How do you make paper look old without using tea bags?

Burning the edges won't really make it look old, just burnt. Look at some old pieces of paper: unless they were in a fire they don't have burned edges. Crumpling and flattening is useful but don't crumple a whole lot each time, nor crumple too much that the paper comes to look unnatural. Some old paper has been folded and re-folded many times along almost (but not quite) the same seams. Coloring brownish works well. Besides immersion, a better way to control the degree of browning is to start with very diluted coffee or tea or colored water, and brush it on with brush. Let dry and brush again across the opposite direction. Let dry and repeat several times, creating the exact effect you want.

If you don't have tea bags, use any other brown liquid... I would recommend a papertowel that's been dipped in cola and then wrung out so it's not sopping wet, coffee would work too. Make sure whatever liquid you do use doesn't have sugar in it, otherwise everything will get rediculously sticky. Best of luck!

burn the edges

try using paper bags if you have that, or just burn the edges...that always looks nice. good luck!

mix red blue and yellow food coloring and it should make brownand fill the sink with that and water and crumple up the paper under the water

burn the edges or use gravy

Coffee works just as well to make paper look old. I have used coffee and put the paper in the oven at a low setting (150). Keep a close eye on the paper!

Crumple it up and flatten out a few times. There is a type of stamp pad that we scrap bookers use antique paper. Go to a favorite craft store and ask for it.