Make Butterfly Tea Bag Holders

The kids are back to school and there is a crisp chill in the air.  It’s the season for reuniting with warm drinks and comfort foods.  These Butterfly Tea Bags are a novel way of enjoying your tea, especially with a friend.  If you have young children in your life, these also make a fun addition to a tea party. The butterflies sit on the edge of the tea cup while the tea is seeping.

Materials for Butterfly Tea Bags:

• Butterfly stickers or butterfly images
• Colored paper (the same color as your butterfly works best)
• Small piece of thick paper (about 1 1/2″x 1/2″ per tea bag)
• Glue
• Tape
• Scissors
• Tea bags
• String

Directions to Make Butterfly Tea Bags:

1. Apply the butterfly images onto the colored paper.  If you are using stickers, simply seal them onto the paper.  If you are using butterfly pictures (i.e. from a digital download of butterfly images) then glue the image to the paper.  
2. Cut out the butterfly shape.
3. Fold the butterfly in half so that the image of the wings is visible on the outside.
4. Cut out a small rectangle of thick paper or thin cardboard to about 1 1/2″ x 1/2″ and fold it in half.  Repeat this step for each butterfly you are making.
5. Cut a piece of string about 3″ long.  Tie the butterfly onto the paper strip– lay the string along the body of the butterfly and and then tie in the crease where the paper folds.  Trim any excess string.
6. Apply glue to the string to help secure the butterfly in place.  You want the butterfly to be resting it’s body along the apex of the paper fold.
7. Allow the glue to dry.
8. Cut the tag from a tea bag.  Trim the string to the desired length.  The cups I use are more shallow than mugs, so I cut the string short.
9. You can use glue or tape to attach the string to the inside of the paper fold.
10. Place the paper fold over the rim of a cup and your butterfly will rest on the rim.
11. Make sure to hold the butterfly in place as you pour water into your cup otherwise it will take a swim!

  If you enjoyed making these butterflies, try other ways to transform traditional tea bags into whimsical or custom designs.  Here are some others I experimented with: