Sweet Gift Wrap Ideas

With handmade gifts being the name of the game this Holiday season,

think about adding a handmade touch to your gift wrap, as well!

Here are a few tips to create the packages shown in my current FOLK Magazine column:

Sew an 'envelope' from the body of a sweater, pop a gift box inside, and safety pin the top closed.

On top, a pouffe of beautiful ribbon or trim, a satin bow, and a bling-y rhinestone clip.

Believe it or not, this is gift wrapping paper! 

MODA Home's 'Funky Monkey' pattern looks just like a sweater 

(it's an older pattern - I found my rolls at Tuesday Morning). 

Rosettes are made from cashmere sweater arm cuffs - just roll up and stitch to hold.

And the perfect accent for a sweater is PEARLS... dripping on top of the gift like a tree garland!

A more rustic masculine look: burlap and twine. 

Add in some vintage ephemera for interest.

More of the sweater-print paper, with feminine details:

These pinwheel posies are made from the edges of canvas painter's tarps, rolled & glued.

Attach to a gift with glue dots, over a piece of Christmas sheet music.

Vintage lace and a sweet carnation pin (re-usable!) stand in for a bow.

A square lace doily looks like snowflakes, 

and a tiny grass nest with vintage petals adds a touch of real nature.

Sew an envelope pouch from canvas, and tuck in vintage sheet music or a favorite magazine.

Fold closed, and tie with vintage trims. 

Photos in this post are mine, and appear in my column

in the Christmas 2011 Issue of FOLK Magazine.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Some table decor inspiration for you!

Sometimes, simple is best -
It leaves us time for the important things

Need a simple place card idea?

What about a way to corral flatware for a buffet?

You could make stockings or cornucopia cones from vintage papers, too!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, friends...

'Hostess with the Mostess' Gift Wraps

With the Thanksgiving holiday weekend coming up, 

I thought I'd share some ideas for wrapping hostess gifts! 

 My Sweet ReTreats column in the Christmas Issue of FOLK Magazine

is all about gift wrapping inspiration, using everyday materials

 Some ideas for food & beverage gifts...

Giving a lovely bottle of wine, port, champagne, or liquor

is an elegant way to thank a hostess for inviting you.

Wrapping your gift in a unique way will be a perfect finishing touch!

*Make a 'sweater cozy' for decanters and wine bottles - simply cut the arm off of a lovely sweater, and scrunch over the bottle. Tie a bauble around the bottle's neck for a finishing touch.

*Use a stocking as a wine bag! Tuck a bit of tissue into the toe of a stocking, then sit a bottled beverage inside. With a snippet of greenery or more tissue at the top, it's charming and re-usable!

*Simply wrap a bit of burlap, linen, ticking, or other fabric around a bottle (double-stick tape works really well) and then tie with twine. Add a vintage earring or brooch for some bling to dress it up!

And finally...

Tuck a bottle into an old cowboy boot, and add a cushion of burlap. Perfect for a guy!

Since we've all seen the 'coffee can as cookie container' trick,

I have a few new ideas for that, as well:

*Simply tie some rustic twine around a silver can for an industrial look. Add a tag made from an old spoon.

 *Make a sweater cozy for a can - cut off the arm of a sweater and sew one end closed. Scrunch it over a can and tie the top with a bow made from vintage lace.

*Vintage metal containers are still a stylish way to present baked goods!
Find them at thrift stores & antique shops, then add a seasonal detail like a small burlap wreath.

I hope these ideas inspire your Holiday gift wrapping!

I'll share more from my column soon...

and if you don't want to miss any of my inspiring ideas like this,  

subscribe to FOLK Magazine HERE

Happy Holidays!

I Am: Thankful

One Day at a Time... All Month Long

I am thankful for:

1. The first day of a new month. A fresh new calendar page. A clean slate.

2. Golden sunshine in the morning. A time when the world looks new, 

and everything seems possible... even if it really isn't.

3. A laptop computer that works, so I can communicate with my vendors, friends, & family.

4. That some  mistakes can be fixed. Like hair color ;0)
5. That the sun was shining today, and the fall leaves looked like jewels.
6. For enough energy to do what I needed to do today.
7. For three little grandsons who make me smile! 
8. For the ability to help other people build & grow successful businesses. 

