Over Christmas, I discovered the most opulent tin of tea made by the French brand, Kusmi. Tsarevna, created to celebrate the company’s 150th anniversary, is a limited edition tea gilded in gold and black, truly a show stopper.

Years ago, I visited St. Petersburg, a majestic city rich in culture and history. Learning about the Romanovs left a profound impression on me, leaving me especially fascinated with those richly artistic eggs created by the Russian artisan, Peter Carl Fabergé.

Between the years of 1885 to 1916, Fabergé created a series of Easter eggs for the Russian Royal Family. This Tsarevna tea tin reminds me of the lattice pattern found on at least a few of those eggs.I like to call these shimmering, beaded beauties Faux-Fabergé Tea Eggs. This is a riff on the elegant Blue China Tea Eggs from last year, this time with a bit more sparkle.Each Faux-Fabergé Tea Egg is first misted with iridescent edible food coloring before being filled with best-quality, loose leaf tea. Thanks to some pearl and crystal beaded stickers, you can easily create a host of intricate designs.Free-form jewels that aren’t in sticker form can be attached to the eggs with some craft glue and a pair of tweezers. A fine-tipped metallic marker allows you to draw even more detail onto the eggs.As much as I’d love to give you the full egg-cracking experience by sacrificing one of these eggs, I just can’t bear to do it! Instead, you can see how the tea can be emptied from the egg by ripping off the napkin piece from the small opening–the same port used to fill the eggs.Upon freeing the tea leaves, the delicious scent of tea (of black tea, oranges and spices if you use Tsarevna!) will infuse the air. Consider this a sign for you to start filling your most beautiful teapot up with hot water! Happy Easter, tea friends!!

Faux Fabergé Easter Tea Eggs

What You’ll Need:

best-quality, loose leaf tea

tablespoon measure

food coloring spray (I used Wilton’s Color Mist in pearl, black, and gold)

egg holder or small bowl

scissors

piece of paper

napkin

non-toxic craft glue

beaded stickers, in pearl or crystal, patterned or individual

free-form jewels, to be attached with craft glue

metallic marker

Step-by-Step:

1. Follow the instructions found in my Blue China Tea Eggs post to empty and sterilize the eggs. When the eggs are clean and completely dry, proceed to the next step.

2. On the exterior, spray the eggs lightly and evenly with edible food coloring spray. Use one or two light coats maximum. Let the food coloring dry completely before proceeding to the next step.

 Frosty White Eggs= 2 coats of Pearl spray

Frosty Gold Eggs= 2 coats of Gold spray

Frosty Silver Eggs= 1 coat of Black spray + 1 coat of Pearl spray

3. Place an egg upside down in an egg holder. Place a tablespoon of tea in the middle of a piece of folded paper. 

4. Use the folded edge like a spout, pouring the tea leaves into the open port on the egg.

5. After the tea has been transferred inside the egg, seal the port by applying a thin layer of non-toxic glue around the port. Use a small, cut piece of napkin to patch the port and enclose the tea. Wait for the glue to dry completely. The egg is now ready for embellishing.

6. Embellish the eggs with bead stickers. Or, if you have free-form jewels, stick them on to the egg with dabs of craft glue and a pair of tweezers. You can also use a metallic marker with a fine tip to draw more detail onto the eggs.