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LOVE Sign

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Before I tell you about how I made this LOVE sign, can you guess what I used for the letters? What was your first thought when you saw this picture? I would “love” to know!

https://www.b4andafters.com/love-sign

If you guessed “tea leaves” then you are right!! I had found some large leaf tea bags on sale. I had not had that kind of tea before, and when I used it, I was amazed how large the tea leaves became in the hot water. I was also fascinated by the soft, gauze-like fabric pyramid shaped bags. My tea has only ever been in a thin paper bag. I decided to hang some to dry. When the tea bags dried, the leaves did not shrink to their original size. They stayed big, and reminded me of potpourri. I kept drinking tea, and I kept hanging the tea bags out to dry. And eventually, an idea came to me.

Before

used tea bags

Of course I still have lots of pickets left to use from my old fence. This piece is the bottom part. To the right is Dollar Tree contact paper.

used tea bags, fence picket sign, and contact paper

I had used an ancient Cricut machine to cut out these letters. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them either, when I cut them. I was just practicing using the Cricut.

They sat around for days or weeks. Then I realized that they could be used as stencils.

contact paper used as a stencil

I spread out Elmer’s glue and piled on as many tea leaves as I could.

tea leaves on glue with stencils

I used a different kind of tea for each letter. I found all but one of them on Amazon just like mine, and will link to them for you. L is Mint. O is Berry Blush. V is Green tea with Mango and Ginger. E is Rooibos. (You can find rooibos tea on Amazon, just not exactly like mine.)

more tea leaves on stencils with wet glue

Since I did not want to take a chance that the glue would dry onto the contact paper, and then ruin my letters, I removed the contact paper from the picket board right away. I blew away the loose leaves that had not stuck to the glue. Then I waited overnight (or longer, I can’t remember) for the glue to dry.

waiting for the tea leaves to dry on LOVE sign
a heart shaped diamond ring with a sing that says Turst in the Lord with All your heart.

I was very pleased that the tea leaves had stuck better than I had hoped!

tea leaves with stencil removed

I just love the O with the red colored fruit and flower leaves. I think it is my favorite, not only because of the color, but because of the texture. The 3D effect of this project is unique and fun.

dried tea leaves in the shapes of letters

Here is the V with Green tea and bits of mango and ginger.

more dried tea leaves in the shapes of letters

The Rooibos E has a lovely orange color to it, with darker reddish accents. And the longish shape is gorgeous. It is a close second favorite.

rooibos tea leaves in the shape of the letter E

I hope that you enjoyed seeing how I made this LOVE-ly tea leaf sign! Would you ever try something like this, like gluing tea leaves? I think a heart shape would be very pretty and easy to do without a stencil. Try drawing a heart with your glue, starting small until you get the shape drawn just right. Of course, you will need to drink a lot of tea first!

AFTER!

finished tea leaf sign

Thanks for Pinning!

graphic for before and after of tea leaf LOVE sign

https://www.b4andafters.com/tea-tags-how-i-used-free-printable-arabah-joy/
another graphic of tea leaf LOVE sign

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33 Comments

  1. I stencil all the time with different types of paint, but I’ve never thought of filling in with tea leaves! The colors and texture are really unique. I alway use my Cricut a bunch. I didn’t think you could use anything but vinyl on it. How did the contact paper work?

    1. Do you have a Cricut Maker or an Explore? You can use cardstock, vinyl, contact paper, and other things with both. The Cricut Maker also engraves— so I can even use thin pieces of metal!! The contact paper worked just fine— just like vinyl!

  2. Very creative, Liberty. I stencil all the time with different types of paint, but I’ve never thought of filling in with tea leaves! The colors and texture are really unique. I alway use my Cricut a bunch. I didn’t think you could use anything but vinyl on it. How did the contact paper work?

    1. Carol, the contact paper worked great– it’s just like vinyl. You can cut all sorts of paper and cardstock in addition to vinyl with the Cricut. Which model do you have?

  3. Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too!
    Come party with us at Over The Moon! Catapult your content Over The Moon! @marilyn_lesniak @EclecticRedBarn

  4. Your sign is lovely, Liberty! Valentine’s Day with a neutral, earthy twist… LOVE it. 😉 Hope to see you at Tuesday Turn About! We close tonight at midnight CST! (Pinned!)

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