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Tea

I cannot survive with out tea.  I have no idea how other pregnant women give up drinking caffeine because it is the only way I can make it through my normal day, never mind nine long tired months.  My Grandmother always has a cup of Lipton tea in her hand, and at the end of my day I have to gather all of my own half-finished tea mugs from around the house.  I keep a pitcher of iced tea perpetually brewing all summer long.  Aside from getting me out of bed in the morning, black tea makes a great stain and dye.  I used to work for the photographer Sally Mann and at the time she was tea-staining giant 3’x4′ prints in gallons of Lipton.  The smell of the studio and constant brewing of tea made me feel a little less homesick.  I love the aged, mellow quality that tea-staining gives to materials.  To stain fabrics, I brew Lipton tea to a color that looks right, throw in a handful of salt to make the dye a little more permanent and stir in fabrics.  When the color seems a bit darker than I want, (it will lighten as it dries), I wash the fabric by itself.  The tea will eventually lighten over time and washes, and the staining can be repeated.

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