I will start of show and tell as I have lovely photos in already!
Kelsey put together beautiful themed gifts. She found packets of seeds on a huge special. So she made up gardening gifts...
Kelsey included some home made hand scrub and gorgeous packaging. I love the styling! She said these gifts were very inexpensive and a big hit. Really good ideas here!
Jane made Olive Oil soaps. They look really good! Soaps are amazing as they make great gifts or supplies.
I love the shapes Jane and the colour, they look really creamy. Beautiful.
Kelley has been card making. She found a luscious book of floral images! Perfect! This is a dream come true kind of op shop find for me. There were enough beautiful pictures to make stacks of cards!
Old books just are fantastic for card making. For a few dollars you could have a hundred images! You can choose any theme that you like or that a loved one likes. Rose books are pretty much my favourite find!
Kelley these look like super expensive cards and what a supply you now have!
Anne took a little wooden box and decorated it with Beatrix Potter pictures to make a little book box. I think this is gorgeous. Her beautiful crochet is shown as well.
I think everyone has shown beautiful AND economical gifts! Now over to you! What have you been making this month? How did you add to your gift cupboard?
In Australia we have Mothers Day coming up. I also have a couple of birthdays as well.
I added a huge roll of plain brown paper to my stash. I think it is 50 meters and it was really cheap. Good old brown paper always looks stylish! It also covers ugly pots and looks good to wrap around a bunch of herbs or flowers, wrap soaps and make bands around a loaf of bread etc. Handy stuff!
I am almost finished a rug for charity, I am on the last row with is a scalloped edging.
Pictures can be posted on the Bluebirds Facebook page or emailed to me at brinkzi21@hotmail.com
Works in progress are also welcome!
I hope your week is going well. We have had lots of rain and the garden is watered. xxx
Annabel,
ReplyDeleteAll those lovelies! Jobs well done!
Glad to hear you're rounding the bend on finishing your afghan (rug), and getting some rest.
Brown paper is dreamy, isn't it? It can be decorated, TORN (I love the look of it torn and wrapped around a loaf as you suggested. And old fashioned twine tied around brown paper is wonderful. A lovely handmade, homemade feel. Precious!
*hugs*
~Kelley
Dear Kelley,
DeleteThe fancy florist near us is oh so stylish (and expensive) and everything is brown paper and string. It looks kind of country/french provincial and in reality is so cheap and easy. I have pinched many of their ideas.
Thank you so much for all the gorgeous photos! The cards are so lovely! With lots of love Annabel.xxx
Hi Annabel,
ReplyDeleteAll the work that people within this group achieve each month is just amazing. Kelsey a gardeners gift is such a lovely idea. Just wish I had some gardeners in my family to make this for. Sigh.
Kelley your cards will see you through Birthdays and other events. They are something I am just exploring making. I love your idea of using lovely pictures. I think I will tap into that.
Anne I am in love with the crochet and the little box.
My soaps photo was sent to Annabel as a fail on my part. I took the soaps out of the moulds way too early and then proceeded to try and stamp them whilst the soap was too soft. Even though these mistakes were made the soap will be lovely and creamy to use. I also use coconut oil in the mix so they will lather up beautifully as well.
Life is good.
Jane,
DeleteIt was Annabel who 'taught' and inspired me to look at thick, glossy, gorgeous pages with frugal eyes. One book yielded 35 cards. I've already used two: one for a retirement congrats and another for a Thank You. You're so right-- fitting for whatever sentiment I need to convey. I find the envelopes I use at thrift stores. I like a nice, large card to say everything I need to write! Lol
My older daughter makes soaps, too, Jane. I find little vintage molds that she loves for making them.
*hugs*
~Kelley
ReplyDeleteHi Annabel and Beautiful Bluebirds!!
I am loving the gentle, home-made touches that are shown here!!
Kelsey, your gardeners' gifts are wonderful! To give a gift of watching plants grow is touching! Then, for the gardener to enjoy the caring hand scrub after time in the garden is a luxurious bonus! I love your work, Kelsey!!
Jane, I really like your creamy olive oil soaps!! Ha ha!! I think this is a success from what you thought was a failure!
Kelley, you've been busy! You must have saved a fortune in your card making, and flowers are so beautiful!
Anne, I am still enjoying your beautiful crochet! That timber book box is very sweet! Oh, I am so glad you told us about your daughter's reading nook! I think that is something really special - especially the tea set! I love your work!
With warm regards,
Rachel Holt
P.S. I'm just waiting at an electrical shop! Ha ha!
Dear Rachel, Thank you for encouraging everyone!
DeleteYour sewing from last week was a huge hit! Your photographing is going global! I hope it has been a good week for you! With love Annabel.xxx
Thanks so much, Rachel! That little tool box is such an easy build, I've made several for boy gifts. A cheap toy tool set makes a sweet set.
DeleteGrace loves her reading nook. I've gotten several pretty crafts from her since we built it.
Have a great week!
Anne
Dearest Annabel
ReplyDeleteSo many more wonderful gifts made with such frugality and skill. I have downloaded a cross stitch pattern that I bought off Etsy very cheaply to make three Christmas gifts one for DD and two for her friends. I will begin looking in Op-Shops for suitable frames to finish them off. I also have free patterns to make small gifts for work friends and neighbours from Pinterest.
I also bought a book for 50c from work to cut up to make cards and one for $1 from the local op-shop. This book is a Winnie the Pooh book and has many small pictures in it also that I can use to make gift tags. I am off work this coming Sunday and will use the time free to make up at least a dozen cards and gift tags.
I am sorting through my craft supplies and have found a few fabric scraps that will be used to make needle books for gift giving, as well as heat bags and maybe even enough to make some finger puppets.
I am very tired lately but am working hard to plan and kit up projects to make when I have time off work.
God Bless and I am looking forward to reading your frugal accomplishments for the week on Friday. Love Mel S
Dear Mel,
DeleteI love Winnie The Pooh. That is one I would buy too for sure! It is a good idea to set yourself up with projects for when you re cooperate. You will bet some many things made then! And you will need rest too. The rain will be doing your fruit trees so much good. With lots of love Annabel.xxx
Dear Annabel and Bluebirds,
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful and thoughtful creations from everyone. I love everything! A terrrible storm just started up so I'd better close the computer down. Blessings, Cookie
Dear Cookie, Thank you for encouraging everyone! Have a good weekend, I have been slow with my replies this week! Love Annabel.xxx
DeleteAnother outstanding month of gifts, ladies. I'm really pleased to see so much being achieved - I, on the other hand, need to get my act together. Some health issues seem to have sapped my energy levels this year and all good intentions are at a bit of a standstill.
ReplyDeleteJanine
Dear Janine, I am going through a similar thing... much slowed down and its frustrating. Look after yourself and get well! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteSuch lovely gifts everyone has made! I follow a blog called Pixie Hill and she had a neat idea for decorating a tin can for a plant. Here is the link:http://blog.pixiehill.com/2017/04/a-tin-can-planter.html
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy your blog and appreciate all the time you put into it. Thank you!
Thank you, I love that! xxx
DeleteDear Bluebirds,
ReplyDeleteVery lovely gift ideas; very creative.
My husband is currently going through his parents things he has had boxed up for three years. He is finding, as I did when I went through my parents and grandparents things, that they saved about everything :).
He asked me if he should just throw all the old cards his mother had received in the 1940' and 1950's away, since they are useless (LOL). I thought of all of you ladies who use the parts of a card to make another card or tag. I told him to save them and I would find a use for them :).
I do have a question that I would appreciate some help with from anyone who has an idea. I have three very nice crocheted bedspreads that my husband's mother and grandmother made and I have no use for them in their current form. Neither of my children want them and my husband's brother didn't want any of that kind of "junk." Consequently, I'm sure there is something that I can make them into, but I would appreciate any ideas you might have. Thanks in advance.
Love and hugs,
Glenda
Dear Glenda,
DeleteI bet the cards have some really nice images, not to mention the sentiments written inside. I would tie a few in a bundle to keep or repurpose them like you are going to do. I hope you will send in pictures when you finish some.
As for the crocheted bedspreads, wow! Well, I don't know what they look like, but if they are thick and heavy, you could maybe cut some up and sew bags or totes out of them. Or even book covers, Bible cases, or iPad covers/cases. If they are suitable colors, you could turn them into some scarves perhaps. If the beadspreads are thin and lacey like a doily, you could use them as curtains or a tablecloth. Or you could maybe turn them into shawls, somehow. Just a few ideas! I'm curious to see what the other Bluebirds come up with, as they are so crafty, and I hope we get to see what you decide to do!
