the next few hours were spent getting our hands dirty, digging in to moss and peat and dirt all under Kate's careful guidance, upon rustic recycled benches with Tasmanian bubbly in hand.  We selected succulent cuttings from a huge range and arranged them where they will hopefully grow and look lovely for a long time! Kate has no hesitation in sharing her tricks of the trade, and happily provides all the details so you can go home and create more of these amazing wreaths, even offering ideas on collecting succulents for free!

I love my wreath! Now I have to wait a couple of weeks for the roots to attach, and then I will be able to show you a picture of it hanging in all its glory!

Needless to say I am so very pleased I went along to this workshop, and highly recommend them to anyone and everyone! Well done Kate, your shop is amazing and I can't wait to see how Botanical grows and evolves in the future.

Be sure to "like" Botanical on Facebook (especially now as she has a great competition on!) and head to her website, www.botanicalhobart.com.au, clicking on 'Workshops' to find out what's coming up. Or better yet, head on in, experience the lovely shop and grab yourself a stunning posie!

*Obviously, all views on this post are mine, and this isn't sponsored in any way - I simply just want to share stuff that I love, and you might too!*