In design school a friend of mine taught me to tea-stain paper to get that old parchment look. I’ve always loved how the tea settles at the edges of the paper so you get those rich dark edges.
I decided to tea-stain my dragonfly wings when I tried making some of my dragonflies in white. The white turned out really pretty, but I wanted their lacy wings to pop more but still maintain the white look.
So I tried tea-staining the wings and I’m so happy with how they turned out. The tea actually makes the wings look slightly golden. The best part is they look like they belong in an old Victorian house. Imagine a whole wall of these as a backdrop for a vintage style wedding? Somebody please try this🤓
✻✻✻ Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. ✻✻✻Â
Here’s what you’ll need to make these tea-stained dragonflies:
Materials:
Dragonfly Stickers SVG bundle
Cutting Machine
White Cardstock Paper
Double Sided Tape with Lining
X-Acto Knife or any sharp point
Scissors
Small Paint Brush
Tea
UPDATE 2021: NEW TEA STAINING VIDEO TUTORIAL
Step 1: Create your dragonflies
Make your dragonflies with my Dragonfly Stickers tutorial here. I applied the tea stain onto completed dragonflies that already had their back wings attached, however you can apply the tea stain onto the front dragonfly wings and then attach them to the back wings after they have dried. Either way will work fine.
Step 2: Brush tea onto wings
Boil some water to make your tea. I used a standard Tetley tea bag, and I used very little hot water so I could get a good concentrated color. You only need to steep the tea bag for a few seconds. Press all the water out with a spoon to get more tea color out of it. Then with a small paint brush, brush the tea onto the dragonfly wings. If you have your back wings attached, you can fold them back and use them as a stand for drying your wings. Let the wings dry for about half an hour, then apply a second brushing of tea. You can do a third layer but I only did two on mine and I was happy with the shade. That’s it! 
Use double-sided tape or silly putty to stick these beauties onto your walls. Silly putty is my favorite because it’s so easy to reposition. 
If you make these dragonflies please remember to share your images and tag @chaivdesign on Instagram so I can see how they turn out! 
