
How are you celebrating Earth Day?
Today, we have Corey Villicana back on Studio T to share a beautiful DIY with you.

What better time to repurpose some of your children’s stained and abandoned tea brand clothing. Make a set of braided bracelets that your little ones can wear well into the summer!














Make sure you follow Corey’s adventures on her website and facebook page. We can’t wait to see the colorful bracelets you create. Take pictures and tag @tea_collection on instagram, your bracelet may just end up here on Studio T!
Thank you Corey for this gorgeous how-to!
Step 1: Start beading your safety pins. We put 5 seed beads (size 6/0) onto each small safety pin. As you are beading start to envision a desirable pattern or make it completely random for a kaleidoscope effect.
*Please note since sharp objects are involved, this craft is for children 8 years and up.
Step 2: Make sure you use needle nose pliers to clamp each safety pin permanently closed. No booboos here!
Step 3: Cut two pieces of elastic 5 inches longer than the circumference of your child’s wrist.
Step 4: Tie a knot with the two pieces of elastic. Start stringing your safety pins in the desirable pattern. We did all the tops on the top string and all the bottoms on the other.
Step 5: When you are done beading, tie a knot on each elastic cord (top and bottom separately). Then knot with the other side to create a full circle.
Wear your safety pin bracelet with any of our girls dresses or girls tops. We really liked how the yellow beads complimented the yellow accents in our Rosebank Mini Dress. Get creative with your bracelet patterns and girls outfits and share with us on our Facebook.
2012 has been a whirlwind year filled with laughter, joy, celebrations for us at Tea! We hope your year has been memorable as well. What better way to say goodbye to 2012 and welcome 2013 than with mini party hats!
1. Download your free Mini Party Hat Printable. Print it on heavy weight paper like cardstock.
2. Cut out your mini hat template. Score the 3 lines to create slits for putting it together. It’s best to leave this task for the parents as it does require sharp scissors or an Exacto knife.
3. Now time for the fun stuff. Roll out whatever crepe paper streamers you want to use. Cut several 12 inch sections, we had about 4- 12 inch sections in varying colors.
4. Get your safety scissors ready and start creating the fringe! Fold the streamer in half lengthwise (hot dog style). We cut 1/2 and 2/3 way up the streamer to give it a varying look. Then cut the long strand into 2 or 3 inch pieces for easy application onto the hat.
5. Dot the non- fringed part of the streamer with liquid glue. Then apply the strands in a desirable pattern around the hat. The more layers of fringe the better. Naturally, you’ll want to overlap the layers of fringe.
6. Top off your hat with something festive and a smile! Then attach your hat onto the headband or ribbon.
Did you see the scarf on page 4 of our Holiday 2012 Catalog and wonder where you could find one of your own? Our prop designer created ours by shredding a rug and twisting the strips together. You can make one yourself following the steps below. We bought thick gauge acyclic yarn and used scissors to craft our own scarf.
1. Unwind the yarn to desired length. Ours was around 6.5 ft to 7.5 ft long. We used the entire skein of yarn and had exercise weights as an extra set of hands. See the picture below.
2. Snip the yarn at half length (where the weight is positioned).
3. Divide the half into 2 even sections. Start twisting to one side. Then twist the other half to the same side (both in or both out). Then twist both previously twisted sides together. Tie a knot at the end.
4. Repeat for the other side.
5. Twist the 2 twisted halves together and knot it at the end. Knot where you want the tassels to begin.
Look how easy it was to twist your own scarf.
*Please note that this activity should be for kids 3 years and up.
Happy twisting!
We are well into the holiday season and it’s finally time to wrap some gifts. Tired of the same old printed paper? Why not make your own? You can purchase plain brown paper or even go green and use the inside of a brown paper bag.
Reasons we liked brown wrap paper:
1) Your creativity can run wild- stamps, glitter, markers and more! You have a blank canvas to create.
2) You can personalize each gift.
