These days most of the teas in my pantry are not only loose leaf teas but come in a pouch, not a tea tin. You can squeeze excess air out of a pouch and keep your teas fresher longer (not that ours last that long around here for it to matter that much). However, tea tins are missed. Why? Because they can be reused for so many things once the tea has been steeped and enjoyed and the tea leaves used in the garden to enrich the soil.
A Few Typical Tea Tin Reuses
A favorite tea tin is the classic design from Twinings. It seems to show up just about everywhere, but a very typical use is as a planter for your window sill. The Harney & Sons tins (those very special looking ones) showed up as a wall organizer. Candle holders, storage of things like pushpins, pencil holders (especially good in the tall, round tea tins), flower vases (be sure the tin is water tight), and even jewelry storage are other typical ways these tins get reused.
A Few Very A-Typical Tea Tin Reuses
A ceiling light fixture where the lightshades are made of tea tins is one unusual use I’ve seen. Another is a tea tin refitted as a pin cushion. Another possibility: A windchime ensemble – poke holes in the botton of several tea tins of various sizes, put a string through the hole and knot one end to hold in it place, tie the other end around a stick. Still another possibility: As a cookie tin – bake some cookies just the right size to stack in one of those tall, round tins and then decorate the outside with your own label (for example, “Susie’s Cookies Baked Just for Your Birthday”).
Getting Fancy with Your Reused Tea Tin
Let your imagination be your guide. Go fancy with that reused tea tin. I found an example on this blog, but there are plenty more ideas out there. That tea tin can be a work of total splendor.
Time to dig that tea tin out of the trash and see what you can do with it!
See more of A.C. Cargill’s articles here.
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Tea Blog 
Leave a Reply