Last year the Teacher’s Gifts were all about coffee. I had 14 of them to make from the funds collected as a Class Rep. This year, I don’t have that pressure and so can take the time to create something a little more unusual. Which is why, when I spotted a Tea Bouquet on a recent trip to Holland, I bought one for Granny- the only tea lover on my corner of the world- and decided to replicate it for LBG’s teachers.
The key thing with this project- whatever size you decide to go with- is that the tea needs to come in sachets rather than just bags. The colour of the sachets makes for a pretty bouquet and prevents the various flavours from intermingling. Obviously this makes the craft more expensive, but I made three bouquets from my packs of tea and I worked the cost out at about £6.00 per gift.
Here’s how to make a Tea Bouquet, for a teacher, friend or colleague.
You need to find a centre. I used FruitBroo juicy fruit tea that I found that came in a cutesy little bottle, but you could use a tea-strainer, or some of those crystallised sugar sticks in the middle. Whatever you are using, wrap it at the end that will be hidden by the bouquet, with a length of corrugated card. This will form the centre of the bouquet as well as the stem for carrying the bouquet, hence the need for the robust corrugated card (which I got from our recycling box.) Or try a kitchen roll tube.
Next, unbox your teas. I used three different teas- peppermint, ginger and a berry flavour, but you could use whichever tea you choose. I imagine the more every day teas, like English Breakfast, would look just as lovely and perhaps work out cheaper. Take 4 or 5 tea bags and lay them face-down in a vague arc shape, then lay a strip of tape- washi, or sellotape if you don’t have that- across the back of them all. Pick up your row of tea bags and wrap around your centrepiece, then fix in place with sellotape. Secure to the centre-cardboard tube with more tape.
Repeat with the next tea selection- you’ll need about 8 or 9 tea bags- and secure to the tube as before. I found it quite easy to tip the bouquet upside down so that the centre-tube is sticking up, and pressing the bags down around the preceeding bags in a “skirt-style” was the best way of doing this.
A third and final circle of tea bags will require between 10 and 12 bags, depending on how many were in the last circle. Secure as before. To cover the whole, I wrapped it in crepe-paper, which has enough give that it will fan out at the top without being absurdly bulky at the bottom. I secured it temporarily with a pipe cleaner (you could you a freezer bag tie, or cable tie)and was then able to lace butchers twine around and tie it off, before removing the pipe-cleaner. I trimmed the bottom of the crepe paper. LBG stuck glittery jewels to the top of the bottle at the centre of the bouquet for her teacher.) Lastly I wrapped the whole thing in sellophane.
Obviously you can continue with more rows if you choose. You could put small clear bags of loose tea in the first row and encircle that with tea-sachets. You could go with one flavour to make a more monochrome bouquet. Add fewer rows to make a posy. There are lots of options.
For more ideas for great Teacher’s Gifts you can make, try:
This is such a brilliant idea! Definitely going to be doing this!
Wow, what a fabulous idea… a tea-lover’s dream! Thanks for sharing 🙂
This is such a great idea, may have to recreate this too!