The Beat That My Heart Skipped – A blog dedicated to daily design inspirations. By Rohini Wahi.

I always feel pretty underwhelmed with what the shops have to offer for Valentines Day especially as it all feels terribly impersonal. A small, thoughtful gesture means so much more, I think – and nothing says ‘I love you’ quite like a nice cup of tea!

This DIY for a secret message tea-bag is delicate, but none of the stages are actually hard to do. You can make them for your loved one or use them to spread the love to your friends and family, adding funny or sweet messages for each individual. The idea is you hide a tea bag with a secret valentines message inside a tiny stitched parcel which also has a message on the front. When the parcel is opened it reveals the message on the end of the tea bag which is displayed sweetly whilst you serve your loved one breakfast in bed!

You will need:

[1] A tea bag with a string [your loved one’s favourite blend, of course!]
[2] Thin card or paper – no smaller than A5
[3] Ruler
[4] Scissors
[5] Pencil and rubber
[6] Stanley knife
[7] Needle, thread and pins, thimble
[8] Rubber stamps [for decoration] and ink pad

Step One: Draw out the template for your tea bag.

It’s a good idea to do this on some slightly stiffer card and then you can re-use it as a template for the tea bag packets on thinner paper if you want to make more than one.
Measure out as per the measurements in the picture below, or if you have individually packaged teabags in the cupboard, just open one out flat and draw around it.

Step two: Make the 2D teabag packet
Draw around your template and cut out the shape. Now you also need to draw in a rectangle on the bottom half of the packet. I made mine 3.5cm x 3 cm which works well.

Step 3: Scoring
Use the Stanley knife and ruler to carefully score perforations around the rectangle you drew in the last step. This will make it possible to tear the teabag from the rest of the packet later on. Erase any pencil marks.

Fold the shape up along the original lines so that the whole thing is a rectangle with an envelope flap at the back. Use the pin to score small pinpricks down both long edges. These holes will act as guides to sew up the packet later on.

Step 5: Secret message
Now go back to the area that you scored with the Stanley knife. Use the rubber stamps to write a secret message here. This will be on the inside of the packet but will be the part that stays attached to the tea bag at the end – we have used ‘with love’ as an example.

Step 7: Attach the tea bag
Using a needle and thread, sew the string of the tea bag into the scored rectangle, next to your secret message [or cheat and use a stapler!]

Step 8: Main message
Turn over your packet and on the front half below the flap, write your valentines message using the rubber stamps.

Step 9: Stitch up
Using needle and threat, sew up the sides of the packet [make sure the flap at the back is on the outside]. The holes you made with the pin should make it easy to sew up the edges with the teabag inside.