Tea for Two

I recently went to my neighbor's home and she offered me tea (since I don't drink coffee).
And she brought out a sweet little wooden box filled with a variety of tea bags.

We thought this was a great idea, and since I'm always trying to RECYCLE and REUSE and RENEW and upcycle and upgrade and whatever UP or RE prefixes you want to use...here's the project for today:

Wooden Decoupage Tea Box

You will need:
a wooden box, I used a cigar box (one of many that my hubby has donated to my projects)
ModPodge (a decoupage liquid) You could probably use a watered down Elmer's glue (?)
decorative papers (scrapbook papers, tea bags, hand drawn designs, newspapers,  OR really you can use any kind of paper.
scissors

First decide on your paper theme. I cut a piece of paper almost as large as the top of the box. I adhered this down, first brush ModPodge onto the box, then put the paper on it, and smear more ModPodge on top of this.

Then I cut several pieces, mostly triangles, of related paper design. Here I chose a paisley design, plus I cut out the fronts of 3 decoratively designed tea bags.

I mainly worked on the top of the box, but you can certainly cover all the sides. You have to smooth the ModPodge over, but be careful you don't overwork it. The paper may tear. But if it does, just decoupage a piece of paper over it. (Don't cover over the box opening edges.)

I worked on a laminated placemat to protect my table. And the ModPodge stinks, so take a break now and then and get away from it. Working in a ventilated area is important. So get out of the closet and move into the living room.

After I covered the top, I used my brush to stipple all over the top (pounding down using only the tips of the bristles). Then put that stinky thing outside to dry a bit.  Then I used my rolling pin with a piece of wax paper under it, and rolled all over it to smooth out bubbles.

When it is all dried, I added a variety of teas. What a great gift for those of us who are tea drinkers. I guess you could do the same for coffee drinkers, and put in those individual coffee packs. That would be nice too.

tip of the day:
Make a little card to match the box. Add a tea bag to the front, some of the same decorative paper and you have a wonderful gift!

That's all for now....
:D