3) It’s good for every occasion (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, birthdays, graduations, anniversaries etc)
Below are some ways we wrapped up our holiday gifts using, neon yarn, letter stamps, a brown paper bag, glittered pine cones, and of course glitter!
Share this post with your friends. Tis the season of giving. Happy wrapping!
Here’s a fun twist to pine cones during the holidays. We thought it would be fun to add a pop of color to our cinnamon scented pine cones. It’s a guaranteed good time with your kids. Make sure your child can operate a paint brush and you are in business.
It’s best to squeeze your paint onto a paper plate for easy application onto your paint brush.
Step 1: Hold the pine cone by the top branch, and apply a generous amount of paint onto your paint brush and dab the edge of the pine cone. Make sure you get an even coat as this provides for a more vibrant color. From trial and error, we learned it’s best to start working your way up from the bottom otherwise you’ll end up with neon hand prints all over your furniture.
Step 2: Let it dry overnight.
Step 3: We thought it would be fun to cut name tags from card stock. We stamped our names on them. These are great placecards for your holiday dinner party or dip a whole bunch of pine cones and display them in a glass vase. We used them around the office for some holiday pizazz. The possibilities are endless.
Share this post with your friends & leave a comment if you try this activity. We’d love to hear about your experience!
Here is a fresh new center piece that you and your kids can make together! We think there can never be too much enthusiasm for glitter especially during the holidays.
When taking a walk one day, I realized how pretty these little eucalyptus acorns can be. I thought to myself, there must be some craft that I could do. Lo and behold there was! Glittered acorns. Take a walk and gather some acorns with your kids, don’t forget to bundle up in your favorite Tea sweater first. After you get home, shake out all the loose dirt, nobody wants dirt in their Christmas centerpiece.
Step 1: In many craft sessions, I have learned that it’s best to squeeze liquid glue into a paper plate or bowl so it’s easy for you to dip your paint brush into. Next, cover your entire acorn in glue. The more the better!
Step 2: Next, sprinkle your choice of colored glitter all over the acorn. Tap the acorn to rid of excess glitter. It’s best to glitter over a newspapered surface for easy clean-up and recycling of glitter. Shake and repeat the steps for as many acorns as you have.
Step 3: We let our acorn sticks dry standing upright in potted plants. The dirt keeps the sticks and acorns from touching any clean surfaces. Let it dry overnight and you’ll have centerpieces by the morning. Santa did really come to town!
Making them is easy. Just cut out a body shape and two legs. Then cut slots so you can stand them up. Click here for a Made by Joel for Tea Paper Slot Animals Printable or you can make your own designs! If you use a thicker paper, then you might need to cut your slots slightly wider so the feet stay straight.
After you finish, you can take them apart and put them in a little box or envelope. Then you can take them on the go to restaurants, etc.
As fall makes its way upon us, bring some colorful flowers into your life! Create your own little garden today.
Download your very own printable copy here: Fantastic Flowers
Once you’re done, submit your creation to blog@teacollection.com for your chance to win a $100 Tea gift certificate! Every month, Tea staff will pick one artistic little citizen to win! Honorable mentions will also be uploaded into their own featured blog post. Let your creative juices flow and show us your inner artist!
You can bring your modern flower garden to life in our Moderni Banded Dress.
One of the many inspiring artists we discovered in Scandinavia was Swedish ceramicist, Lisa Larson. We loved how Larson, played with flower and leaf shapes to create creatures (pictured above). We wanted to use the same idea of creating a Scandinavian creature out of plant elements. I collected a variety of internet images and actual plant pieces that I scanned into the computer. Then came the fun part, arranging the elements to create an animal. The pieces I had worked nicely to make an owl. I then traced the owl I created with sharpies to make our Blomma Owl Girl’s Graphic Tee.
We thought it’d be a fun idea to collect leaves and flowers with your children and see what kind of creatures you can create. I found these amazing leaf creations (below) by kokokoKids over on My Barn Owl.
Just the other day I found these awesome leaf cut cars on The Art Room Plant.
We want to see what you create with your kids? Post them on our facebook page!
































