As a part of my ambassadorship with Benartex, I occasionally get to design patterns for them. This quarter, they challenged me to design a placemat!
Ya'll, I don't use placemats, because I have young kids. It's so much easier just to wipe the table and call it a day. If we used placemats, we'd be stain-treating them every few hours!
But I do have a daily tea ritual that is my "alone" time (even though it very rarely happens alone), so I designed a tea mat instead!
What's a tea mat, you ask?
In a lot of tea-forward cultures, it's common to serve tea on a dedicated mat. It's a bit like eating on a placemat or doing yoga on a yoga mat: it serves the purpose of dedicating this time and space to this activity.
The difference in doing something repeatedly and making a ritual of it is being intentional. Taking the time to set up the tea mat and prepare the tea tells my mind "this is my dedicated time and space to make and enjoy my tea." I don't use social media, or work, or make a list of chores during those moments. I might read or journal or simply sit in silence, but the tea mat serves as a reminder of the intention to have a moment of quiet while I sip.
If you'd like to make your own tea mat, you can snag the free pattern by clicking the button below!
If you love the pattern, remember that sharing is caring!
