A Valentine Swap - Instant Chai Tea DIY

I love Valentine's day. The reds, the pinks, the love, the chocolate and all things heart-shaped! So, when Alissa, from Rags to Stitches (and Caroline, from Good Times Never Seemed Sew Good) announced a Valentine's Day Swap I was excited to jump on board!

I was partnered with Anna, from Active Fingers, and on her list of "likes" was Chai tea. I love Chai tea!  I haven't had it in ages but I've always wanted to make a homemade version myself. And this was the perfect opportunity to do it!

I used this instant Chai tea recipe that I found online:

Chai Tea Mix

    1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
    1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
    1 cup French vanilla flavored powdered non-dairy creamer

(I used 1 3/4 cups of powdered non-dairy creamer and 1/4 cup of powdered vanilla flavoring, instead of the above two ingredients.)
    2 1/2 cups white sugar
    1 1/2 cups unsweetened instant tea
    2 teaspoons ground ginger
    2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    1 teaspoon ground cloves
    1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Directions
In a large bowl, combine milk powder, non-dairy creamer, vanilla flavored creamer, sugar and instant tea. Stir in ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. In a blender or food processor, blend 1 cup at a time, until mixture is the consistency of fine powder.  (I just mixed it up in the bowl, with a whisk.)

To serve: Stir 2 heaping tablespoons (I used 3) Chai tea mixture into a mug of hot water.  (It doesn't hurt to add a dollop of whipped cream either.  SO YUM!)

How To:
I stopped at Sprouts market, and picked up the necessary ingredients in their bulk spices section.

Gathered the rest of the ingredients from a regular grocery store and my own cupboard:

When I got home, I measured them out, into a big mixing bowl:

Then I mixed them all up (they smelled so good!):

Funneled the mix into a jar:

(And of course, enjoyed a cup for myself!  What!??!  I had to make sure it was edible!  Right?!  So glad I had some mix leftover for myself!  IT'S SO YUMMY!)

Then I created a label with "He Formed My Heart" font, to invoke a little Valentine's day cheer, on some blank sticker paper that I purchased at Staples:

Then shipped it off with a green heart-shaped paperweight that I found at Cost Plus World Market (love that store), since she listed green as one of her favorite colors, a little note card that I found at Hobby Lobby (just the best craft store I've ever been to!), and one of my business cards:

Swapping is So Fun!
It's so fun to get things in the mail! Anna sent me such a sweet care package!

She really listened! Coffee, tea, and a coffee cup in one of my favorite colors! Plus, an entire set of handmade note cards that she hand stamped herself. I can't wait to use the sweet baby feet cards, as I have a baby shower or two that I'll be attending this year. Perfect timing!

Thanks Anna!

Cheers!

I've also linked to Home Stories A to Z Valentine project linky party: