DIY | Decorated Tea Strainer
Let’s talk about tea leaves. It’s said that some can tell the future by the patterns left by the leaves in your cup. To read someone’s tea leaves, you must prepare a cup of tea with loose tea leaves. Holding the cup in the left hand, the person slowly swirls the contents around three times clockwise, so that the leaves gather around the rim. Once the water has been drained from the cup the patterns and images in the leaves can be ‘read’ to find out your fortune. It is commonly believed that images near the top of the cup can be seen as lucky and those at the bottom are thought to be unlucky….
Well, that’s awfully lovely and mystical, but I’m about to ruin all that by taking those tea leaves and putting them in a mesh ball. It might not be as magical as reading the leaves, but it sure is easier to clean!
Loose leaf tea, in my opinion, is far superior that store bought tea bags, and not just for it’s psychic abilities! This could be put down to my fondness for only Camomile and Green teas, but I’ve never found a tea bag that had the same quality of flavour as loose leaf. The problem with this of course is that I am totally clumsy and almost always lose the whole strainer into my drink (chain and all!) and end up awkwardly trying to fish it out of the hot water. That little hook on the chain is no friggen help when you have butter-fingers!
Remember the beaded drink stirrers we made a couple weeks ago, we’re going to use the same premise to make a pretty tea leaf strainer that will keep your leaves safe and your fingers un-scalded while enjoying your daily cuppa!
| MATERIALS: Wooden Beads – in various sizesNail Polish Thick/leather cord 1 plain metal tea strainer |
STEPS: 1. As with this DIY, thread your beads onto a skewer or cotton bud, depending on the size of the bead. Using your nail polish, paint the bead with an opaque color, allowing to dry completely in between coats. If you want to add patterns, do so once the first colour is dry. Leave over night to set 2. To make the tassel:
3. Thread your beads onto the excess cord above the tassel. Experiment with different colours, patterns and sizes until you are happy with your combination. The beads and tassel should be around the same height as your coffee mug. 4. When you are happy with your selection, finish by threading the cord into the metal loop at the end of the chain (usually at the base of the hook) and knot securely. If you are concerned about it coming loose you can always dab a dot of glue into the knot. |
A couple of notes:
- I usually leave the metal hook for extra support on taller mugs, but you can always snip it off using a pair of pliers.
- Sorry guys: this one is NOT dishwasher safe! As we are using leather cord, beware that excess exposure to moisture will eventually rot the cord. As long as you rinse the mesh part of the strainer by hand, there is no reason that the beaded end needs to get submerged in water, so you should have no problems!
Sarah Wheeler
June 25, 2014 at 1:12 amI absolutely love this idea! I’m a huge tea drinker - really, three cups a day sometimes! I love trying different kinds of teas and don’t have a specific favorite, but I do see a difference with loose leaf tea as compared to store-bought tea bags. What a fun diy!
Dani
June 25, 2014 at 9:38 amThanks Sarah! I have to admit, I’ve upped my tea intake since making this little strainer! I just like looking at it on my desk while I work haha!
honestly, b.
June 25, 2014 at 7:41 amThis is SO cute! It would make a great gift, too :) I love the idea of personalizing something used for a very personal moment—drinking tea! This came out great. Thanks for sharing!
Dani
June 25, 2014 at 9:11 amWhy didn’t I think of that? I have friends who are massive tea drinkers! Well… I know what they are getting for their birthday’s ;)
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