Tea Bag Art for Junk Journals

 

Hello my friend !

Are you a tea lover ?

I love iced tea on a hot day-

I use these 'family size' bags to make

SUN TEA

The bags are twice the size of regular bags.

Just need 2 to make a pitcher .

We fill a glass pitcher with cool filtered water, add 

tea bags.

( 2 large or 4 regular )

Set out in the sun for a couple hours.

The sun heats the water and it makes delicious tea.

To begin your art project, you will need to start saving

tea bags...lots of tea bags!

Let them dry a bit and then empty the bags.

Throw the used tea in the garden!

Some I left as bags.

Some I opened and laid flat to continue to dry.

You can wash your bags if you wish.

I liked them stained.

Have you ever noticed, YOGI tea bags have 

encouraging messages on the tags?

I decided to keep them.

They are tea stained and grungy-

I used Matte Mod Podge and a brush

for this project.

I used a hand written letter and some 

pressed and dried flowers.

I used some Mod Podge 

to adhere the flowers to the letter.

I covered the flowers with a tea bag and

smoothed it out with the brush.

Then used Mod Podge over the top of

tea bag.

I used a second bag on the back side.

Then let them dry.

One bag folded in half with pressed flowers-

It looks translucent !

This almost reminds me of delicate Rice Paper.

I don't mind the tiny flecks of tea in the paper.

When the bags were dry and cut open at the base,

I made pockets-

This Elderberry tea had lovely purple stains.

Fill openings and cover and seal with

Mod Podge.

Let dry.

The back is a pocket too-

They can be used as tabs or bookmarks.

These were made with dried flowers and photos.

The possibilities are endless for these tea bags.

Pieces become soft and pliable when dry.

They can be sewn, painted, inked, stamped, glued, dyed....

you name it!

Next week I will be making-

Tea Bag Snippets!

Remember these?

How to make a Paper Snippet Roll

Thanks again for stopping by!

I hope you have a wonderful week.

xo Lisa S

Thrifty Find- Vintage German Paper Mache Easter Eggs

Hi My Friends!

I have been on the lookout for a 

Vintage Paper Mache egg for years....

I really only wanted one, but they were

nowhere to be found...for my budget..

until now.

Today I found 4 large eggs at my favorite

Thrift Shop.

Two of the eggs had something

 inside but they were taped closed- 

I made by purchase and went to my car.

I couldn't wait to give the eggs a better look.

The two that were taped closed had two more nested inside!

That was an unexpected surprise.

Yes, alone in the car I let out a squeal and did a little happy dance.

The pictures remind me of old storybooks!

Two chicks singing away!

This bunny is getting into the chocolate eggs- yum!

Bunny in the Daisies

This couple is dress up in their best outfit!

This duck looks mischievous. Not sure what he's up to, but he is

bringing an umbrella just in case.

Riding a scooter making a delivery!

My favorite, I think.

Two chicks in a sailboat,

being watched by a snail on shore.

How to Date Paper Mache Eggs from Germany

Look inside the egg-

Eggs stamped German were produced before 1918

Eggs stamped German Republic are dated from 1918 through 1933

Those eggs stamped East Germany, German Democratic Republic,

West Germany or Federal Republic of Germany were made

after World War ll 

SEE'S Candy Corp. still has some Eggs available at Eastertime.

https://www.sees.com/easter-candy/easter-treasure-egg/757.html?cgid=easter-candy

Even the newer eggs seem to be highly desirable by collectors.

Do you remember these?

What's your favorite candy that you hoped

would be in your basket at Easter?

XO Lisa S :)

I love black jelly beans and 

Robin Eggs ( Malted Balls )

Peat Pot Gift Baskets

Hi Friends,

Decorating a Peat Pot has been around forever !

They make great little gifts on their own filled with candy.

I like to take them to the Vintage Market filled with paper shred or moss.

Customers can use them as a gift bag and fill with a  small purchase.

The pots are inexpensive and fun to make.

Update : Vintage Market cancelled due to Corona Virus! 

The pots can be found easily this time of year.

Maybe you have some on hand-

I found my pots at Home Depot and Dollar Tree.

I used 3 sizes, 4" high,  3 1/4" high, and  2 1/4" high.

I left a couple of pots natural

and

I used acrylic paint to cover the other pots inside and out.

The edge was painted white or gold and I added clear or gold glitter.

Here's some ideas to decorate your pots.

I made copies of the pictures I wanted to use.

You can shrink and size the picture to fit your pots.

( I used colored pencils to color the rabbit ears)

I have these scissors that give a perfect decorative edge to old photos.

I used Matte Mod Podge and brushed on the back of photo.

After the photo dried, I brushed Mod- Podge on the front of photo.

Then added a wire handle to the pot.

Then added a scrap of ribbon and crinkle shred paper or Easter grass.

I painted the edge of this pot pink and added clear glitter,

some ribbon and a flower.

I added clear glitter to the edge of the pot below,

ribbon and a broken vintage earring.

This pot was left with  natural color.

This pot below was painted white and added clear

glitter to the edge.

On this pot, I added gold glitter to the edge, and gold paint

around edge of the postcard.

I found the gold foil chocolate eggs at the Dollar tree.

I also used napkins to decoupage a design onto the pots.

These cocktail size napkins came from Dollar Tree.

The napkins are 2-ply and you will need to separate the layers carefully.

I always tear the napkins instead of using scissors

because the edges blend together more naturally.

Use Mod Podge and a brush to cover pots.

These pots below were left unpainted.

I added moss and a wire handle.

These pots can be tucked into

your tiered tray decorations.

The ''Sweet Treat'' pots went so well with my other

Easter Decor.

I love projects that cost just pennies !

Thank you so much for spending time with me today-

xo Lisa S