Friday again already…where do the weeks go. DH collected his car yesterday and I am hoping there is nothing else to fix on either of them – there couldn’t possibly be could there?
I have bank statements to balance and I must get around to labelling the jars in my new pantry. It is finished all but for that task. Well I say finished but I am still moving things around each day and I could do with buying one more shelf from Ikea. DH is finding it hard to know where anything is at the moment as I keep swapping and changing and swapping back; each day he finds that something is now in a new place….he just humours me. There will be pictures I promise but at the moment I am still titivating and enjoying myself so much. Even the thought of a new kitchen is not as exciting at the moment as my new pantry.
I came across this picture the other day in my pile of Christmas cards that I haven’t as yet got around to dealing with. I usually turn them into tags and money envelopes but I thought it would be nice to put this one in a photo frame to display next Christmas as it has such a lovely cosy feeling.
My granddaughter, Little L, created this colourful masterpiece on a paper plate at nursery a few years ago and it has been hanging on my kitchen notice board ever since. I decided to cut it down into a rectangle with the intention of putting it into a picture frame so I can display it on the wall or my mantel piece.
You may be wondering what teabags have to do with crafts – well remember the Pukka advent calendar I received from my sister-in-law well unsurprisingly there were one or two flavours I am not keen on – I don’t do fennel at all and so these are the ones that I will not be drinking…..but I had other ideas for them….read on.
I spent an afternoon making some more pressed flower cards with the remains of the flowers and leaves that I pressed earlier in the year – and I was really scraping the barrel here to find enough bits that were still good enough to use. My last efforts were very well received by my friends so I thought I would do a few more before turning my attentions to something new.
I have put the teabags in my card box so that when I send a card to a friend I will enclose a teabag so they can enjoy a lovely cup of tea and my teabags will not be wasted. I know my friends well enough so should be able to match up a teabag to each of their personal tastes.
I seem to have accumulated quite a few dried slices of orange and lemons over the years and need to reduce the pile. Rather than throw them away or compost them I thought they would be nice to add as a decoration when I wrap my presents in plain brown parcel paper. I found some old fashioned buff coloured parcel tags and stamped a few with different pictures and messages which I will then combine with the orange slices.
Little by little I keep trying to reduce the assortment of crafty bits and pieces I have collected and make things with them. I have a whole box full of cut out butterflies but that will be another day.
Enjoy the weekend everyone x
Love the idea of making the Christmas card and your granddaughter’s painting into framed pictures. Wish I could come up with similar ideas! I always view framed pictures as permanent fixtures but actually it’s a great idea to keep refreshing them.
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I have a few ‘card’ pictures that I swap about in frames as some of the cards I receive are so lovely and too good to just put in the recycle bin.
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Some lovely ideas here.
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I love messing about with craft things – just need more time to do more.
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Yes, I always think of pictures being permanent too. To put in different pics for the season is a good idea.
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Your creativity is never ending. 🙂
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Thanks Mary – maybe if I spent a lot more time creating I would get better – it is hard sometimes to find time in the day to day busyness.
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I wish I had your eye – to be able to focus on the best detail and put things together.
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Really it is not difficult – pressing the flowers is the harder part and then keeping them from falling apart whilst you spread the glue on them – there are a few cross words!
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My hubby would have had a lot of sympathy with yours. I often would change things around in the kitchen and he wouldn’t be able to find anything. He reckoned I used to wait until he knew where they all were and then change it all again! So happy you are enjoying your new pantry – at last 🙂
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My DH would sympathise too – I always make sure he can’t find anything (so he says!).
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Such lovely cards and tags, and so warmly personal. Here we are still wading through a box of tags cut from Christmas cards by our daughter when she was in primary school – they will last forever!
I really enjoyed your spring bulb photos. Irises have such gorgeous colour and detail. On kitchens, we are the other way round – it’s my husband who is the organiser of kitchen and other cupboards. He has far better spatial sense and can make better use of the available space. I just put things in and hope for the best! It disturbs him deeply that I don’t organise my (very many) books by author or topic, but I know exactly where any title is.
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As long as you can find something does it matter. My mum was a TOTO (tidy on the outside) to impress visitors which has made me a TOTI (tidy on the inside) so I never have to muddle through the untidy drawers and cupboards we always had at home where things were pushed to make the place look tidy on the outside. My office drawers always drew attention to the extent that other colleagues came to see them for themselves when word got around how neat they were and I always had whatever it was they needed whether that be Pritt Stick or picture hooks, even sandpaper – yes I would have it. I am missed at work but maybe not for my skills but more the guarantee that Viv will have one in her drawer!!!
My books are laid out by topic as I have far more non fiction books than fiction.
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I always love to see your makes and you never cease to amaze me with your creativity.
The personal touch must mean so much to the recipients. X
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I know myself how much I like to receive homemade things. One of my favourite cards was a Christmas card made by a young trainee solicitor at the time called James. He made his own the first Christmas he was with the firm I worked for – it was very much like child art you would find by a preschooler – a bauble clumsily painted and scattered with glitter and lots of glue – but I loved it and the fact he had made it. I still keep it today with my box of treasures.
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Such a lovely post, I do love reading about what other people have been making and creating.
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I really want to get down to some sketching and painting….and to start the patchwork quilt.
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I love how you are able to use things up and make impressive art at the same time!
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I am on a mission to use things up at the moment – although I want to lighten the load in our life and house I can’t be wasteful.
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You’ve been very busy and creative.Hope the weather today is not too bad for you, it’s windy where we are but not as bad as they predicted. Take care,
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Just a bit blustery and a few pots have gone over in the garden but not to bad. x
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I love your pressed flowers and the idea of using them to pop in with a letter and a teabag. Little L’s picture is sweet and definitely worth framing for posterity.
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Oh blimey, somehow I posted before I could fill my details in. So I’m the anonymous commenting on your flowers and teabag ideas lol. I was also going to say that I can’t wait to see photos of your pantry. That’s one thing I would love to have. xx
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Hi Suzanne and thanks for your comment – how is the weather on your side of the Pennines. I feel so sorry for the people at Calder valley. Pantry pics coming soon – need some good light – today wasn’t the best for that!
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