It’s a Mad Tea Party Card! Mixed Media Tea-Stained Afternoon Tea Card

How much do I love tea?  Let me count the ways, but not really because that would take me all day and that’s not what this post is all about.

The Process

I started off thinking about making backgrounds with actual tea, so I brewed some really strong tea using three tea bags and left it to cool.  When it was cool, I put it in a spray bottle and went to town on some watercolour paper.  Because I was enjoying this so much, I ended up with four backgrounds, so instead of making one card like I planned, I ended up making three cards.  This is the first card, and I used a stamp and die set from Hero Arts which makes these cute little cakes, cake stand, teacups and teapot – perfect for afternoon tea.  I stamped out the ones I wanted, often multiples, and then spent a very enjoyable couple of hours colouring them all in with my Polychromos – and had a cup of tea at the same time!  Some are stamped directly onto the background and others are diecut and glued on top.  I went over some of them with a gold marker and added glossy accents to some of the icing on the little cakes (I can’t say little cakes without thinking of The Magicians!  You’ll know why if you watch the show lol).  I really wanted a sentiment that said “It’s a mad tea party” but I didn’t have one so I made my own, using the sentiments from the stamp set, cutting them up and then stamping out the letters MAD, before putting them all together.  I edged the card with Ground Espresso Archival Ink, and mounted it on a kraft card base, made from Gina K Kraft cardstock.

The Inspiration

This is about the August Challenge on A Vintage Journey which is titled A Cup of Tea for Your Art.  Honestly, you had me at tea.

And because of the colours and what I ended up doing with the cards I made, I think this card also fits in Finnabair’s Art Daily Cafe Mood Board for July which is still open and entitled Mail Art, and these tea-stained colours fit perfectly.

PROJECT RECIPE:

Distress Archival Ink – Ground Espresso, Black Soot
Watercolour paper