Beautiful storage containers can be used for so many things! Consider the tea tin - great for storing tea, but also good for cotton balls in the bathroom, pens on your desk in the office (given the right-shape tin with the lid removed), paper clips, hair accessories, and so much more.
OK, the one above is an expensive ($225) antique from Huxtin's of London, but there are many delightful options for much less. Here are eight options.
1. Rishi-Tea has many beautiful tea tins, including these washi paper covered tins with traditional Japanese patterns.
2. EnjoyingTea.com has a few interesting tins, too.
3. The Dragonwater Tea Company sells the magic dragon tin.
4. Blue Moon Tea has this tulip tea tin in three shapes: a square tin, a round tin, and this deluxe caddy.
5. Some companies sell their teas in lovely tins that scream out for additional uses once the tea has been enjoyed. Williamson fine teas in the elephant tins are just one example.
6. Zhena's gypsy teas come in tins with their gypsy image.
7. Ahmad Tea of London has tins with a London scene. They also have four round tins worth a look.
8. And Atelier LZC, based in Paris, has lovely tins - with organic fair trade tea, too! [via Oh Joy!]
[post inspired by: How to store loose leaf teas]
I usually avoid eBay like the plague because of all the temptations there -- unless I'm the one selling stuff, of course! But I readily confess to buying several great tea tins online. I needed just a few and stopped buying when I had the few I wanted.
ReplyDeleteNot surprisingly, a casual acquaintance commented that now that I was "collecting" tea tins, everyone would know what to get me as a gift! I explained politely that I wasn't collecting, just getting what I needed and I didn't really want any more. You would have thought I was speaking a foreign language.
Beware the concept of the collection unless you're truly a collector!
Cynthia, I know exactly what you're talking about! It's so easy for people who DO have the collecting habit to assume the rest of us are interested in collecting, too.
ReplyDeleteOf course, some people DO collect tea tins, and you can see some of those collections on-line, here and here.