Crafting With Teacups For Pretty Decor (& Functional Uses)

Chances are you have a few mismatched teacups tucked away in a cupboard or you scored a bounty of lovely pieces at yard sales and auctions (for cheap!). What to do with them?

Here are a bunch of lovely ideas you can try crafting, some have been previously featured on Tipnut and included here for one handy project sheet.

Some projects would be ideal for using a favorite piece that has been chipped or cracked (hiding any flaws if possible).

First up, I have to mention a quick & easy DIY that would be so cute on the dressing table: An eyeglass or sunglass holder. You can see a sample idea in the graphic to the right (top left corner).

Here’s how you make it:

• Turn a cup upside down and adjust it to rest on a tilt inside a small china bowl or custard cup (matching or not, choose something that compliments the design).
• Once you find the angle that best suits the purpose, line the bottom half and sides of the cup rim with an industrial strength glue.
• Press inside and hold for a few seconds to ensure adhesion.

That’s it! Now you can have a nifty place to keep your glasses!

Now on to the rest of the collection, I’ve handpicked these from around the net and will be adding more to this list as I find them, enjoy!

DIY Projects

Wineglasses: These are made by snapping off the stems of wineglasses (first scoring them with a glass cutter) then gluing them to the bottoms of teacups (see slide #10 on page).

Candles: Old candles are melted down then the wax is poured into the vessels that have first had a wick set in place.

Bird Feeder: Turn an old teacup, saucer, and copper tubing into a pretty birdfeeder for your garden with this creative project (scroll towards bottom of page).

Cake Topper: Display a cake extra special with this easy craft, items required: fresh flowers, floral foam, colored paper & paper embellishments.

Floating/Flying: So adorable! This is such a cute decor idea for weddings, showers or tea party aficionados.

Sconce/Porch Planter: It may take some time to source the perfect size sconce & materials, but so worth it!

Lamp: You’ll need 1 medium, 1 small and 1 extra small teacup along with saucers, a teapot and a lamp kit (assembled lamp is painted so they don’t need to match).

Pincushion: A simple craft made fancy with buttons, ribbon, a bit of fabric and satin-wired ribbon.

Centerpiece & Favors: Charming mini-vases labeled with paper name flags. If you want them all the same color, you can spray paint them first.

Clock Tutorial: The back is just painted particle board and then assorted sets of teacups are attached with Gorilla Glue Epoxy.

Painted Blanks: Here’s how to turn ordinary white pieces into works of art using a porcelain marker and paint.

Crafty Cake Stand: (webarchive link) The sample is three tiers but you can make it larger or smaller if you like. You’ll need a plate + 1 for each teacup you use.

Decorative Centerpiece: Stack pieces together with industrial strength glue, bottom is a candlestick to give it height.

Organize Jewelry: Not only does it allow you to see everything, items can easily be retrieved and put away. The variety of dishes creates a number of compartments that allows you to categorize.

Hanging Candles: The knotted hanger instructions are included, made with string. I think I’d use battery operated lights rather than candles for this project.

Jewelry/Makeup Holder: This can be made with a mismatched set and still look quite lovely. You’ll need a diamond drill bit & drill.

Wall Art: It’s funky, pretty, and adds another fun element to my growing wall of breakfast art! The best part? There’s only 2 steps to make it!

Pendant Lights: Such a creative idea and full of character with endless possibilities. Just make sure its ceramic and large enough to fit a small light bulb inside.

Jewelry Holder Tutorial: How clever! This one uses a spoon handle to hold a stack of rings (it’s just bent then glued to the inside bottom).