Cucumbersome » tutorials

Time for Tea Soap

britt — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:07:04 +0000

Drinking tea is such a lovely ceremony, what with the dainty cups and small spoons and little dishes reserved only for steeped tea bags. The aroma is such a huge part of that experience. Sadly, I’m finding that one can only drink so much tea in a day. So why not pull those luscious scents into our lives in other ways? This was my thinking when this idea popped into my head. I whipped up a batch of small Earl Grey tea soaps (see my instructions below) and folded them into individual tissue tea bags.

I have included a full, rather detailed tutorial for you to make these yourself. You can even download my tea soap tags, if you are so inclined. Each tag has a “Made by” and “For” on the back, so you can give these little soaps as gifts. You could also write a tiny message on the inside of the tag. I assure you that these are extremely easy to make, and cheap as well.
Click through below for the free tag download and how to!

You can buy all the materials you need here.
(a) Soap: I used a Melt & Pour Soap Base which some may think is cheating, but I think it’s fantastic. It’s incredibly easy – you just cut up the block of soap and melt it in the microwave (or if you are like me and don’t have a microwave, use a double-boiler) and add in whatever ingredients you want.
I used Earl Greyer Tea which has more bergamot than usual. Then just pour it into a mold or pan and let it set. After a few hours mine was set and I cut it into rectangles about 1″ x 2″. These are small (think hotel soap) and I was able to get eight soaps from a 1 lb. block, plus scraps that I can melt down into another one or two. You can see more detailed instructions here. I would recommend wrapping each soap in a dark-colored paper.
(b)Tags: You can create your own tags, or download mine here. Each sheet has tags for Earl Grey Tea Soap, Green Tea Soap, Citrus Mint Tea Soap, Ginger Peach Tea Soap, Rooibos Tea Soap, Jasmine Tea Soap, and Tea Soap (plain). Just cut them out, fold them in half, and snip little notches in the corners (see photos). [A note about the tags: Feel free to print out these tags for your personal, non-commercial use. Please do not redistribute in any way.]
(c)White tissue paper: Pieces cut to approximately 6″ x 9″, one per soap. *Not intended for use in the tub or shower.
(d)Tape
(e)String
(f)Stapler
(g)Scissors

How to fold, tea bag-style:

1. Place one soap on the tissue paper, centered vertically but slightly higher than the middle.
2. Fold the two sides over the soap so that they overlap slightly. Tape closed.
3. Pinch the edges to form a rectangular box. Pleat the sides inward.

4. Fold the bottom up over the soap and secure with a loop of tape (or double-sided tape)
5. Trim so that the front and back are the same height
6. Fold the two corners in to form a peak.
7. Pull the peak down and tape shut.

8. Flip over and staple the string onto the bag, tying a knot in the end to keep it from slipping through. Staple tag on the other end of the string.
If you have any trouble with these instructions it might help to inspect a real tea bag. For the sake of comparison, here is a real tea bag with mine:

Here are the tags that are available (click here to view and print):

Now I’m off to have a cup of tea…
Thanks for reading.

Humble Materials, Flawless Execution

britt — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:36:02 +0000

These gorgeous necklaces by Lauren Manoogian taunt me. Yes, they are made out of paperclips and tape (maybe even this tape?). But there is a huge chance that a DIY attempt will end up looking like a kindergarten project. Those colors are so perfect. Moving on.

These items by Marion Vidal led to a similar I-could-totally-do-that moment. Such simple materials with obvious construction. Yet again I have decided to leave well enough alone. The beauty of these bracelets and necklaces is in the subtle proportions and tones.
I was incredibly relieved to find this necklace project (shown below) that is refined and completely do-it-yourself-able on Park & Cube, inspired by this tutorial. Hurray!

P.S. It’s our second anniversary today! I can’t believe we’ve been married two whole years already. We had a beautiful pre-anniversary weekend up in Whistler and had the best meal ever at Araxi. Happy Anniversary, Ryan!

In The New York Times!

britt — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:31:07 +0000

A huge thanks to Amanda Kwan with the Associated Press for including my Anthro-inspired tables in her article on ‘designer looks for big-box prices’! You can read it on the New York Times site, here and here. Did you wonder what Anthropologie thought of my take on their Curator Table? Well, Amanda asked them (yikes!) and you can read what they said in the article.
If you are new to Cucumbersome, welcome and thanks for checking out my little blog! You can read the original post on the tables I made here. If you are interested in DIY tutorials, here are a few more:

Leather Chain Necklace Tutorial

Recycled T-Shirt Necklace Tutorial

Corsage Shirt Tutorial by Kate.
If you have any ideas or tutorials that you would like to share, I would love to hear about them! Or if you just want to say hi, please comment or use the contact form. I look forward to hearing from you!

Eleven Inspiring Ideas for Your Home

britt — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:05:52 +0000

1.Chalkboard drawers, LivingEtc, via Perfectbound; 2/3. Two cheap runners = One great rug, by Elsie Marley, via Perfectbound; 4. Sheet metal table, by Design Mom

5. Linen tin cover, by Elsie Marley, via Each Penny Pretty; 6. Paper-covered magnetic board, Martha Stewart, via Creature Comforts; 7. Numbered Glasses, Martha Stewart; 8. Button Magnets, Martha Stewart [these would also be good as thumbtacks]

9. Ikea Hack, Penny People Designs; 10.Aalto-ize your Ikea Frösta stool, by Martha and Tom; 11. Fabric-covered knobs, A Field Journal

Some of these are from a little while back. I’ve been collecting them and storing them away in bookmarks and emails to myself, for a rainy day. It’s actually beautiful weather, but lately I have been feeling rainy, creativity-wise. Putting this post together has got me thinking about all sorts of things I want to do. Thank you to everyone who shared their great ideas!
Do you know of any other good tutorials for the home?