Love, Kelsey
Hi Glenda, I have two old tablecloths that my Mom crocheted and they are not in very good shape but we recently moved and I swagged them in my bedroom and love the look. Maybe you could do something like that with your crocheted bedspreads. I hate just leaving them in a box and no one sees them. If you want to see what I did you can check my blog http://cozythymecottage.blogspot.com/ I love looking at the Christmas Show and Tell page to try to get ideas! Nancy
DeleteDear Glenda,
DeleteI love Kelsey's idea of the tote bags. I fancy them as curtains too. I might even have them on my bed. I also feel they are treasure and cannot understand younger ones not wanting to keep family heirlooms. I have things my Great Grandmother made and I would never part with them. Her hands were on them....
Also the cards... I adore images like those, they ere beautiful. They might make lovely diary covers or even be framed under something like a glass tray. I have some that were given to my Nan by my Mum and her sister, some are sixty years old. They are gorgeous. For things with sentimental words and writing I put them in the photo album with photos to go with them. Then I feel they are preserved.
With much love, Annabel.xxx
Thank you for the ideas Kelsey, Nancy, and Annabel.
DeleteThe bed spreads are very heavy and are cream colored. There were actually two trunks full of crocheted items. Some are small pieces that I thought I would add in the next quilt I make.
I will take pictures to share. Thanks again.
Love and hugs,
Glenda
Dear Glenda it really depends on the size of the family heirlooms as to what you can do with them. If they are showing some age, colour wise, then perhaps tea dying them would work?
DeleteI have seen pretty trays made from photo/picture frames with lace under the glass and pretty handles at each end and of course there is always a pretty dress that could be made from them.
Lynette
XXXXX
Glenda,
DeleteVintage Cards
I would save the originals and color copy them to cut up and use for cards, wall art, gift tags, etc.
Crocheted Bedspreads
Did you go look at NANCY'S MOTHER'S OLD TABLECLOTH... I'm dreamy over that window treatment (her January 22, 2017 blog post, "Laundry/Bedroom")! Have you Googled "what to do with crocheted bedspreads" or "how to repurpose...," etc.? Probably find many ideas.
--I have a vintage crocheted tablecloth folded in half and spread on top of my piano.
--Make a skirt or dress with it, using the edges for a delicious hem!
I was experiencing "door anger" in my galley kitchen: the dishwasher door came down at my left, the under sink cabinet doors were in front of me at the sink, and at my right was the cabinet door where all my baking pans and sheets are. GRRRR! I removed the under sink cabinet doors and stored them inside clean trash bags high on a walk-in closet shelf. To hide the under-sink, I pressed a tension rod into the opening. On the curtain rod I slipped some wood rings with clips on them. The rings can slide. To the clips I clipped various crocheted doilies. Then I pinned all the doilies together forming a "curtain." I got the idea on the Web. It is lovely and gets a lot of compliments. Some doilies are white; some cream; some "antique."' It's precious! It took me several hours to hand stitch all the doilies together to get the look I wanted, but it was worth it. I just sewed on it a little every day until it was just like I wanted it. To wash it, I just put it in the washer on gentle, and as all the doilies are cotton, I dry it nearly completely before hanging it back up. If I hung it up wet, it would droop too long and I'd probably have to hem it.
*hugs*
~Kelley
Dear Annabel,
ReplyDeleteEveryone has made such lovely things! Kelley, your cards are so pretty. This inspires me to take some time and make up a few more cards. I could use a bit of the relaxation and beauty it brings.
Jane, I love your olive oil soaps. I bet they will feel so nice on the hands. I agree with Annabel, they look so creamy.
Anne, what a cute box and lovely crochet!
I could use a bit of crafting time, card-making, specifically. My week is off to a rough start, as my dog was bit by a rattlesnake yesterday evening. It bit her instead of my husband. I have been a bit shaken up and stressed. (It was just out the back door.) The vet was there after hours to give our Molly a dose of antivenom and so far she looks like she is going to be ok, but we are still waiting for another update from him. Needless to say, we now have a large vet bill, but he is allowing us to make payments to ease the burden. Hopefully the rest of the week will be better.
With love, Kelsey
I hope your beautiful dog Molly is ok, Kelsey. What an ordeal and how upsetting. Thinking of you and big hugs. Lots of live, Bridget
DeleteDear Kelsey! That certainly is a rough start to your week. I hope things are more settled for you now. Molly is a loyal member of your household, and it is good that you treasure her.
