tea and gifts

it's funny cuz I played in a chain e-mail a little over a week ago

it was called "moneybags"

it promised that if you forwarded the e-mail, in four days you would get all kinds of moolah oolah

I may have even sent that e-mail to you

:)

carefully packaged handmade goodies

well, I DID win Becca's giveaway on her blog

lavender sachets

(and I also won a raffle at the type-in last weekend)

mini-tart pincushion

some things are better than money

sweet tag and lace crochet

like handmade, beautiful and thoughtful gifts

:)

thank you Becca!!!

* * *

if you play tea on tuesday, I can't promise any "moneybags,"

but I can promise you will make some new friends :)

what saturday looks like

in between running errands

(well, it really was just trader joe's)

and taking kids to their various destinations

(dog show, birthday party, etc.)

I whipped out new lunchbags

(we lost 2 last week)

yeah, I'm just a super-mom right?

not really

everyone was feeling my pain

believe me

:)

photo transfer - 3 ways

I made the picture below using the photo transfer technique I describe HERE:

in this next picture, I have added colored pencil to enrich the image:

and then, I added beeswax, my all time favorite finishing product:

because of the large size (about 6X8) I couldn't dip it in beeswax

so I poured the melted beeswax over it

then, because it was an uneven coating,

I set it on foil and put in a 180' oven until the wax melted evenly over the whole thing

I scraped off some of the extra wax with a bone folder

and then buffed it with a rag

it really added the depth I was looking for

*

p.s. this a picture that was taken probably around 1945

it is my dad (on the left) and his brothers

cute, huh?!

I love how it turned out

:)

art all around us

pictures from our field trip yesterday

(an estuary in the puget sound: padilla bay)

tea and minor details

as I was having my morning cuppa,

I read over my previous post

and thought I was short on a few details about that so-called super easy box to make

o.k. - laugh at my book

it was FREE

on the FREE BOOKS shelf at my used bookstore

so detail number one is: 

use a book that you (or just about anyone else) won't be needing later

(if you needed this book - sorry, it's too late now)

next detail:

cutting the corners out is easiest done using crummy scissors that cut through ANYTHING

and then:

score your lines on the FRONT side of the book

(also, it WILL have an imperfect and ragged appearance - do NOT strive for perfection)

and lastly:

if you are covering the top edges like I did,

do it BEFORE assembling (folding) the box together

*

now, before you go looking for your local used bookstore and their shelf of free books,

put the kettle on and make yourself a nice hot cuppa

those old books aren't going anywhere

oh,

and thanks ever so for stopping by for tea!

I love it when you do!

(p.s. I'm on a school field trip today, so I'll stop by the blogs later on this afternoon)

***

an easy box to make

I made these small boxes out of old book covers.

They are the perfect size to organize small things that I also want to display.

Some of the odds and ends on our workdesks are quite beautiful in their own right.

They need a special container to show them off.

 you will need:

old book covers

a ruler

an x-acto knife

twine, ribbon or strips of fabric

(and I added paper folded and glued over the top edges to make them more "finished")

Welcome back ...

... Blogger/Blogspot. That was weird and I'm thankful for the invisible super smart guys who worked all night and most of two days to fix it!