blah to TADA!: Crafting with Tea

Hey guys!

Tea is a favorite drink of mine and it's no surprise that I include it in my crafty projects. Let me show you some of them:

tea, Bon Appetit Earl Grey Yogurt Cake, Bon Appetit recipe, Tea bread, baking, crafty in the kitchen, blah to TADA

I love to bake and this recipe for Earl Grey Yogurt Cake is infused with tea flavor...TADA! I've experimented with different teas like a fruity ginger peach and this warm Christmas Tea.

gift box made from empty tea box, gift wrapping, repurpose a tea box, magazine cutouts, collage, paint, bag, purse, paper crafts, blah to TADA

I painted an empty cardboard tea box and made it into a purse for a little girl...TADA! She can store her treasures here like dolls and hair clips and found seashells.

tea envelopes, upcycle tea, paper crafts, tea crafts, blah to TADA, recycle, flowers, magazine cutout, collage, seating cards, gift tags

I turned empty tea envelopes into tiny gift bags...TADA! They can be used as tags, to wrap tiny presents or to use as seating cards.

Tea Tin transformation, tea tin crafts, how to repurpose a tea tin

I transformed a tea tin into a recipe box...TADA! It's where I store recipe cards that are either handwritten or free at the supermarket.

tea staining, tea dyeing, dye fabric using tea, repurpose tea bags, crafting with tea, lace, blah to TADA

I even used spent tea bags to dye lace and other fabrics to give it a sepia tone...TADA! This piece of lace became a headband.

painting on tea bags, tea crafts, watercolor painting, reuse tea bags, pansies, flowers, watercolor, blah to TADA

Influenced by an artist I follow on Instagram, I tried her method of painting on tea bags.

Here's how I did it: Save a used tea bag after you've made your tea. Let this dry overnight. Once dry, cut open one end of the bag and empty the contents (add this to the compost pile). Lay the tea bag on paper (to absorb any paint) and make a sketch (I made these pansies). Then slowly color the sketch with watercolor paint. The tea bag resembles a very thin version of watercolor paper.

painting on tea bags, tea crafts, watercolor painting, reuse tea bags, koi fish, fish, watercolor, blah to TADA

I tried painting this pair of koi fish, too. I thought it's a cool idea to repurpose used tea bags this way. I do need to practice more control with the paint (or use less water) since the paper isn't as absorbent as what I'm used to.

You should see what the artist, Ruby Silvious, can make: