Beauty and the Beast Tea Box

Who’s ready for the weekend!? I am! I have my IMAX tickets ready for Disney’s newest film, Beauty and the Beast! Emma Watson as Belle and Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts? I’m there. Twinings recently released 4 special edition Beauty and the Beast teas, packaged with gorgeous images from the movie. This is an herbal tea collection, with Chamomile, Honey & Vanilla and Orange & Cinnamon Spice being my favorites.This tea box craft is inspired by my love of books, tea, and of course, Beauty and the Beast. My favorite scene of the movie is the opening one, where Belle makes her way through the little village of colorful homes and cobblestones streets and into a quaint bookshop.So how does one create a tea box out of books? A space is created within the book by cutting out a repetitive shape in the same location and dimensions, page after page. The craft requires some precision and a book you are willing to sacrifice, but the results are stunning and ideal for the book lover who loves tea (or the tea lover who loves books)!
Everything starts with a hardback book, with intact binding and in good condition. I found 2 vintage books on the day I visited my local used bookstore, one about French cathedrals and another called Monsieur Beaucaire…literally about a prince in disguise! Covered in red and blue fabrics, these only cost a few dollars and definitely remind me of the books that Belle reads in the movie.If for some reason you can’t find a vintage read (or if you don’t want to cut up a book with text), try using a journal like this golden Beauty and the Beast journal, complete with book mark tassel and character drawings. I’ve cut out just two inserts here so that I can leave some room for scribbles and new ideas.Creating this tea box is like making a puzzle or coloring book therapy–it’s a slow process, but the finished product is like a work of art. These also make beautiful coffee table books (ironic, right?) and stylish carrying cases for your favorite teas.This tea-inspired Beauty and the Beast weekend continues tomorrow with a simple DIY for an Enchanted Rose Cloche, made with a real rose! Stay tuned! Beauty and the Beast Tea Box

What You’ll Need:

hardback book

wrapped tea bags

ruler

pencil

Xacto knife (this craft is only for adults…please be careful!) 

cardboard scraps

Step-By-Step:

1. Cut a sturdy piece of cardboard into the dimensions of the wrapped teabags.

2. Measure the exact location on the book where you want the empty space to be created. Use a pencil to mark the corners around the cardboard template, starting on page 1 (or a page early in the book that looks appealing). 

3. Use the ruler to connect the dots you have just marked.

4. Place a piece of cardboard behind the area you are scoring. Use the Xacto knife and ruler to start scoring the paper. Be careful with accuracy, and do not score more than 3 pages at once. Keep in mind which page you would like to designate as your back page (it will not be cut). This page serves as the bottom of the tea box. I like to choose a decorative page for this purpose.

5. Repeat Steps 1-4, a few pages at a time (again, not more than 3 pages at a time) to create an empty, dimensional space to store your tea. The thicker the book and the more pages you cut, the more tea you can store away!

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