10 Ways to Repurpose Aunt Mildred's Tea Cups

 

 

 

 

Vintage tea cups wired as a chandelier!

When you own a tea shop for as long as I have, chances are you've seen a LOT of vintage tea cups. A LOT.  They really are a thing of beauty with their delicate bone china, gold filigree and dainty designs.  Once upon a time it was tradition to give these lovelies to the bride to round out her collection of fine china.  As such, many, MANY people have inherited a truckload of them and one can only burden the china cabinet so much.  I inherited my collection from (you guessed it) Aunt Mildred.  They are beautiful.  I use them, and I think of her fondly.  However, they ARE abundant.  I didn't want to offload them to an antique shop (you're welcome, Aunt Mildred), so I began to think outside the tea cup.  What could I DO with so many tea cups?  ENTER PINTEREST.  For those who are familiar with the website www.pinterest.com, I know you are nodding your head enthusiastically and thinking 'yes! Pinterest!'.  For those NOT in the know, Pinterest is a website that is much like a virtual corkboard: you get to create boards organized by your interests (ex. tea, recipes, crafts, gardening, etc) and then as you find online ideas that are great, you 'pin' them to your board to keep them organized.  It's much like what I used to do in my home office to sort out ideas...but it's online.  I love it.  AND...I come across FANTASTIC ideas.  So, while I would LOVE to take the credit for the ideas I'm about to list for repurposing your tea cups, I really must give kudos to Pinterest.  My husband says I need a 'pintervention'.  That's a different blog post, though!  So, without further ado....dust off your Royal Alberts and get busy!

WAYS TO REPURPOSE YOUR TEA CUPS

1.  Create a tea cup chandelier.  With a special drill bit and an electrician friend, you too can light up your room in a unique way (see picture at the top of this post).

2.  Tea Cup Dessert Tray.  What a cute way to serve up goodies at a baby or wedding shower! 

3.  Tea Cup Clock.  What better way to keep time!

4.  Tea Cup Garden.  Plant herbs or cactuses in your old tea cups.

5.  Tea Cup Candles.  What a pretty way to light a room (or nice out on a patio).

6.  Tea Cup Pin Cushion.  What a cool idea for that sewer in your life (and if that's YOU, even better!)

7.  Tea Cup Key Holder.  Maybe now I won't lose my keys!

8.  Tea Cup Jewelry Sorter.  Nothin' wrong with being more organized!

9. Tea Cup Bird Feeders.  Let those finches dine in style!

10.  Tea Cup Bracelets, Anyone?