How to Make Teabag Tile

Tea bag wrappers often have attractive designs on them.

In Europe, tea bag wrappers feature colorful pictures like large flowers, lacy designs, geometric shapes and famous landmarks. However, as long as your tea bags are colorful and intact you can fold the tiles into appealing designs. These folded tiles can decorate walls or Christmas trees or act as coasters when properly varnished. Not only is this craft green and practical, its attractive as well.

Things You'll Need

• Colorful tea bag wrappers
• Scissors
• Cardstock
• Glue

Instructions

1. Open up your tea bag wrappers and note the design. Snip away the ragged edges of each wrapper, creating little squares or tiles. Make sure all of your squares are the same size and keep the edges straight.

2. Bring one square toward you. Fold it in half diagonally to form a triangle. Crease sharply and unfold the triangle. Turn the square so it's a diamond. Make sure the plain side is facing up.

3. Fold the lower left edge of the diamond in toward the center and line it up with the center crease. Press to fold. Repeat on the right side. This should create a small kite shape. Flip the kite over to see the colorful side.

4. Fold all of your tea bag tiles into little kites. Spread a little glue on a piece of cardstock and press each kite into the glue with the folded side down. Arrange them so the points touch. This creates a tea bag rosette.

5. Allow the glue to dry for at least an hour. Carefully cut away the excess cardstock. You should only be able to see the rosette.

Tips & Warnings

• Spray your tea bag rosette with varnish or lacquer to make it a permanent outdoor decoration or coaster.

• Attach magnet strips to the back of the rosette for a creative magnet.

• Place your rosettes on the fronts of greeting cards or use them as decorative tags for gifts.

References

• Go Make Something: A Basic Tea Bag Folding Lesson
• Origami Resource Center: Tea Bag Folding