DeleteRachel
Dear Kelsey,
DeleteOh no! That is so scary! We have snakes (at the farm the main type of snakes are Tiger snakes and they are awful as they are aggressive) and we have lost many dogs to them. The dogs Mum and Dad have are really little dogs and they are an hour from town... anyway when they are bitten the dogs are usually dead in three or four minutes. Its terrible. But the dogs have always let us know if a snake is there and this kept the kids much safer when they ere little and Im grateful for that.
So I am grateful your husband was not bitten by a rattle snake! Also... rattle snakes to me are something out of Western movies! They seem terrifying! I hope your dog will be ok, it is sounding good. And very good the vet will let you pay instalments.
What a week! Love and hugs, Annabel.xxx
Kelsey,
DeletePrayers for your sweet little gal!
*hugs*
~Kelley
Another fantastic display ladies, such talent and great ideas. Love Jo R
ReplyDeleteThanks Jo! xxx
DeleteKelsey Molly was protecting your husband - hard to deal with but our fur babies do these sort of things. I hear you on the large bill, my dad's cat got bitten by an Eastern Brown snake and the problem was firstly finding a vet to treat the cat - they rarely survive after being bitten.
ReplyDeleteYour week can only got upwards from here.
I have boxes of books that I need to continue sorting through - I will have to look at them with two eyes - one to keep as is and the other to use for cards.
Lynette
XXXXX
Dear Lynette,
DeleteA lot of the books I had i.e. Shabby Chic type decorating etc have been turned into cards. Very handy!
I agree that the dog was probably being protective, that is what I thought also.
Have a good weekend Lynette! With love Annabel.xxx
Annabel,
ReplyDeleteI love everything and there is going to be some very happy recipients of these lovely gifts. The creativity of the ladies is so inspiring every week. I have not made any gifts, but have added to the gift trunk with some clearance items for the men. I love, love brown paper! Good job ladies!
XOXO
Vicky
Thank you! I just had a thought! You could cover boxes with brown paper for your pantry shelves! Or line your shelves with it or create a brown paper edging! Im off to find pictures.... Love Annabel.xxx
DeleteHello Annabel, the gifts are all lovely that the ladies made and hopefully the recipients will appreciate the love and effort that goes into them. Kelsey I am so glad your dog is going to be alright, and I'm there with you on the vet bills. My dog had surgery five weeks ago and we are still going every 4 days, it's been expensive and I've joked I could have a return flight to Europe for that, but she's my beautiful girl and I would never not have got it done. I am glad your vet is letting you pay in instalments.
ReplyDeleteAnnabel, we have your weather now, it's rained for days. Everything is looking very green here and fresh.
Off to work. Hope all is well in your world. Fi xx
Dear Fiona, The rain will be lovely on your garden. You have an amazing garden and surrounds, so pretty from what I have seen.
DeleteI hope you get some time for sewing and nesting over the weekend! With love Annabel.xxx
What beautiful gifts and cards! Kelsey, I love, love, love your gift. What a fabukous idea! The hand scrub looks delightful. The seeds are so prettily presented. You have a real eye for presentstion and styling. I love the stamping too.
ReplyDeleteJane, those soaps look very luxe! Love the rose shaped ones. They look beautiful.
Kelley, your cards are beautiful. Anyone who receives them will love them.
Anne, I love your book box, and Beatrix Potter! So two lovely things in one. Well done.
I haven't been doing a lot lately, but am cheering you on! Lots of love, Bridge
Dear Bridge, I can see you doing something similar to Kelsey's gift. It could be cooking themed or soap themed!
DeleteThanks for encouraging everyone! I hope things are going well there, I am guessing you are packing up! Lots of love Annabel.xxx
I am so sorry for Molly, but what a brave girl to protect your husband!
ReplyDeleteEveryone's things are lovely as usual, well done! I am so glad that we can share such neat things on such a beautiful blog. Annabel, I really appreciate this place you have carved out for us in the big world.
I didn't craft anything this week for Christmas, but when gone for the day to ortho appointments, we stopped at a used bookstore and I found a couple of Christmas presents for the boys and one of my girls saw a book that she wants to try to copy for one of the other girls for Christmas. Maybe this idea would be good for a stocking stuffer for someone here. The book was a coloring book, and on each page there was a poem, then borders or flowers or something to color in. Daughter #2 enjoys poetry, so daughter #3 is going to buy a folder, then she is going to create coloring pages with poems on them in Microsoft Word to print out and give to her. My kids love getting homemade gifts from each other as they have been taught to appreciate the effort that goes into them, so I am pretty sure daughter #1 will love it.
Everyone have a great weekend!