Well, friends, we’re officially in peak cold and flu season. It seems someone’s got the sniffles, and is sneezing or coughing everywhere we go.
If you find yourself down with the flu or are hoping to keep it at bay, drinking a nice cup of hot tea from a tea bag wreath can keep you hydrated and feeling a bit better.
Instead of keeping your tea bags tucked away in the back of the cupboard, use these ideas to spruce up your kitchen or gift to a teacher or nurse.
Tea bag wreaths are a creative way to display your tea in your kitchen. Instead of traditional greens, florals, or ribbons, these wreaths are created with tea bags as the main design component.
Depending on your style and the type of tea you like to drink, these wreaths can be as unique as you.
A search on Amazon or Etsy will quickly reveal that tea bag wreaths are not easily found or bought. This is where your DIY skills come in handy.
You can make it as complex or as simple as you want, depending on how many tea bags and accessories you want to include.
A tea bag wreath is truly something that comes from the heart, making it the perfect DIY gift for this time of year.
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Tea Wreath Inspiration
Making a wreath of tea bags is relatively simple, making it a great option if you’re short on time.
I know many people focus on making tea bag wreaths as Christmas gifts, but what makes them so great is their versatility to be a great gift any time of year, especially in these colder months.
If you craft regularly, you probably already have all the materials you need.
All you’ll need to do is grab whatever kind of tea bags you want to use. (I’ll give you some ideas later in this post if you’re not a tea drinker).
Otherwise, the list of supplies is relatively short and you can easily find them at your local dollar store or craft store.
Several crafters and bloggers have made DIY tutorials that are simple to follow and give you a good starting point to come up with ideas for your own wreath.
- Creative Scrapbook Paper Tea Bag Wreath
- Adaptable Tea Bag Wreath
- Tea Bags and Cookies Wreath
- Easy Breezy Tea Wreath
- Thrifty Fun Tea Bag Wreath
- Tea Bag Hoop Wreath
- Pom Pom Tea Bag Wreath
- Foam Tea Bag Wreath
If you’re short on materials or simply don’t feel like creating your own you can always support a small business and purchase one. Tea bag wreaths are more likely to be found at a craft fair as there aren’t many options available online. However, some small businesses on Etsy offer tea bag wreaths.
Tea Bag Wreath DIY
I just love how creative you can get when making a tea bag wreath. Whether it’s for yourself or another tea drinker, you can rarely go wrong with this type of wreath. Here’s how easy it is to make one yourself.
Materials you’ll need:
- 12-24 Tea Bags
- 12” x 12” Cardboard/ Chipboard/ Foam core/ Balsa wood
- 12” x 12” Patterned Paper or a Fat Quarter of fabric
- 12-24 Clothes Pins (depending on how much tea you want to include)
- Hot Glue Gun and glue sticks
- Ribbon for Hanging
- Scissors/Exacto Knife
- Modpodge/Elmers Glue (optional)
- Spray paint (optional)
- Acrylic paint (optional)
- Foam paintbrush (optional)
How to Make a Tea Bag Wreath Step-By-Step
After you gather all the materials you’ll need lay them out on a large workspace so everything is easily accessible when it’s time to use it. This craft is easy enough to do, it’s okay to have some level of distraction, so go ahead and put on the show you’re currently binging or your favorite podcast, and let’s get started.
Step 1: Create Your Frame
To start your tea bag wreath, you will need to create a frame to put your clothespins on. You can do this using several different materials, including cardboard, chipboard, foam core, or a sheet of balsa wood. Whichever material you choose, you want it to be sturdy enough to support the weight of the clothespins and teabags.
If you use cardboard or foam core, it’s advisable to glue two pieces together to add a bit of sturdiness to your wreath.
While some of us may be great at drawing a perfect circle, if you’re anything like me, drawing a circle freehand is going to end up a little bit wonky. To avoid this I suggest tracing a 10” dinner plate on your cardboard to give you a perfectly round shape. To get the inner circle, I would recommend using a 7-8” salad plate.
Essentially, you want to make sure your tea bag wreath’s frame is 2-3” wide to support your clothespins. Once you trace your plates and are happy with the width of your frame, cut out the wreath.
Step 2: Wrap Your Frame
With your frame cut out, the next step is to wrap it in patterned paper. The easiest way to do this is to trace your wreath onto the back of your paper or fabric. You’ll want to cut outside the lines by ½” to give yourself space to glue the paper onto your frame.
To get a clean edge, cut your margin up to your frame outline to create little tabs on both the inside and outside. Next glue each of these little tabs to the back of your frame. This will help you avoid bumps and corners on your frame.
Step 3: Prep Your Clothespins
Your clothespins are one of the main places where you can let your creativity shine. You can go with the traditional route of the classic wooden clothes pins or you can decoupage patterned paper onto one side of each clothespin. If that seems like too much work, you can always paint them with acrylic paint or spray paint them to the exact color you want.
Is simple paper or paint not enough? You can also add embellishments, such as rhinestones or small flowers, depending on the theme of your teabag wreath.
Step 4: Place clothespins
Once your clothes pins are dry, it’s time to lay them out how you want them on your wreath. To avoid crowding, I would advise using the Clock method – placing a clothespin at the 12, 3, 6, and 9. Next, add in your extra clothes pins as close together as you wish.
When you are happy with the layout, use your hot glue gun, and attach them to your wrapped frame.
Step 5: Clip On Tea Bags
Once your frame and attached clothespins are dried, it is time to add the teabags. Oftentimes, teabags come in different colored bags based on flavor so get as crazy as you want with how you clip them onto your wreath.
Step 6: Add Ribbon to Hang
And after you have added your clothespins and teabags, the final step is to add a ribbon to hang your wreath. You will want to find a placement where your wreath is balanced and hangs properly.
You can use any kind of ribbon or twine to create a loop for your wreath. Simply attach this loop with hot glue and your teabag wreath is ready for gifting or hanging.
Customize It
What I love the most about teabag reads is how customizable they are. While many people use the same kind of supplies, you really can get as creative as you want to be. Here are some other fun alternatives you can use to customize your teabag wreath wreath.
- Frame Ideas
- Scrapbook Paper
- Clothespins
Choosing the Best Teas
If you’re stuck on what kind of tea to purchase for your wreath, you can pick up any variety pack and have the work done for you. However, if you’re looking to create your own combination to fit the overall theme of your wreath here are some suggestions.
- Calm and Relaxing
- Floral
- Immunity Boosting
- Morning Wake Up
- Citrus and Sour
- Winter Blends
- Positivi-tea
- Non-Tea Alternative
Extend Your Tea Bag Wreath’s Use
Another fun aspect of tea bag wreaths is that they can be multi-functional. Once you are done with your tea bags, you can simply add new ones or you can use many different items to give your wreath new life.
- Pictures: hang pictures of your family, friends, or pets to make a personalized picture wreath
- Greeting Cards: display Christmas cards, birthday cards, wedding invites, etc. in an attractive way that’s easy to find
- Notes: hang notes about upcoming events, doctor appointments, love notes, or daily affirmations
- Seed Packets: if you have a gardener in your life, clip on seed packets rather than tea bags to repurpose your wreath
Whether you are making a tea bag wreath for yourself or someone else, they offer a ton of versatility. These wreaths are great for kitchens, break rooms, or even short-term rentals where you want tea bags to be easily accessible in a visually appealing way.
Looking for more creative wreath ideas, I suggest these other pizza pan wreath ideas.