Subscribe to mevsthehouse.com
.


Age Paper with Tea

Start by placing paper on old cookie sheet
Pour cold tea (or coffee) on to paper
For a darker color, sprinkle instant coffee on paper
Rub your finger around the edges to give them a worn look
Loosen the paper from the cookie sheet with a fork
Finished aged paper

The idea for this project came while I was searching for a picture for another post. I had written a post about Classical Music for Halloween, and wanted to find the perfect graphic to go with it. I had it pictured in my head (which is how most of my ridiculous projects start)… a stack of old sheet music from one of my recommendations.

Well, I couldn’t find anything that came close. So I decided to make my own (and take a picture of it). The following is the process I used to make my paper look old. You can use this paper aging technique to make old sheet music of your own, or try it for parchment invitations, a pirate treasure map, scrapbooking, or stationary. Have fun with it!

What you will need:

  • Strong tea or coffee, cold
  • Paper to be aged
  • Cookie sheet
  • Oven
  • Instant coffee (optional)

How to Age your Paper:

  1. You want to print or write anything on your paper BEFORE you age it.
  2. Preheat oven to 200°.
  3. Place the paper on a cookie sheet (I use an old one)
  4. Pour tea/coffee over the paper until the entire sheet is covered, make sure it soaks in on both side.
  5. If you want darker spots on the paper, sprinkle instant coffee on the paper and let it sit on the paper. Wipe it off after a few minutes.
  6. Rub your finger around the edge of the paper to wear the edges.
  7. Place the cookie sheet and paper in the oven for about 6 minutes until dry.
  8. Gently loosen the the paper from the cookie sheet with a fork. Be careful, it will be hot!

Additional tips:

  • If your paper smells too much like coffee and not the authentic “old paper” scent you want, stick the sheets in a box with some mothballs for a day or two.
  • Experiment with different colors to achieve the look you want; coffee will turn the paper a darker brown, tea will be lighter.
  • You can also wear holes in the middle of the sheet by rubbing it with your finger.
  • You can let the paper air dry, but weight the edges or the paper will curl.
  • I have also heard good things about Walnut Ink Antiquing Solution, just spray it on your paper to give it an old look. (It is inexpensive too)


www.joann.com

Some other posts you may enjoy…

What’s Next?

If you like this article, I’d appreciate your sharing this by voting for it on DIGG, Stumble, Shoutwire, deli.cio.us and other great sharing sites.

Print This Post Print This Post
  1. dylan Said,

    will you still be able to wright on it after ur done

  2. Kathleen Said,
    You can write on it after you age it, but it is better to write on it before so the entire thing looks aged, instead of looking like new writing on old paper.
  3. Davon Said,

    Thank you had to make this for a project in History and Got an A+ with 10 points of extra credit

  4. nicolas Said,

    hey where do i put the paper when it is still hot and just came out of the oven?

  5. Jami Said,

    Will you be able to fold the paper afterwards?

  6. Joely94 Said,

    After you soak it in the tea do you take the tea out then put it in the oven or do you keep it in the tea while in the oven?

  7. Gaming on the Cheap - Gnome Stew, the Game Mastering Blog Said,

    […] Props – Your prop will be used once, set aside, and hopefully remembered fondly; don’t spend too much on them. I find cheap props at craft stores, the cheaper toy stores, and dollar stores (but remember to wash the lead off first). And you’d be amazed at what you can do with tea and instant coffee. […]

  8. Parchment Paper for Invitations - Halloween Forum Said,

    […] It’s easy to make the parchment look, tho. The main part is called "tea staining." How to make paper look old by aging it with tea | mevsthehouse.com __________________ I’m a Halloween Bride! 10/31/2002 Where there is no imagination there is no […]

  9. Allison Said,

    Thanks so much Kathleen! I used this technique for a paper I was writing (I was supposed to be writing a letter in ancient times). I got an A+ much credit due to you! The only thing I would have to say is that once I took it out of the oven it still wasn’t dry so a hairdryer helped out a lot. Thanks!

  10. alejandra Said,

    hey what do i do after i pour the tea into the pan. do i take it out or do i leave it in when i put it in the oven

  11. Maggie Said,

    If you write on the paper before, will the ink smear or smudge?

  12. stephen carvalho Said,

    hi, Kathleen thanks you so much for the idea ya its realy working once again thanks

    stephen

  13. Amaterasu Said,

    Preetttty coool….. I put quite ALot of coffeee so I put it in the oven 4 a longer time…..

  14. Jenny Said,

    Hello, Thanks for the great tip! I recently received an email containing what each starsign means and I really liked it so I copied and pasted the text from the email, changed the lettering to an old fashioned style, printed, and used the coffee staining trick to make the paper look old. I then framed them and they made great presents for friends! It has given me more ideas too.

  15. Jennifer Said,

    do i have to but the paper in the oven?

Add A Comment