how to tea dye paper

How to Tea Dye Paper

Making your own tea-dyed paper is a great way to add a unique aged look and feel to scrapbooks, cards, and other paper crafts. Here’s how to do it:

Things You’ll Need

• Strong black tea
• Strainer or tea bags
• White paper

Steps to Tea Dying Paper

1. Make a strong black tea using one tea bag (or two tablespoons of loose-leaf tea) for every two cups of boiling water.
2. Let it steep for 45 minutes and strain out the tea leaves.
3. Pour the tea into a shallow pan or bowl that is larger than the papers you are going to dye.
4. Soak the papers in the tea for a few minutes until they look evenly saturated.
5. Carefully remove the papers from the pan, lay them out on a lined surface and let them dry.
6. Once they are dry, your tea-dyed paper is ready to use!

Tips

• You can control the level of color by varying the strength of the tea and the time the papers are left to soak.
• Try experimenting with adding random folds or tearing the edges of the papers before you dye them for an even more rustic look.