Tiny House Creature #4
Cold brew, office shuffling, and great balls of dryer.
We’ve lived in our house for five and a half years, and I’ve always had my own office/studio space. It’s a small room upstairs that is kind of an odd shape, with no closets or storage built in, but very unique.
I have a wonderful love sac that is cozy in the winter, but I rarely use the space in the summer. I felt guilty about not using this wonderful little haven in my home, especially because it is probably the quietest room in our house and perfect for working.
My body started to revolt after too much time drawing while slouching on my couch, so it was time to make some changes that would make me want to work in my studio. I’m up there every day now, and it was so much easier than I thought. Here are the three things I changed:
Turned my desk to face the windows. My desk was facing a wall! It was so depressing! I thought, because the room is narrow, I couldn’t open up my desk to the windows. But guess what, if a sad view of a wall is going to make you not use a room at all, it’s much better to just take up the space you need and actually use the room! Game changer.
Moved the cat food out of the room so my dog, Cricket, could hang out with me while I work. My office was gated to keep Cricket out so she wouldn’t eat the cats’ food, but then I felt guilty ditching her downstairs. Now she’s got her own bed right next to my desk, and we get to hang out all the time.
No rules about what goes on the walls. This room is supposed to be an inspirational place, so anything can go on the walls. It doesn’t need to be framed, it doesn’t need to be flat, and it can be up forever or for two days - no rules. Allowing anything to go up or come down whenever I please really takes the pressure off finding the perfect thing to go in the perfect spot.
This year, I’m putting a little more love into this space, maybe even some paint? Wallpaper?! We’ll see.
What spaces in your home do you wish you used better/more often?
It’s cold brew tiiime!
In my teens and early 20s, I worked at a bakery/coffee shop called Isle’s Bun & Coffee - they’re famous for “puppy dog tails” - a twisted stick of cinnamon roll dough covered in cream cheese frosting. I was mainly a barista, and in my many years working there, I think I made enough cold brew coffee to fill a small swimming pool.
We didn’t use cold brew concentrate at Isle’s Bun, and if you read last month’s Tiny House Creature, you’ll remember that I’m not a fan of concentrates anyway. This is how I learned to make a giant batch of cold brew coffee at Isle’s Bun, and it is still how I do it today.
Every kitchen supply company and coffee business will try to sell you some fancy setup to make cold brew, don’t buy it! All you need is coffee, water, a vessel, and a coffee filter. You can pay 44 cents for your cold brew instead of $6!
Isle’s Bun Mega Ratios: half pound coarsely ground coffee + 7 liters water, brewed in a cambro
My At-Home Ratios: 3-4 ounces coarsely ground coffee + 3 liters water, brewed in a large pitcher
*** Cold brew is forgiving! Eyeballing these ratios is just fine. You can also adjust the amount of coffee based on flavor preference and how much caffeine you’re hankering for in the morning.
mix the coffee and water together in a large bowl or pitcher.
Leave for 12-24 hours. You can leave it out on the counter or refrigerate it (refrigerate if you’re going to drink it right after straining.)
Strain through a coffee filter - serve!
I find this is best consumed within 10 days or so - after that, it tends to lose some flavor.
And here are a few different ways to use it!
Put some in a smoothie - banana, peanut butter, oat milk, a little cocoa powder, and some cold brew coffee… YES.
Make a cocktail! Remember when everyone was obsessed with espresso martinis? Well, guess what, they’re still really good.
Bake with it. Anywhere you’d normally add water, or even juice, replace it with cold brew! This works especially well in chocolate cakes and quick breads.
Turn it into ice cubes. If you hate watered-down cold brew, just use cold brew ice cubes! Or combine them with milk in a blender for a homemade frappe.
What’s your favorite way to cold brew?
Goodness gracious, great balls of dryer!
I switched from dryer sheets to wool dryer balls 5 years ago and never looked back. Here are my tips for dryer ball newbies:
You’ll need 6 for large loads and 3 for small.
Dryer balls last for 1,000 washes (that eliminates the need for 1,000+ disposable dryer sheets!) You can “refresh” them (tighten up the wool and remove any lint) by washing them in hot water inside a pillowcase. I do this once a year.
My favorite part - pick your scent! I have a collection of essential oils that I sprinkle on every couple of loads - 1-2 drops per ball is perfect. My favorite combo: lemon, lavender, and geranium.
I got my plain old white dryer balls at my neighborhood co-op, but have been eyeing the AMAZING dryer balls at Friendsheep Wool - rainbows, penguins, ladybugs, bumblebees… they have the cutest dryer balls you’ll ever see.
Are you kidding me with this cuteness?!
See you in two weeks for a full-size House Creature! Reminder: full-size issues are now for paid subscribers. Issues of Tiny House Creature will be free foreverrrrr!
#onit
Dryer balls are also really fun to make with either roving or 100% wool yarn. Just make a small ball with the yarn then use a Felting needle to make it all stick together. You can wet it and roll it around to shape then use as needed!