How to Make Paper Look Old

Making paper look old is a beautiful and creative way to write someone a quirky letter or create your own “vintage” journal. 5-Minute Crafts will show you how you can do this easily and quickly.

What you’ll need:

• A piece of paper
• Tea leaves or tea bags
• Water
• 2 containers
• A drainer
• Muslin
• A dish (big enough to fit your piece of paper)
• A heat gun or hair dryer

Step 1

Make some tea with boiling hot water, using tea leaves or tea bags. Leave it for 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 2

Drain the tea with the help of a drainer and 2 layers of muslin to make sure you’re only left with water and no signs of leaves or anything else. The muslin should be placed onto the drainer.

Step 3

Pour the tea into a dish that can fit the piece of paper you’re using.

Step 4

Take a piece of paper and slide it in the dish where the tea is. Press it down to make sure there are no air bubbles and you’re not left with white spots. Leave it there for around 1 to 2 minutes.

Step 5

After a couple of minutes have passed, put the piece of paper on top of a kitchen towel and blot off the excess tea with another towel.

Step 6

Let the paper dry naturally or use a heat gun or hair dryer to remove most of the moisture in the paper.

Step 7

When you’re almost done, scrunch the paper to give it an even older look.

Step 8

Now you just need to leave it on a flat surface and let it dry completely.