Pretty Botanical Tea Tags

On the Graphic 45 blog today you'll find a tutorial for these simple but pretty little tags made with the Botanical Tea collection.

 

This collection is so very lovely, how could I not pair it with this pair of old photographs? I think they'd make perfectly shabby ‘thank you’ tags for gifts and special packages.

I think they'd be especially nice attached to brown paper packages tied up with string ;)

Supply List:

Regular Tag from the G45 Staple Album-Ivory

 Botanical Tea:
Field of Flowers

 Hello Friend

 Fauna

 Herbal Infusion

 Spring Duet,

 Sweet Chamomile

 Flora

 Shabby Chic Ornate Metal Key

 Cheesecloth

 Cotton

 Tea

 Ink pad

 Self adhesive pearls

 Glue/Adhesive

 Jute Twine

Vintage photos

A Stationery Box for Nan Whit

My grandmother is quite spritely for her 80+ years. She’s a jet setter, a facebooker, and can cut a rug like no one’s business. She also still writes letters. She sits with pen and paper and writes to her friends and family, even when she’s vacationing across the great big sea. 

So I thought that it would be rather nice to surprise her with a pretty box filled with handmade cards, envelopes and stamps in celebration of Mother’s Day.

I’ve filled the box with a bundle of simple cards created with Sweet Sentiments with envelopes to fit. Some lightly embellished Artist Trading Tags are affixed with Small Square Glassine Envelopes, filled with stamps. Everything my granny will need to keep in touch with her friends back home as she sits and suns by the pool ;)

There's loads more photos and a walk through to make this box over on the Graphic 45 blog today.

Supplies

Botanical Tea:

 Sweet Chamomile

 Herbal Infusion

 Botanical Tea

 Spring Duet

 Flora

 Love Notes

 Hello Friend

 Botanical Tea Tags & Pockets

 Botanical Tea Chipboard 1

 Shabby Chic Ornate Metal Keys

 Book Box

 Artist Trading Tags

 Sweet Sentiments

 Small Square Glassine Envelopes

 white ribbon

 jute twine

 faux pearl

 white acrylic paint

envelopes

Authentique/Petaloo Beach Memory Keepsake

It never fails that when my family visit the beach we come home with some sort of souvinier. Sea shells and pretty stones, little things that mark the memory of our adventure. While pondering a summer/beach themed project I thought of the memories sparked by those little treasures and decided to give them a proper keeping place.

 

With an altoids style tin I've embellished the front with Authentique's "Guide" from their Anchored collection. 

Pretty white Forget Me Nots are paired with Botanica Petite’s in blue and accented with a tiny bit of Fancy Trim. All of those pieces come together with Sea Shell Pin accessories.

 Finally, a few sea shells are added as accents. The sides of the tin are embellished with strips of "Cruise".

Inside the tin is where we keep our memories safely tucked away.

 

It was a pleasant surprise to find that four little glass vials can fit snugly inside! Fill with small beach memories.

Using Authentique "details" stickers on the little glass vials, you can add the location and date that your beach findings were collected. Or, you could always fake it like I have and use Petaloo's bag of Sea Shells.

A few more stickers inside for the finishing touches and Voila! You've got a tidy little tin to keep your beach memories safe :)

Hop over to the Petaloo and Authentique blogs this week for some more great beach/summer themed projects and a chance to win fabulous products from these amazing companies :)

Supply list:
Petaloo
Forget Me Nots - White 1837Sea Shell Pins 1433
Fancy Trims - Taupe 1910
Botanica Petite’s - Blue/Purple/Green 1101Sea Shells
Authentique PapersAnchored Collection
> "cruise"
> "guide"
> "tranquil"
> "details"
OtherBlank Altoids TinCorked Vials
Glue

May Day Blessings

May 1st, or May Day, is said to be one of the days in which it is possible to spy the little people.

It's also the day that young ladies in white are donned with flower wreaths and proclaimed "Queens of May" and dancers frolic with ribbons around the May Pole. 

And all of this to celebrate the life of spring, the coming of summer, and high hopes of for a fertile harvest in the autumn.

Here's hoping your May Day is filled with beauty and your revelry brings you a bountiful harvest.

This piece is listed in the etsy shop HERE

Back to work and tiny things

I haven't been making much over the past week or so. Boring admin stuff, a trip to Ottawa, and mountains of laundry have gotten in the way. I really do get grumpy when I don't make things. It all came to a head last night when I got shouty with my online shipping tools (btw tools is an absolutely apt moniker). And so today I will lock myself away and make stuff, drink tea and soothe my frazzled nerves.

But I do have this one little thing to show. It's for a swap with a miniature lovin' crafter. I think it's sort of a very pretty mess... just the way I like things. I hope she likes it too.

Radio Redo

My husband brings home a lot of junk. A lot. When we were living in an 800 sq/f house he came home one day and said "You're going to be mad." His pick-up was filled (and I do mean FILLED... even the passenger seat was piled high!) with wine making supplies someone had given him. I wasn't pleased. My own sprawling craft stash makes any complaining on my part null and void.

He brought this home the other week. For the love of limited storage, why? But he plugged it in and it worked and suddenly I was nostalgic, remembering dancing around in my bedroom to 'Safety Dance' or 'Take on Me'. Deciding that perhaps this old thing wasn’t really junk after all I set to work on giving it a makeover.

For all of the curvy bits and odd shaped angles I simply covered with Washi Tape. LOVE the thick black tape with the Typography pattern because it can be torn and cut and stuck together and the edges practically camouflage themselves! The rest is covered with Inspire, Create, Inscribe and Dream.

This funky piece is now sitting in my working studio where I will make messes to the K-Billy's Super Sounds of the Seventies... or something like that ;)

Teeny-weeny supply list:

> Inspire> Create> Inscribe> DreamWashi Tape Set

... and an old radio

More greatness on the Graphic 45 blog. Hop over and check out the goodies!

Checking in...

Sorry for the lack of posts but it's been a fairly uneventful week around here. All admin stuff and very little crafty goodness.

My site was moved to a new server this week so I spent a bit of time updating. (ETA: in the changeover process I lost all of email.If you are waiting to hear back fromme, please resend!) I have finally added information to the page about faeries and pixies which you can find HERE if you are so inclined. If you've been to my other site you'll see that some of it is regurgitated. The other site will be coming down soon as it has been untouched for four years. I sometimes feel like I collect domains and let them gather dust like knickknacks.

There was one recent bit of creativity I can share: the above oil painting. I am not an oil painter... at all. Acrylic, watercolour? Good to go. Oils, not so much. And I do wish I had a knack for them so I drag them out once a year, toss something on a canvas and quickly put them away again when I see what I've made. It's not terrible, but it certainly isn't good. Like knitting, oil painting keeps me humble ;)

Finally, the blog will be postless for a little while longer as I'm heading to Ottawa this weekend with my kid and mudder. My darling son keeps reminding me that I promised him a fancy Beaver Tail (a sort of street treat they sell there) 4+ years ago. "Please put away your hockey stick" he forgets in 15 seconds. "I'll get you a Beaver Tail next time" he keeps in the vault. At least he has his priorities straight.

P.S. There is now a 'Follow by email' option at the top right. xoxo