Tea Stained Page Projects

Idea 1: Decos: These are tiny books people pass from one artist to another to fill one or two pages at a time. Creating a deco out of tea stained pages will give it sort of a vintage-style theme that will inspire each participant of this mail-art project.

A deco can be assembled using staples, being stitched or even glued together. Many people create what looks like a small gift card insert, then fold in five pages (a single signature) and then attaching them together. The decos I've created have typically had a card stock or a heavy weight paper cover. I embellish the cover when the deco returns home so nothing falls off in transition.

Idea 2: Mini-books: mini-books are a lot of fun to make, particularly if you already have experience binding larger handmade books and are looking to create a smaller scale (and often quicker) project. Bookbinding is difficult for some to learn, so don't be frustrated if you don't master to craft right away. Folding these tea stained pages into signatures for your mini-book will cause it to bow out slightly, but that can be remedied by placing the project under a heavy stack of books upon completion.

There are a number of sites and books available with tutorials and lesson plans about how to create a mini-book. My suggestion is to consume as much of this information as possible before starting, then pick ideas from each lesson you've learned and create something unique to your personality and interests (or whatever else is inspiring you). These mini-books are also an excellent mail art project.

Idea 3: Accordion books: These tend to be a little more challenging to make, initially, because you want all your folds to match up correctly. Once that part is over with, though, you have a lot of opportunity for creativity. When I create accordion books, I use a piece of card stock or heavy weight paper and fold it into an ATC sized book with (typically) five or six pages. I use the tea stained pages to embellish each flat surface and create the cover. Again, this book will bow out slightly and placing the project under something heavy will solve that.