gift wrapping

I packaged up something for the mail today and took pictures along the way

I gift wrap everything that I send out

but it's not the typical sort of gift wrap you might expect

I try to be as green as possible

(unfortunately I still need to use bubble wrap and tape in the final package)

 today I'm wrapping these matchboxes (as seen above)

I've stitched a little pouch of several thicknesses of magazine paper

some from an old canadian readers digest (1967) and some from a rose catalog

I stitched all the way around and tore away the excess paper to show the layers (see below)

tied it with a raffia bow, added a little note and my card - and it's ready to go

and these little bags below are made from storybook pages and wax paper

the ribbon at the top is from silk saris

the sari fabric has been recycled by tearing it into strips of ribbon

I bought mine on Etsy from Felicia and her shop: Flea's Fibers

thanks, as always, for stopping by!

I have lots of catching up to do

I was down for the count this past week with a doozy of a head cold

but I am feeling much better now!

in my spare time

 hah!

is there such a thing?

in my not so spare time

I've been

.... making matchboxes 

the idea is to see how much treasure can fit in a little matchbox

it's fun!

(here's a fun flickr photo pool: matchbox stuffing)

these 3 matchbox treasures have been added to my etsy shop

3 more are on my desk

***

do you do the oscars?

our family fills out ballots 

the middle brainy child decided spend a week memorizing the picks as previewed on indiewire.com

talk about spare time

this is NOT how I would spend it

but if you're 13 - that's another story

(she got 16 right - me? I got 11 - pretty good for guessing eh?)

here's her list:

good things ...

... come in small packages

I've been going a little bit matchbox crazy this summer

I collect early to mid-century photographs of anonymous people

the scenes and the poses really spark my imagination

it was the birth of the snapshot era

everyone had a camera

- just like everyone today has a smart phone -

it's been fun to make miniature theaters inside the matchboxes

they tell the beginnings of a story

this one is my favorite

it just makes me smile

ok, ok, ma'am, I'm pulling them up already!

:)

crafty

my sister (i.l.) is visiting and we got to crafting yesterday

making matchboxes to be exact

we took up the entire dining room table with our joyful mess

... and it's been hot here ...

 I totally get it that our hot is not the same as your HOT

but we still down the iced tea like crazy

peachy sun tea

a dream?

this morning's sky was brilliant and beautiful

it set everything aglow

(above) a painting from the car

and (below) a valentine matchbox

in yesterday's post I said I was "living the dream"

and I'm feeling like that was a braggy thing to say

honestly - it's a day to day thing

most days are actually really very complicated with the stuff of life

like today:

a child with a sore throat

another one with a skinned knee

late to pick up another one after school

the dog dragging me down the street 

(even saying my favorite swear word in combination with my dog's name)

a broken plate that was an heirloom

gross leftovers for dinner

dusty dirty house

unfolded laundry

and on and on

you know what I mean

:)

and the living the dream part is:

hugs

kisses

sweet text messages

being asked "how was your day?"

and replying

"I am living the dream"

completed matchbox

either 

I'm crazy 

or

I'm living a dream

because this is what I do

I make weird stuff

(etsy)

just hope I never have to knock on walmart's door for a job!

and speaking of living a dream

this was my sky today as I was gabbing on the phone around lunch time

( w o w )

stuff and sky

I've stuffed 6 matchboxes

I like to make these with a theme in mind

such as:

(top row)

time for love, ocean memory, heartland

(bottom row)

spring fever, journey, a stitch in time

I like to think of these as the contents of an 8 year old child's pockets

emptied out before wash day

my next task is creating the outer sleeve

(a future post)

*

my sky picture today is taken from the car at dusk

matchbox stuffing

... well, getting ready to that is ...

(previous posts: matchbox stuffing)

isn't it pretty?

all this fairy treasure sparkling in the sunlight?

Tomorrow:

creating the matchbox

geeky gift

if you've been reading my blog for a while

you know that I have a special love for matchboxes

and a while back I found an entire flickr pool devoted to "matchbox stuffing"

what a great gift for that geek you know

:)

my etsy listings:

flowers - matchbox treasure

winter dreams - matchbox treasure

***

and because I know you're a do-it-yourselfer

take this idea and run with it

I know you can

:)

a mini junk drawer?

28 tiny things that all fit into a matchbox:

I found an interesting photo pool on flickr ......

The International League of Championship Matchbox Stuffers.

I had to give it a go myself :)

Just a bit of fun ..... on a small scale.

Check out the link - there are some amazing pics!