At the Tea Table with Megan Easter from Little Inklings Design

As a tea and book lover, I’m always drawn to products that feature both of my obsessions. I first came across my next At the Tea Table guest because of a tea themed bookmark I stumbled upon and immediately had to buy. As a self-taught hand-letterer, Megan Easter creates bookmarks, prints, and book themed planners and journals for her Etsy shop, Little Inklings Design. While she uses her work to “celebrate those who love books and all the magic they hold” tea is also celebrated, whether through her designs or as the fuel for them. At the tea table, Megan chats about her favourite tea and book pairing, one of her biggest projects that tea helped her complete, and she also gives us a tour of her design space.

The kettle is on and I can hear it about to sing. What tea are you going to steep for us today?

I would definitely consider myself to be a mood tea drinker. I don’t really have one tea I gravitate towards. I love trying new teas and whenever I turn the kettle on, I take a moment to peruse my tea cupboard and pick a tea that suits my mood for that day. That being said, if I’m looking for a standard tea that I probably brew the most, that would be English Breakfast tea. Though I usually prefer loose leaf tea, there’s something nostalgic about brewing a cup of Twinnings English Breakfast tea for me. Some of my other favourite teas are: Peppermint (in the evenings), Glitter and Gold and Chocolate Chili Chai both from David’s Tea.

Do you recall your first sip and first read that started your tea and book lover status?

I don’t recall a specific first sip of tea but that’s probably because tea has been a part of my life since I was a small child. My mom was born in England, so as a little girl, I can recall many times she brewed me a very mild cup of Orange Pekoe in my little Peter Rabbit teacup. At that point, it was mostly warm water with a splash of milk and a quick dunk of the tea bag but I remember loving the special moments she would share it with me. From there, tea has just always been a part of my life.

It’s a very similar story regarding reading. As far back as I can remember, I’ve loved books. As a small child, I always had my nose stuck in a book. I loved the library and was constantly there getting new books and my love of reading has stayed with me ever since. In the last couple of years, both my love of tea and my love of books as grown so much that I can’t imagine a day without either.

I absolutely love when you share your books and tea passion through your designs, too. Little Inklings Design’s tea themed bookmarks are a favourite of mine! How would you say tea influences your creative work?

Tea is definitely part of my creative process. I don’t feel ready to begin designing until I have a cup of tea beside me. Whenever I know I’m going to have a long morning or afternoon of designing, I can’t start without it. When I was working on my Always Fully Booked planner last fall, it was the biggest project I have ever attempted, I was a little intimidated by creating a book lovers planner completely from scratch. Looking back, I realize there wasn’t a moment throughout the whole process, whether it was the initial planning, the designing or the final edits that I didn’t have a cup of tea beside me. It was more than just a cup of caffeine to keep me motivated in the long hours, it was comforting while taking on a project that really challenged me.

The “books read in 2018” page in the planner is stunning! If you could pair any tea with any book, what would that pairing look like?

Wow, that’s such a hard question! I think I’d go with two of my favourites. I’d pair the Pumpkin Chai from David’s Tea with any of the Harry Potter books. There’s something about Harry Potter that reminds me of the fall which definitely works well with the Pumpkin Chai. It’s such a magical and nostalgic story that never gets old. I can just picture myself curling up with a blanket, maybe with a candle burning, the Harry Potter books and a cup of Pumpkin Chai in the fall to complete all my cozy dreams.

Take us on a virtual tour of your design space.

My office is my favourite room in my house. I wanted to create a space that was functional to the various aspects of my job, like designing, packing orders, reading or just answering emails, but also a space that was inspiring, comforting and got my creative juices flowing.

I have three different “sections” of my office. I have one desk where I finalize designs and get them ready for my printer, answer emails and take care of behind the scenes aspects of my job.

The second area is a desk attached to a large cube shelves that hold all my paper products and packaging materials. This is where I fulfill every order I get.

Lastly, I have my reading nook, where you guessed it, I do a lot of reading. I also do a lot of my designing in that nook using my iPad and Apple Pencil. There’s no real “theme” to my office but it’s definitely a look into my mind and the things I love. It’s a mix of minimalism and cozy feminine vibes with a splash of plants and galaxies…pretty much a inside look at “Megan’s mind”.

Speed Round:

Black, Green, Yellow, White, Oolong or Puerh?
Black

Hot, Iced or Cold?
Hot in the fall, winter and spring and iced in the summer.

Teapot, Infuser or Gaiwan?
Infuser 99% of the time.

Straight, Sweetened or Latte?
Sweetened or a latte when I’m feeling fancy

Cheese or Chocolate pairing?
Definitely chocolate. Always chocolate.

Choose one fictional character from a book that you would like to have tea with.

This is probably the hardest question I’ve ever been asked. Can I choose everyone?? If I had to pick, I would have to go with Mor from the Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy by Sarah J Maas. I don’t want to give anything away so all I will say is that she is one of the most inspiring and strongest characters I have ever read and I’d love to hear more of her story and where she found her strength. I think her story deserves to be heard and I think I would walk away incredibly inspired and encouraged.

A few honourable mentions: Molly Weasley from Harry Potter, Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables and if it was possible to have tea with an artificial intelligence, AIDAN from The Illuminae Files.

Find Little Inklings Design:

Etsy Shop | Instagram 

ABOUT THIS SERIES: Tea tells stories and when connected with humans, more are created. That’s where the idea for this blog series, At the Tea Table, originated. With this series, The Cup of Life asks tea lovers around the world to take us inside their tea lives to share their favourite steeps, spaces, routines and more. Meet some of your fellow tea drinkers here.