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Phone: 847-425-9708 | Email: info@itachicago.org
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Email: info@itachicago.org

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ita chicago

Institute for therapy through the arts

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Crafty Corner: Spread Some Positivi-TEA With A Friendly Card

March 30, 2020 by ITA Staff

-Written by Rianna Jamieson

At times like this it’s easy to get wrapped up in fancy technologies and forget about our most basic roots of communication methods. No matter your age, everyone loves receiving handwritten mail. It makes us feel special when someone takes the time to get out a pen and paper and think about us.  

But it does not need to stop there! We can do even more to express how important our pen pals are to us by personalizing the communication even more. There are 2 things better than handwritten cards and letters:

A handcrafted card and A handcrafted card with a tea bag inside! 

To spread some positiviTEA with this fun ‘thinking of you’ card, you will need:

  • A piece of white card stock & envelope 
  • Some ribbon that is the same length as the width of your card 
  • Decorative paper 
  • Scissors or a craft knife 
  • Glue 
  • A pencil 
  • An eraser 
  • A small doily or white cupcake case  
  • A tea bag (ideally an individually wrapped one for hygienic purposes)colorful paper, scissors, a pencil, ribbon, a glue stick, a tea bag, a card and envelope sit on white fabric.

 

 

 

 

Step 1
Fold your card stock in half to make a card. Make sure that this card fits inside your envelope once folded! 

Step 2
Draw an outline of a teacup onto decorative paper with a pencil, ensuring that the handle is thick enough to be cut out. If drawing is difficult for you, you can download many teacup outlines from the internet. Simply print one out and trace it onto your paper. 

a person draws a teacup on yellow decorative paper with a pencil

 

 

 

 

Step 3
Carefully cut out your teacup design. 

Pro tip: Use the eraser to remove any thick black lines on the outside of the teacup for a cleaner look. 

a paper cutout of a teacup

 

 

 

 

Step 4
Decorate your teacup with colorful papers, pens, stickers, the choice is yours! 

a cutout paper teacup, a glue stick, a square of decorative paper

 

 

 

 

Step 5
Measure and cut out a pocket size of decorative paper. This should cover about 4/5th of your card face.  

a white card sits on top of a piece of decorative paper

a white card with a square pocket drawn inside the card

 

 

 

 

Step 6
Then glue only around 3 edges of the paper and stick onto your card. This should create a pocket in which you can slip in your teabag. 

A decorative paper pocket with a tea bag inside

 

 

 

 

Step 7
Measure and cut a piece of ribbon the length of the width of your card. Glue this along the edge of your pocket. 

a decorative paper pocket with a piece of red ribbon across the lip of the pocket

 

 

 

 

Step 8
Glue your doily onto your decorative paper to act as a napkin for your teacup. 

If you do not have a doily, simply use the snowflake method on a white cupcake case. Fold the case 4 times into a pizza size wedge and cut out small shapes from the edges. Glue this on top of your pocket.

A white cupcake sleeve folded multiple times into a pizza shape A small pizza shaped piece of paper being trimmed with scissors A thin paper snowflake glued onto a decorative paper pocket

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 9
Glue your teacup on top of your doily.

A decorative paper pocket with a paper teacup outside and a bag of tea inside

 

 

 

 

Step 10
Cut a small square of paper or card stock and stick next to your teacup. Write a small message or funny pun on it as if it is a teabag tab, and draw a string going into the cup. 

A decorative paper pocket with a paper teacup on the outside and a teabag tag that reads, "thinking of you". A teabag sits inside the pocket.

 

 

 

 

Be sure to write a heartfelt message to your loved one inside of your card before you send it. The rest is up to you! Switch up decorations and sizes, maybe even add a teapot! You could even switch up what you slip inside your card; coffee, hot chocolate, sweets…the choices are endless. 

Pro Tip: If you know that the receiver of the card is feeling stressed, perhaps try including a Chamomile tea bag to help calm anxiety and improve sleep.

—

What do your cards look like? Share your pictures and ideas with us on social media tagging us at:  

Facebook: Institute for Therapy through the Arts 

Instagram: @ITAChicago  

Twitter: @ITAArtsTherapy  

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Trackbacks

  1. How to Stay Social When Social Distancing - ita chicago says:
    April 2, 2020 at 5:48 pm

    […] If you’re feeling creative, you could even make a card and fill it with some novelty drawings, sweets, or even teabags. For a fun design idea, check out our PositiviTEA card activity. […]

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