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Inexpensive and natural option

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Hi Reader, if you have been my reader already for a while you know, how I love sharing with you things you can repurpose. And so amazing if you are a newer reader! Check out my story here, if you want to know more about who's behind these letters and writings.

Back to the repurposing. One of my favorite things to repurpose is the wooden wine crates. They are versatile and inexpensive to use in DIY projects you can get them sometimes even free from restaurants.

But the problem that many run into when they get a new wine crate is:

• How to darken the wood naturally without paint or store-bought stain?
• How to make the wood look beautifully weathered to get that charming farmhouse look?

The secret lies in tea.

Yup. By making the most bitter and bad tea (too hot water and too long brewing time - the contrary of making a perfect cup of tea) you get the tannins out from the tea for coloring the wood.

After applying the bitter tea, apply an iron solution made with vinegar and random nails or wire left infusing for at least 24 hours.

These two - the iron solution and tannins of tea - make booring untreated wood look weathered like this:

And dark like this wine crate ottoman I shared with you at the end of last year:

This simple method has been my favorite for darkening shelves, chairs, and wine boxes for crafty decoration.

The step-by-step tutorial for staining the wood naturally is now here in the blog as you asked for and I am dying to see how it works out for you!

So hit the reply button or tag me on Instagram with @blue.tea.tile and share your own DIY project!

Every day makes a difference. ♡

Sonja

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