It was late October when my friend Julia and I decided to occasionally challenge each other to various themed projects. For this challenge we chose the idea of a goody wrap - some kind of a treat that could be given as a gift.
The idea of wrapping up chocolates is very popular this season, but I wanted to do something different than chocolates (although this jar could easily be filled with dark delectables!) I've had the idea of giving Friendship Tea to some of my friends, so this was the perfect excuse to get started with my gifts!
Friendship Tea (sometimes called Russian Tea or Spiced Tea) is a nice combination of tea, citrus and spice. It makes me think of cozy nights by a fireplace. Of course, I'll drink it day or night - yumm! This recipe is the closest to mine I've seen.
I used paper from the relatively new series of Cosmo Cricket paper called Gretel. I liked the warm colors of the paper combined with the colors of the tea. The snowman stamp on the front is from a Stampin' Up set called Merry & Bright. I stamped him on the backside of the designer paper and colored him with colored pencils. I inked the edges a bit with Close to Cocoa ink to warm them up a bit.
I chose to use hemp cording and rustic colored buttons for accents. I think they work well with the warm, homemade look of this project.
Once I decided what I wanted to do, this project came together fairly quickly. Now I just need to get busy and finish all of the other jars!
Be sure to check out Julia's challenge project on her blog Belle Papier. If you missed my first challenge with Julia, you can see it here: Rust & Sage
Thanks for the fun Julia! Can't wait to see what our next challenge will be!
These are sooo cute. I want to make some for the gift baskets i'm doing for christmas. Where did you find the cute little jars?
Thank you.
Stephanie
Posted by: Stephanie Wall | December 13, 2007 at 08:19 AM
Hi Anna - This is really adorable! I've been decorating those frappuccino bottles and filling them w/ chocolate for teacher gifts, but this is an even cooler idea. I also have to ask, where'd you get the jars?
Have a great week!!
Kerry
Posted by: kerry davis | December 09, 2007 at 03:59 PM
this is beautiful!!
Posted by: jen del muro | December 09, 2007 at 02:38 PM
sounds yummy! You packaged it so pretty too!
Posted by: diane (cookiestamper) | December 09, 2007 at 07:14 AM
Oh this jar is beautiful and I love the friendship tea idea. Russian tea is my favorite! I have fond childhood memories of my Mom making me Russian tea when I wasn't feeling well. It's still my favorite thing for a sore throat. I love that aged look of the labels and paired it with the Cosmo Cricket paper - love it!
Posted by: Beth M | December 09, 2007 at 07:01 AM
Ohhhhhhh I love this!!!
Posted by: asela | December 09, 2007 at 04:07 AM
How adorable!! This is so cute! I LOVE the colors you used! Awesome job Anna!
Posted by: Lindsey (jacksonbelle) | December 08, 2007 at 07:00 PM
What a neat gift idea, it turned out beautifully.
Posted by: Jan Hunnicutt | December 08, 2007 at 10:21 AM
AWESOME idea...I love the gift of friendship tea--beautifully presented too!!!
Posted by: Carolyn King | December 08, 2007 at 09:07 AM
Lovely creation Anna!! Your work is so pleasing and how thoughtful you are to share the tea recipe with us, as well as your stellar papercrasfting! lovely details, oh so *wsweet miss daisy*!
Posted by: nancyruth | December 08, 2007 at 08:20 AM
Thank You, Thank you, Thank you! You just solved the question of what to give my stamping friends at our little gathering. This is darling and I love the idea.
Posted by: Lois Michael | December 08, 2007 at 07:55 AM
These are beautiful jars, I love the colors you chose and the feelings they provoke. My mom used to make this every year, and she called it spiced tea. It smells heavenly!!!
Posted by: Jeanette | December 08, 2007 at 06:58 AM
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
Posted by: Beth Norman | December 08, 2007 at 05:48 AM
I love your darling tea jar, Anna.
Posted by: Kittie747 Kittie Caracciolo | December 08, 2007 at 05:02 AM
Oh wow, I keep this in my cupboard all the time! It is soooo good...so tell us~~~where did you get those adorable jars??? I think they are just the cutest things ever!!! :)
Posted by: diane mcvey | December 07, 2007 at 10:08 PM
Oh, how funny, Anna -- I usually make up this same tea for gifts! Love your packaging -- where did you find those great jars?
Posted by: Sharon Harnist | December 07, 2007 at 07:53 PM
Warm, rich and utterly gorgeous Anna! Just love that jar! Fabulous! I'm going to have to try out that tea too!
Posted by: Julia Stainton | December 07, 2007 at 03:19 PM
This is adorable!! I haven't had Russian Tea for a long time, will have to make some for the freezing weather we're supposed to get this weekend! Thanks for sharing your recipe, it will be fun to try something different to mine! :)
Posted by: Dotty | December 07, 2007 at 01:33 PM
Oohhh, Anna I love this!!! Fabulous!
Posted by: Shannan Teubner | December 07, 2007 at 12:26 PM
Mmmm, I LOVE Russian Tea -- your containers make a perfect gift.
Posted by: Jennifer (jkincolorado) | December 07, 2007 at 11:41 AM
Anna,
This is so stinking cute! I love it!
Posted by: Lesa Rapp | December 07, 2007 at 11:18 AM
What a good friend you are to give such a nice 'freindship' gift. Te great tasting tea in the beautifully decorated jar.
Posted by: Tiya-B | December 07, 2007 at 10:28 AM