How to Make Tea Bag Holders Out of Recycled Cards

Spring Pouchong Tea Leaves

Greeting cards are something most households have. We get them for every occasion from birthdays to holidays, only to find they pile up collecting dust before eventually hitting the waste basket. Making tea bag holders from recycled greeting cards is a way to avoid throwing out those cards--and you will be doing something good for the planet in the process. It's a win-win situation.

Things You'll Need

• Old greeting cards
• Thread and needle
• Loose tea leaves
• Loosely-woven muslin cloth (cut into 3-inch squares)

Instructions

1. Collect the old greeting cards. Cut the cards in half on the crease in the center of the opened card. Place each half into two piles. You can use the half with quotes and sayings for a later project.

2. Look at the pictures on the front of the greeting cards you have selected to use. Find the ones you wish to use for your tea bag holders and cut in a square around the picture. Normal tea bag holders range in sizes from 1/2-inch to 1-inch squared, so keep your squares in this size frame. From 1 greeting card you can get 5 to10 designs cut out. Even the border area can make a nice tea bag holder design.

3. Lay the loosely-woven muslin cloth squares out flat. These cloth squares should be cut into approximately 3-inch squares. Alternatives to muslin cloth are loose-woven cotton or hemp cloth. Most fabric stores have these.

4. Open your tin of loose tea leaves and place 1 serving in the center of each piece of cloth. Make 1 tea bag at a time to avoid any mess. After the loose tea is placed in the cloth, grab all 4 corners and bring to a point at the top. Slide your fingers down about 1/2 inch and twist the bags closed. Use thread to tie the tea bags closed. Cut off any loose ends of thread.

5. Cut several long strands of thread (approximately 5-inches long) to be used to hold the tea bag onto the tea bag holders. Using a needle, tie off one end of the thread to the tea bag you created just at the point where the tea bag is closed. Leaving about 3 inches of free thread between the tea bag and the greeting card holder, poke the needle 1/8 inch into the greeting card square. Poke another hole through the greeting card holder on the other end. Wrap the thread around the back of the card through the first hole for extra security. Bring the left over thread back to the tea bag area and tie off from the same part you started.

6. Cut out the quotes and sayings left over from the recycled cards. Place your fresh recycled card tea bag holders and tea bags in a small box or bag. Glue the sayings and quotes to the top and sides of the packages. Give your homemade tea bags to friends and family as gifts for any occasion.

Tips & Warnings

• Make enough to store in a tin or container for easy convenience any time you want a cup of tea.