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Tea DIY: Leaf Print Tote Bag

July 8, 2014February 22, 2021 Post a comment
Tea DIY: Leaf Print Tote Bag

Now that I’ve put together a handy little travel tea set, I realized that I need something to keep it all in. My inner Girl Scout leader decided to get a bit crafty. Why not use tea to make prints on a tote bag? I had never thought of doing this before but two teas immediately came to mind because of their large leaves: Mauna Kea Organic Premium Green Tea – 2014 1st Flush and Wild Tea Qi Mengku Rich Valley Raw Puerh.

Water-based acrylic paint is the best kind to use for this type of project. It cleans up easily in case there is a spill or mess and the final product will be fairly durable. The colors that I chose are DecoArt Dazzling Metallics in Splendid Gold and Festive Green. I purchased them at my local Michael’s but they are pretty easy to find at other stores as well.

Step 1 – Make the Tea

You’ll need to get your tea leaves soft and completely unfurled so the first step will be to make some tea. The puerh tea took several rounds in the gaiwan while the green tea only took two teapot brews to reach the right consistency.

Step 2 – Select Your Leaves

Now comes the fun part. Sort through your spent tea leaves and try to pick out the largest leaves that are the most whole. Connected bud sets will work well too. Lay them out on a wet paper towel to prevent them from drying out while you work.

Step 3 – Paint Your Leaves

Working one leaf at a time, gently brush the acrylic paint onto your leaves. Make sure that you get a thin and even coat without making them too gloopy.

Step 4 – Print Your Leaves

Gently press the leaves onto the surface of your fabric. If you press too hard, the leaves will tear and the paint will smudge. There’s no rush to get it all done at once so take your time with this step.

Step 5 – Get Creative

This is where you can let your imagination run wild. I alternated colors and scattered my leaves all around the tote. Have fun with it!

 Step 6 – Admire Your Handiwork

I liked the effect of the puerh leaves a bit more since they were quite a bit larger. If you give this project a try, I’d love to see what you come up with. Send me a picture and I’ll add it to this post

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CraftsDIYTea
About Nicole Wilson

About Nicole Wilson

My name is Nicole Wilson and I love tea...a lot! I have been writing about my love of the leaf since 2008. My work has been featured on World Tea News, The Daily Tea, Tea Journey, and other publications. I am the winner of the 2018 World Tea Award for Best Tea Blog. My new book, The Tea Recipe Book, is available for sale now!

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Mauna Kea Tea Organic Premium Green Tea – 1st Flush 2014
Global Tea Hut July 2014 – Daughter of the Forest

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Hey, there!

Hey, there!

Nicole Wilson. Tea Writer and Educator
My name is Nicole and I love tea…a lot! I have been writing about my love of the leaf since 2008. My work has been featured on World Tea News, The Daily Tea, Tea Journey, and other publications. I am the winner of the 2018 World Tea Award for Best Tea Blog.

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