The Sunday Steep #3: Craft kits and crutches

The one where I spend the week in bed with my foot propped

How’s your week been, friends? I’m writing this one from my bed, where I’ve spent a lot of my time lately after spraining my ankle during Owen’s college move-in last weekend. You can read more about that in my post from the other day:

I have a lot more thoughts about stewardship, self-care and more which I’ll be writing about here over the upcoming weeks and months. So if you’re new here, this is a great time to subscribe (it’s free!).

In my cup:

After we dropped Owen off we drove 3-ish hours to Manistique, where we ran the store for a few days (well, Eric ran the store; I mostly just sat with my foot propped in the seating area and accepted sympathy from customers). So over the past few days I’ve spent a lot of time sipping one of the teas I sell there, Black Lavender from Smith Tea. It’s a ceylon and lapsang souchong blend with a strong hint of lavender plus a touch of currant and vanilla. It’s reminiscent of Earl Grey, but not in-your-face floral. One of my favorite afternoon teas, though I’ll happily drink it in the morning too!

Don’t you adore this mug? I bought it in a local shop in Manistique the day Eric proposed, and it’s been my “Up North” mug ever since. It reminds me of my Aunt Paula’s sunroom in the early 80s, and more generally the entire “plant vibe” from that era. Does anyone else remember a window full of ferns, palms, and spider plants from the 70s or 80s?

On my podcast:

On The Tea’s Made podcast, I’m following up last week’s episode on pitching agents and publishers with another answering why I chose traditional publishing over self-publishing, plus details about my writing process. In this episode, I answer the question “Once you had the contract, did you panic that you wouldn’t be able to get the book done?” Answer: YES (but I got over it.)

Listen on Spotify below, or look for The Tea’s Made with Meagan Francis in your preferred podcast app.

In my hands:

I took the opportunity to load up on some embroidery kits and art supplies while in my shop, so my hands are a bit over-full with projects at the moment! I’ll be digging into this one from Canadian company Hook, Line and Tinker later today:

While I often transfer designs or make my own embroidery designs, kits can be great because they typically contain everything (or almost everything) you need to create a project. Even if you already have embroidery supplies in your craft box (or perhaps wasting away in a drawer somewhere) it’s nice to have everything you need for a specific project all together in one place. I particularly love them for travel and gifting.

I can’t wait to share some finished projects with you soon. If I have to rest my ankle, I may as well create while I’m doing it, right?

On my book stack:

My sister Kathreen, one of the most enthusiastic readers and book-recommenders I know, emphatically lent me a copy of This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger, so I’ll be starting that this weekend, too. And remember: if you buy a copy from Bookshop.org, you’ll support my family bookstore Paper Mill Books, as well as other indie bookstores.

On my mind:

It’s been a big week - a combination of joyful, frustrating, and painful - and the kind comments here have been so encouraging. A particular “thank you” to those of you who sent me a direct nod of financial support after I decided to remove my Substack paywall last week. Some of you took my suggestion to “buy me a pot of tea” literally, while others sent what they would have spent on a year’s subscription - every single donation is appreciated and helps me to keep showing up here. Thank you, thank you.

Before I go:

Would you love to taste some of my favorite teas or try a new craft project? I have so much great stuff in my shop that I’d love to share with you all - but right now I just don’t have the bandwidth to launch a full-fledged retail shop. So I’m toying with the idea of offering customized, curated tea-and-craft boxes this holiday season.

Does this sound like the kind of thing you’d be interested in - for yourself or a special person on your gift list? Weigh in below!