Homemade Herbal Teabags - a Wonderful Low-Cost Homemade Gift

Making your own herbal teabags may sound a bit involved, but it's really much easier that you'd think. There are also many ways to present your homemade herbal teabags as gifts. Depending on your available resources and which gift arrangement you'd like to create, this handmade treasure can sometimes be achieved for just a couple of dollars.

Making Your Herbal Teabags
You will need the dried herbs of your choice, cotton string, small scraps of colored or mid-weight to thick decorative paper, fine-tipped waterproof markers, white craft glue, and cheesecloth or a lightweight muslin fabric.

First you will need to make the actual pouch to be used for holding your tea. Lie out some fabric and cut a circle measuring about 6-inches or so across. Next you will dump a heaping tablespoon of your tea herbs into the center of the circle. Cut a length of your cotton string measuring around 17 to 18-inches. Now gather the cloth around the herbs in the center to form a small pouch. Starting 2 to 3-inches from the end of the string, tightly wind it around the cloth pouch to bind it shut. Start the string wrapping just above the herbs. When you have tightly wound the string to keep your teabag closed, knot the ends of the sting together and trim them down. When you have finished this, you may want to take a moment to trim along some of the edges of your newly created teabag.

Now cut a 7-inch length of cotton string for your teabag's tag. Using the colored papers you will need to make a tag to hang from your teabag. For example, with a lemon balm tea you may decide to use yellow paper to make a little lemon shaped tag or a green mint leaf for a spearmint tea. If you have some, colored construction paper makes great teabag tags. Whatever design you have chosen for your tag, you will need to cut out two of them. The two cutouts will be the front and back of your tag. On the shape that will be used for the front of the tag you will need to write the flavor of tea you have made. Use your watercolor markers for this.

When you have finished decorating you tag you need assemble it. Using a small amount of white craft glue, sandwich one end of the sting between the two cutouts. Allow this to dry well before attaching the tag to the teabag itself. Once the glue has set you can tie the other end of the string around the teabag, right on the existing sting closure. It is a good idea to wrap this string around a few times as well before tying it off. Once you have done this, your teabag is ready to go!

Herbal Tea Recipes
There are many combinations for herbal teas. It is good to experiment with mixing different recipes and introducing new ingredients to suit your own tastes. Just be sure that the ingredients you are using have not been being treated with any chemical pesticides. Here are a few popular recipes for making your own herbal tea.

Relaxation Blend #1
This is said to be a relaxing brew. There are many variations of this particular recipe. Try adding additional ingredients to find a taste you like.
Use equal amounts of crushed dried leaves of the following:
Lemon Balm, Spearmint, and Catnip

Persimmon Tea
This is a stronger flavored tea. You may want to add some honey, sugar, or licorice to add more sweetness if that is preferred.
Use dried, crushed Persimmon leaves.

Calming Tea
This blend is said to help with soothing headaches. Some variations of this recipe call for adding a little lavender.
Use equal parts of crushed, dried leaves of:
Catnip, Oregano, and Lemon Balm

Revitalization Blend
Some claim this tea helps to invigorate and energize them. Give it a shot and see if it works for you.
Use equal parts Rosehips, Hibiscus flowers, dried Lemon Grass, and Mint

Relaxation Blend #2
This is a different tea also said to be very soothing and relaxing.
Use equal parts Chamomile, Lavender, and Dill Seed

Now On To Gift Giving
This will be your chance to creatively display your homemade herbal teabags. These are but a few ideas for gift set assembly. Get creative and I'm sure you'll think of plenty of other great ideas too.

Tea Set For One…or Two
The most cost-efficient gift would be a Tea Set For One. You will need a teacup, small length of curling ribbon, cellophane wrap, and the materials listed in the teabag making instructions. A teacup complete with saucer isn't necessary, but does work well when striving for the ultra-dainty, girly type feeling. I have found that you can find very unique and inexpensive teacups or mugs in resale shops, thrift stores, discount merchandise stores and those "Everything $1" stores (where everything really isn't always $1). Garage sales and antique fairs are also great places to find a bargain deal. I prefer to choose my cups from places like this, not only for the price, but for the unusual designs you will come across as well. Searching out either a specific design you know the gift's recipient will enjoy or an unusual looking design will show that you took the time to put some special thought into their gift.

Make at least two teabags and place them in the cup you have chosen. If you'd like to add a special little touch you can include an ornate spoon for the tea as well. Once the cup contains everything you'd like you will wrap in translucent cellophane wrap. With your cup in the center, gather the wrap together over the top of the cup and tie it closed with a ribbon. If you have included a spoon you may find it easier to wrap if you leave the handle of the spoon sticking through the center of your gathered area. To make this look a little nicer you can offset the cup when wrapping to arrange for the ribbon closure to sit to one side of the cup's rim rather than in the center.
Simply add a matching cup with teabags to turn this into Tea For Two.

Teabag Assortment Set
To make a homemade herbal tea assortment into a lovely gift basket all you will need are your homemade teabags in at least three varieties, a small basket, shredded basket filler or a decorative piece of cloth (for lining the basket), a small length of curling ribbon, and cellophane wrap.

Fill the bottom of the basket with either shredded paper basket filler or line it with a piece of fabric just large enough for the corners to come slightly over the basket's edge. Choose at least three flavors of tea and make at least two teabags of each flavor. Now arrange your teabags in the basket. Take care to place them with one tag for each flavor showing on top. You may add any other goodies in the basket that you'd like. When ready, sit the basket in the center of your cellophane wrap and gather it together just above the top of the basket. Tie the gathered area securely with your curling ribbon. This wonderful homemade creation is ready to give!