One of my favourite tea time activities is wax sealing. Similar to tea, the process is incredibly soothing and rewarding. My experience is limited to modern wax seals, but Kay Collier works with antique, museum-quality seals only. She is the owner of Kathryn Hastings & Co., an online shop that provides high quality stationary and ready to use antique wax seals. Her work involves pressing each unique seal by hand then applying an adhesive backing for easy sealing and sending. Kay is reviving this old art so many can share it with the people they love on letters, cards and other snail mail. At the tea table we discussed her first moment with tea, how letter writing and tea are connected and her current favourite antique wax seal and more.
The kettle is on and I can hear it about to sing. What tea are you going to steep for us today?
Today, I’m imbibing Harney & Son’s Hot Cinnamon Spice tea. I usually drink this tea decaffeinated. But, I like the fully-caffeinated version on days like today, when I need to feel more productive.
A perfect steep for a fall day. Do you recall the moment you had your first sip of tea?
I was five years old when I first sipped tea at the Ritz with my grandmother, Neenie, who also introduced me to my lifelong passion of letter writing.
Immediately I was struck by the finery: the fine French furniture, the oil paintings and live piano music. The treats and tea accoutrements delighted me, especially the sugars, creams and small jars of honey.
Being new to tea, I assumed the small jars of marmalade were also for my tea and plopped a dollop of jam in my cup. My grandmother laughed it off and said I could take my tea however I liked it. She was the first person to let me fully experience luxury in my own way.
In college, my appreciation for tea grew leaps and bounds, when my mentor and friend, Jana Spano, introduced me to Japanese tea and tea culture. Since then, green teas have been my favorite, especially senchas, machas and genmaichas.
I enjoyed your podcast episode with Mike Harney highlighting the ceremony of tea and letter writing. How would you describe the connection between your love for letter writing and your love for tea?
Both letter writing and tea drinking are about experiencing and appreciating the beauty of the moment.
I’m the type of person who exists in motion. My mind lives in a near constant state of reverie, wandering through different dreamscapes, colors, textures, rhythms and memories. Even my body feels the steady pull of movement, wanting to sway, to dance, to skip while seated.
Tea adds a richness to life that allows me to yoke my dreaming self and moving limbs to a more present reality. It provides a joyful solemnity that makes me want to stay for the longer periods that writing requires.
It also leaves me in the sumptuous feeling of luxury that I want others to experience when reading my letters or using my wax seals on their correspondence.
Take us on a virtual tour of your studio space.
The first thing people notice when entering my studio space is the large portrait of an unknown Cromwellian knight by the 17th century Dutch painter, Adriaen Hanneman. I inherited him from my grandparents and have always felt a close connection to him. He watches over my work and tracks everyone with his kind eyes.
My studio is divided into four main spaces: a desk for work, a desk for leisure, a bookshelf with my tea supplies, and a small wooden table by the window for photographing my work.
I spend most of my time at my work desk, a long industrial table with vases of quills and brushes, dishes filled with antique wax seals, a Japanese sewing box with more antique seals, and a tome of George Elliott novels, some of which I’ve read and some I probably never will.
Usually, you’ll find one or two marble slabs on the desk with the antique seals I’m making that week. There is also usually a stray tea cup or two.
Above the desk hangs a mirror surrounded by two entangled gilt snakes. The mirror hangs low enough so that I can smile at myself from time to time and see the knight on the opposite wall.
On the opposite side of the room, you’ll find my leisure desk, a large early 20th century desk from my grandmother, Betsy Hastings. I keep an oil lamp at this desk for night writing, and have photos of my children, my husband and my grandfather on his horse.
This desk has many drawers and compartments which I fill with beautiful stationery from around the world and vintage postage. When I’m at this desk, I’m usually drinking an after-dinner tea like chamomile or Moroccan mint.
The other section, the bookshelf with my tea supplies, also houses various books that inspire me, including calligraphy manuals, poetry anthologies and books on spirituality. Above the tea station, I have a blue “whiteboard” with things I need to remember to do that week and month.
Your brand, Kathryn Hastings & Co. specializes in peel & stick wax seals using antique, museum-quality seals from the 1700s and 1800s. If you had to pick just one wax seal design as your favourite, which one would it be?
Like tea, wax seals are meant to be used for different occasions.
The Georgians and Victorians appreciated the subtle meanings communicated through seal choices. A dog represented fidelity. A forget me not flower represented true love. A ship represented resilience.
My favorite seal changes often. However, my current favorite is a seal I acquired through a trade with a friend and fellow collector. It’s carved out of amethyst and depicts music notes with the inscription “Good Night. All’s Well.”
The quality of the carving, the sweet message and the fact that I acquired the seal from a friend bring me so much joy.
Speed Round:
Black, Green, Yellow, White, Oolong or Puerh?
Green
Hot, Iced or Cold?
Hot
Teapot, Infuser or Gaiwan?
Teapot
Straight, Sweetened or Latte?
Straight
Cheese or Chocolate pairing?
Chocolate, especially chocolate caramels
Choose one person, living or passed, celebrity or family, that you would like to have tea with. What would that tea time look like?
I’d choose the designer, artist, poet and philosopher, William Morris, from the British Arts and Crafts Movement. Tea time would be hosted in his living room, where I could fully absorb the space he created.
Though we’re separated by about 150 years, the themes from Morris’ work parallel my own. Morris cared deeply about elevating craftsmanship to art, and believed in the profound power of art for social progress.
During tea, I would share how the world has changed since his lifetime and how the need for beautiful, handcrafted objects is more relevant now than ever.
Since Morris’ work was in direct reaction to industrialization, I’d be curious what he’d think of our modern, hyper connected world. Though we probably wouldn’t agree fully on politics, I’m sure we’d find lots of agreement around the necessity of artists and craftspeople.
I’d also want some advice on how he so graciously wore his many roles. As artist who aspires to be other things as well, I’d have lots of questions for him.
Find Kathryn Hastings & Co.:
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.