Tea Time! A tea wreath tutorial.

Tea Time!

When I saw the original design at Kojo Designs I was immediately inspired.  I have been looking for a creative way to display and store my tea collection, that didn't require an abundance of counter or cabinet space.  This was a perfect solution. A cute little wreath to display and store your tea. This would also be a great gift for any tea lover.

Most of us crafters have an abundance of  glue, cardboard, markers and rulers lying around in our craft room, craft closet, or pile-o-craft stuff... so with the help of some items on hand, and a minimal purchase, this little creation is under $5.00. (I already had the paper, beads, and tea, so this project only cost me $1.00 - for the clothespins) 

Just think...you could customize your wreath with seasonal tea selections, or colors for the occasion. A neutral pallet for your clothespins and wreath base would make the piece very versatile, if you wanted to change out the teas seasonally, or give a seasonal gift... (Earthy colored tea bags during harvest or purples and yellows during the springtime)... I drink the same tea year around, and wanted mine for personal storage, so I chose the colors to match my kitchen, and the teas I use the most.  

Ingredients:

Scrapbook paper (card stock weight)

Clothes pins (I used 42)

All purpose white glue

1 - 18" piece of ribbon

(2) 16"x16" peices of cardboard

Tea :)

Beads & String (optional)

Markers (optional)

Tools:

Paint brush (or your finger - to apply the white glue)

Hot glue gun (and gluesticks - obviously)

Scissors 

Ruler

Pencil

Paper cutter

Start with 2 pieces of cardboard. (I had a shipping box lying around so I chose to use it..(Reduce, REUSE, Recycle!)


Use one piece of cardboard to create your base front.  I used a dinner & salad plate as a template. The overall outside diameter was 14". Make sure your base had a frame which is the same width as your clothes pins. Use your second peice of cardboard to give your base a back. (The white circle) 

Glue these two pieces with white glue, and set aside to dry. 

Once dry, I used my base as a template to cut out the scrapbook paper I would use to cover the base.  I cut out different pieces of paper, per the design I wanted, and glued them in place with white glue. Then I stacked a few books on top of it, and let it dry.


You could easily use one peice of paper, and hide the seams with your clothespins, or try covering it with fabric or paint. 

While you base is drying cover your clothes pins.

Use your paper cutter to cut strips of paper, which are the same width as your pins. (standard is 3/8")

Glue the strips of paper to one side of your clothes pin with white glue, and trim off the excess.

Complete this on all the clothespins you plan to use.

Once everything is dry you can begin assembly.  

But wait... at this point I had a wave of inspiration... I decided I would take my markers and add a few words to the clips.  Words that I thought would be a nice thought when I go to grab a some tea... so, armed with a few colorful markers I did just that! 

Okay... back to assembly! 

I decided to break out a ruler and give myself some guidelines. However, even with the guidance, the placement of the pins will never be perfect.  After trying to get the prefect spacing multiple times, I finally decided to loosely use the guidelines, and let it grow organically, embracing the imperfections... in the end I was very happy with the result, even though I am a perfectionist. 

Glue the pins on with a hot glue gun..(make sure the "mouth" of the clip is on the outside, and not pointed to the inside.)

Add a piece of ribbon to the back of your wreath to hang from a door.

Once you are completely glued you are ready to clip your tea.  

But wait... I had another moment of inspiration.  SPARKLES! I decided I would hang a little beaded crystal drop in the center. With some beads, and a piece of waxed linen I did just that. Everything in life can use a little sparkle, so I figured the tea would love to sparkle too! This step is of course optional. 

Okay... back to assembly! 

Use your clothes pins to clip your tea bags as desired.  

Now - sit back, and sip a cup of tea, and enjoy your new creation! 

Here are some lessons I learned the hard way. Hopefully they will help you along your way!

Lessons learned:

1. With the way I designed mine, the pins were as close as possible, to hold the maximum amount of tea.  so the bags are clipped under multiple clips.  You have to have the "top" of the bag under the clip. If you try to clip the bottom then the layers get too thick for the clip. 

2. I had never used hot glue to adhere paper.  Note: It is not near as easy to re-position as other materials.  Make sure you have your pin where you want it when you put it in place.  

3. The back ply of cardboard on your base is not optional. Without it the base warps.