Creative DIY Projects Using Tea Leaves
Sustainability permeates every aspect of our lives, and tea is not an exception. There’s a multitude of things that you can do with your tea that no necessarily include drinking it. You can make use of old tea bags, leftover leafs, or even leftover infusions.
Here are some ideas you can further develop according to your own needs and imagination.
Kraft-Styled Paper
Time to spill some tea on purpose! Tea can make any dull with paper look aged and classy. Welcomed to the magic of infused paper.
For this paper, you’ll need some black tea (about a cup would do.) Leave it to cool for a while. If you had some tea, but you forgot to drink it, even better, this is the moment to put it to use.
Now, grab that plaid piece of paper and go crazy on it. Brush, splash, spatter, get in touch with your inner Jackson Pollock, and let him run wild all over that single square like there’s no tomorrow.
Keep some cloth pegs at hand to hang your paper and let it dry. During this time, the paper fibers will contract and form bumps and valley, adding some interesting textures to the paper.
Scented Sachets
Why to pay more for some fancy scented sachets when you already may have the best natural aromas known to men already sitting in your cupboard? Get ready to dive into the world of tea-infused sachets – the crafty way to turn your spaces into a symphony of delightful aromas. Time to brew some magic.
For this, we need something that is not just for sipping, but that is also attractive for sniffing. You can either use loose leaves or repurpose some abandoned tea bags. Things like mint, floral and citrusy scents work really well.
Do experiment with different aromas. You could, for instance, combine herbs like lavender, rosemary and chamomile with your tea, adding additional notes that build a full fragrant body. The combination you use is entirely up to your taste. So, it is important that you experiment.
Once you have the combination that works best for you, fill up some fabric pouches with your new concoction and seal them with a ribbon. You can use this bags in drawers, boxes and cupboards, or hang them in the closet. When the aroma starts to wane, give them a gentle squeeze, and they’ll release more aroma. Needless to say, these sachets make very good gifts as well.
Tea-Infused Candles
Continuing with the topic of aromas, how about some tea-infused candles? All you need is wax, wicks, tea leaves (duh!) and your favorite Little Cups tea blend, yeap ;)
Take an old pot you won’t miss and melt down the wax, make sure it won’t boil. Liberate the tea leaves from their bags and sprinkle them freely on the melted wax. Allow sometime food the tea to infuse the wax. Again, don’t let it boil, but keep it hot for at least ten minutes.
Now, for the candle formation, you can do it in two ways. Number one, take a long wick and hold it vertically. Then carefully pour a spoon of infused wax, let it cool, then poor another spoon, let it cool and so on. As each layer of wax sits on top of the one before, you’ll see how the candle grows until it reaches the size you prefer.
The second option is mold casting. Cartoon tubes from toilet paper or paper towels are ideal for this type of job, but you can use cups, glasses, tin boxes, anything you fancy, and that can stand the temperature of the wax. Just make sure the wick in stays suspended in the middle of the mold, then pour the wax, and way for it to set. The waiting time would depend on the amount of wax you poured.
You can experiment by adding other blends of tea and wax colors. You can also add dried flowers and even spices, like cinnamon, for some extra flair.
Watercolor Paints
Yes, you got that right, you can make watercolors out of tea infusions. It turns out, tea is not just for drinking, you can paint with it too!
First things first, let’s brew a cup of your favorite tea (we hope that tea is Little Cups, but other teas also work) just don’t drink it, you will need to add it to your color palette in the following steps.
Now for the watercolor pigments. Here’s the part where your imagination and creativity play an important part. By combining different pigments with the tea, you will achieve some gorgeous earthy tones. This is a bit of an art form in itself, so it might take you a while to figure out what combinations suit your mood best. Allow your tea and watercolor pigments to get engage in conversation. Stir up and watch the magic unfold.
Test your preparations. As you paint, you’re not just applying color, you’re telling a story. The earthy tones produced with tea add depth and warmth to your artwork. Consider as well this, you are bringing a touch of nature in to your creation, not to mention that subtle aroma of tea. What else do you need for great inspiration?
If you feel adventurous, why not add some tea leaves for texture in your paintings? It’s all about letting your creativity run wild and free. And in the process, also enjoy a cup of tea.
Stained Linens
If you can paint with your tea, it stands to reason that you can also use it to stain linens, or even an article of clothing. You can use it in napkins and tablecloths, with the added advantage that if you spill something by accident on them, nobody would actually notice the difference.
Also, are you into Steampunk? How do you think you can incorporate that antique flair into your look? Additionally, with this method you can recycle virtually any piece of old clothing or linen and re-purpose into other craft, like pillows, decorations and more. It all depends on your creativity.
Now, brew a strong cup of black tea, the kind that could wake up Sleeping Beauty. Let it cool, you don’t need to scald your linens. I said ‘cup’, but in reality, the amount of tea to brew depends entirely on the size of the linen you want to stain. And of course, the more concentrated the tea is, the darker the final result would be.
So, submerge your linens into the tea Spa, the longer they stay there the better. For how long, you may ask? Well, that depends on the effect you are trying to achieve. The longer the immersion, the more color is absorbed. You can do this process for 24 hrs. Then let the linens dry, and if you want, repeat as many times as you fancy until you get the result you want. As usual, this is all about experimentation.
Also, very important. Dry your linens by the sun. You will get a better result than throwing them in the tumble dryer. Bear in mind that tea not only gives color, but it also provinces texture, the kind that whispers tales of coziness and warmth and makes you want to touch it.
So there you are. Few ideas that expand the horizons of tea beyond the cupboard. And remember, experimentation is key. Don’t be discouraged if you make a mistake because there is no way to do something wrong here. Embrace imperfection, embrace chaos. You might discover something wonderfully fresh and new in the process. Good luck!