One great DIY craft every tea lover out there should try is tea staining paper. It gives a nice antiquated look to anything and is great for making cards, wrapping paper, craft projects, journals, and other paper crafts. It is also very inexpensive and a fun craft to do. All you need is some tea, water, and different types of paper materials.
Check out the tutorial below to learn how to tea stain paper.
How to Tea Stain Paper
Brew a batch of black tea. Plum Deluxe has a lot of great options to choose from, so pick your favorite blend and be sure to make a little extra to have a cup yourself.
Steep the tea for about 5 minutes and then do one of the following:
- Dip a paintbrush into a cup of tea and brush it on the paper. You can drop droplets down onto the paper, paint it fully, or just paint the edges. Whatever you prefer.
- Fill a pan with a small layer of black tea and soak the entire piece of paper in it for about three minutes or longer. The more time it is in the tea, the darker it will be.
Set out the paper to dry with some paper towels on top. Then, place flat and heavy objects on top to keep it from wrinkling. Some thick books will work great.
Once your paper is dry, you can use it for your scrapbooking, wrapping paper, and other crafts!
Some Tips for Tea-Staining Paper
If you want your paper to be more pigmented and “aged” you can sprinkle the page with turmeric to turn the paper more yellow. Rub the turmeric into the tea and the yellow effect of the tea will be emphasized. Our Hello Sunshine herbal blend has turmeric in it and will not only make your paper look antiquated, but it will also smell like a beautiful fall day.
If you want your paper to look like it has been exposed to the elements, mix in some black tea grounds over the wet paper to add some brown onto the page. Once the paper is dry, you can brush off the excess tea leaves.
You can also add some personality to your paper. Before you start to stain your paper, write down some song lyrics on the page, a note, or a quote you like. Use an ink pen that doesn’t smear with water and allow time for it to dry. This makes your paper look like an old love letter.
Tea staining is a great way to spice up your gifts during the holidays, add some uniqueness to your cards, and give personality to your journals. Grab some paper from around your house and try it out!
