How to Make a Tea Caddy
This step by step crafting tutorial shows you how to make a tea caddy for your treasured collection of unusual teas.
Ahh, tea. Earl Grey, Jasmine, Fruity, Herbal or the nation’s favourite nectar, a good old milky cuppa. But where is one supposed to store one’s precious tea? In a hand-crafted tea caddy, of course. They don’t make them like they used to.
You Will Require:
- 2 empty boxes of tea. I only drink Twinings, but you can adapt to whichever brand’s box you possess. (*internally praises sweet mother Twinings..* ahem.)
- – Scissors
- – Some scrap card
- – A ruler
- – A pencil / pencil crayon
- – Pritt stick and Super Glue
- – A printer
- -Tea
- – Originality
Step 1 – Preparing the tea caddy box
This is the setup of the caddy. It’s a double, so you can either store tea in one side and other goodies in the other (sewing oddbods, sugar spoons, ruby red lipstick..) or use the added storage for even more glorious tea. Joy.
You’re going to have to measure the width, height and depth of the sides and take off a few millimetres.
Step 2 – Strengthening the tea caddy with card
Using the above obtained measurements, rule 4 rectangles. It does not have to be exact. You’ll be using this to strengthen up your flimsy cardboard boxes.
I also recommend cutting two thin strips of card to put along the tab along the opening. You’ll stick one rectangle to the bottom to line your box, and the other to the inner front side. As the boxes will be back to back, they strengthen each other; this is why I didn’t put card on the back (but of course, if you wish to be extra-neat you may cover all of the surfaces).
Step 3 – Decorating the tea caddy
Decorating is the best part, I think. Apart from drinking that sweet loveliness afterwards. You need to get yourself onto Google and choose around 20 images (more if your box is larger) of something you like. I chose Victoriana, vintage movie stars and fairies for my box. You can use whatever you please: baby bats, vinyl records… if you want to put ribbons or sequins or other sparklies onto your box, that’s all swell. Just don’t cover the back of your box as you’ll be sticking them together.
Cut them out and stick them onto your box with your pritt stick, and you’ll have conjured a tea caddy box like the one below before you know it. Now you have to rinse and repeat the process for your other box.
Step 4 – Securing the tea caddy box
All you have to do is get your super glue and stick the backs of the two boxes together. And voila! You’re done.
The final step is to host a wonderful tea party or to sit and relax with whatever you choose and a cup of tea. Well done, dear heart. You deserve it.
Tea caddies came to Europe via China. You can still find oh, so many Georgian tea caddies around, usually hardwoods like mahogany and rosewood, mounted on brass and delicately inlaid with knobs of ebony, ivory and silver.