My retail experience & knowledge can give others a boost - 

which means I didn't go through all that stuff for nuthin'. ;0)
9. That I have friends all over the place, from all throughout my life.

This makes me feel MUCH better about the people whom I thought were friends - but weren't.
10. For people who use their skills to help others live better lives.
My massage therapist (whose name is Deb Kennedy!) is one of them.
11. For everyday heroes.  
Soldiers, Doctors, Nurses, Law Enforcement, Teachers.
People who step in to help those who need it, 
regardless of the cost to themselves. 
12. That answers DO come, eventually. 
But not always right when we need them to ;0)
13. For people who are generous... even when they don't have to be.
14. For the ability to see possibilities
even when it seems like there are none...
15. For people who have convictions and beliefs, and live by them.
Even in the face of adversity.
16. For Hope... the Hope that Christmas will bring a visit 
from some very special people!
 17. For Melody and Kathy, the Brave Girls,
and the words of encouragement they share...
  18. That my copy of FOLK Magazine's Christmas Issue arrived today!
 19. For AMAZING customers, friends, and neighbors. 
 20. For clear, sunny blue skies on the days we held our sale.
It was COLD, but dry!
  21. That I have the amazing opportunity to write for FOLK Magazine.
 22. For the wonderful memories I have of those I love who are no longer here...
it was such a blessing to have had them in my life. 
Grandpa & Grandma Ward, Uncle Don Ward, cousin Bonnie Ward, Grandpa & Grandma Sitton, Grandpa & Grandma Mendelson, and my late 101-year-old friend Marion Steiner... 
thank you for sharing your lives with me.

23. I am giving thanks today for the things I do not understand; the things I did not want to happen; the hard things I am being asked to do; the situations and people that have harmed me; and the painful things I have yet to experience. They all taught me something:
It's been said that unless we experience the darkness, we cannot celebrate the light. I've stood in the light, and I've been swallowed by the darkness even though I ran from it and fought it. I'm through running, and fighting. I simply accept it as part of the human experience. If it doesn't kill me, it WILL make me stronger.
24. For my family... my husband, my son, my daughters and their husbands, my grandsons...
my mom and dad, my sisters and brothers... and my nieces and nephews.
I am so very blessed to have these people in my life.

25. For this home that I have dreamed of, enjoyed, and loved.
26. For eagles soaring overhead, deer walking by, horses grazing next door.
27. For sunshine in November.
28. For small miracles that buoy my hope, and big miracles that renew my faith.
29. For people who live and act with honor.
30. For the next chapter...

Happy Thanksgiving...
may you all have an abundance of faith, family, friends,
and blessings in your lives to be thankful for.

...by the way, I'm listing these as I find things to be thankful for 

as each day unfolds. It's not in order of importance, but rather in order

of how I become aware of them...

 Friends, what are you  thankful for this month?

First Things First...

 November First. 11.1.11

Seems a good time to begin something. 

Not quite a New Years' Resolution kind of thing, but a 'clean slate' sort of thing.

Apparently I am not the only one who feels this way!
Serena agrees.

Do you?

Do you have that sort of
'hopeful new school year' kind of feeling?

Friends, I've been plowing along despite some pretty big obstacles,
(which I haven't shared)
and I need a clean slate right now.

A while back, I found this post on Jen Lemen's blog.
And it got to me.

Then last night, I ran across this post on sweet Melody Ross' blog.
And it tore me open.

I'm just going to say that I needed to read those words, 

to hear that message right now, 

to STOP and listen to someone who has been where I am 

and has moved through it and past it 

and who is willing to share her heart

  to help others understand why these things happen in life.

Bless their hearts.

Their words could be MY words, that's how close to the mark they both are.

Something needs to change.

Now seems to be a very good time to start.

What fresh new start are YOU making this time of year?

A daring physical challenge? 

A new business venture?

An educational adventure?

A new relationship?

(Maybe with YOURSELF? ;0) )

Let's Begin!