. . . and like a whisper it transformed and evolved until it was gone. Christmas ’19.
sweet and simple will forever be my favorite (and homemade cinnamon rolls 😉).
Hope you and yours had a very Merry Christmas and that the joy of why we celebrate lives with you the whole year through!
~xoxo~
P.S. – Goodbye 2019! Hello 2020!
such a warmth, that cold brings . . .
Hi there! This week is the last week of our “thrifted and made” series. How fun it’s been! The theme for this week’s gift is “common goods” for the kitchen. The possibilities are really endless.
Thrifted goods:
(basket, glass juicer/ reamer, and pretty cutting board)
Handmade goods (except for the felted ornament):
(stitched linen towel, recipe cards, a sweet treat, and countertop cleaner)
When it comes to both the thrifted and made there really are endless possibilities when it comes to common kitchen goods.
For the thrifted portion of the gift, a basket or something to hold all other parts was a must. A wood crate would be beautiful as well, but baskets are so easy to come by when thrifting. However, seek one out that is quality made, that has a unique shape or weave pattern and/ or one that can easily be used for storage or decoration.
The cutting board was simply too pretty to pass up. My thoughts were even though your giftee might not prefer to use it as an actual cutting board, it would be beautiful hanging on a wall or used on the table to set a candle on or for holding an appetizer.
The glass juicer is something that even when it’s not being used is so lovely as a display piece. If a juicer is hard to come by, a pitcher or canister would work wonderfully as well. You could then fill it with a favorite seasonal goodie.
As for the made goods, I used this tutorial for the linen towel and modified (simplified) it a bit by doing minimal stitching. If you didn’t want to add any decorative stitching, a towel made of beautiful fabric is lovely left alone.
My other common made goods included a countertop cleaner made of one part distilled water, one part white vinegar and several drops of tea tree oil (thieves is also a favorite for this). If you don’t have any amber bottles, reuse any empty glass container or spray bottle and label it with a small tag or sticker. Use what you have – most likely you can make an all purpose cleaner out of things you already have in your pantry.
Lastly, I included some recipe cards. Find the template here – recipecard.pdf
Filling the cards out with some of your favorite seasonal recipes (sweet treats, cookies, your favorite holiday casserole dish, an appetizer, etc) would be a lovely idea. And then you could also include some blank extras.
I also included a simple sweet treat – orange cranberry pistachio fudge. I mean, “common goods for the kitchen” had to involve at least some bit of food.
The one “new” item I included was the felted swan ornament. She was the perfect fit!
All of the goods mentioned above can be gifted or keep it simple by pairing just a couple of the items together. For example, a lovely handmade towel and a pretty board or platter with a sweet treat on top would be just as wonderful.
Such a joy this “thrifted and made” series has been. Hoping your blessings are many in the weeks to come and that your holiday season has been bright thus far!
-xoxo
P.S. – The format of the recipe card is four by six inches.
The stocking! It will always be my most beloved part of Christmas gifting (and morning). And searching for fun finds for tween girls is one of my favorite pastimes! Ahhh, how it takes me back . . .
1 – Bombas Socks – great quality socks for all. For every pair purchased, a pair is donated to the homeless.
2 – Posca Paint Pens – these were on my daughter’s Christmas list. You can use them on a variety of surfaces – including glass, wood, metal and plastic. I’m also excited to give them a try!
3 – Noonday Destiny Necklace – I’ve purchased several items from Noonday over the years. Love their mission and their goods!
4 – Florence by Mills – clean beauty products for tweens/ teens by Millie Bobby Brown (or Eleven – for those of you that are or have a “Stranger Things” fan in the home). My tween loves the face wash and moisturizer.
5 – A Customized Paint By Number. Also available on Amazon. This is my first time ordering one of these. Hoping it’s a hit! Such a neat idea.
6 – Mom and Me Art Journal or this one has writing prompts. Really looking forward to doing this in 2020 with my tween lady.
7 – Needle Felting Kit or there some really sweet ones available on Etsy as well.
8 – Candy Scarf. This shop has so many beautiful and one of a kind hand made items!
9 – Wood Wand – Harry Potter inspired. Harry Potter is all the rage again and my tween is in the midst of reading the series. A wand was also on her wish list as well! Hoping one wave of it = a clean room. 😉
Happy St. Nicholas Day!
-xoxo
P.S. – My “tween” just asked for zipper earrings. Should’ve saved mine. 🙂
Happy Tuesday and Merry December!
My thrifted and made gift idea for week three of this series is a handmade bunting made out of a thrifted shirt (or shirts you were about to take to the thrift 😉 ). I went with traditional seasonal colors but feel free to go with colors that don’t necessarily speak winter or Christmas. Think Spring – pinks, greens, yellows. Or muted tones that would easily match any decor or time of year. Also, if you have scrap fabric lying around, feel free to use it as well. Don’t be overwhelmed by the idea of having to sew something, you can also do a no-sew bunting by simply using fabric glue to attach the flags.
The bunting is such a sweet gift given alone or pair it with one or two other thrifted goods. Depending on how well you know the person you are gifting, you can pair it with a pretty platter, pitcher, a small art piece or print, a tea kettle or pot, a small indoor planter, a wool blanket or afghan, etc. With a just a little effort, these are all easy to find pieces at your local thrift store or estate sale. A few things to keep in mind – vintage tends to be more unique, quality over quantity, and purchase items that have multiple use potential. For example the old bread pan below makes for a great candle or trinket holder, the pitcher can be used not only to hold cream or milk but pencils or other goodies, and the platter is beautiful for serving treats or simply as an accent piece on a coffee table.
Thrifted goods:
Handmade goods:
Supplies:
Instructions:
1 – Print and cut out bunting flag template.
2 – Trace and cut. Lay shirt out as flat as possible and trace around the template onto the shirt with a sharpie, pencil, etc. Repeat. I used a larger boy’s shirt and was able to get at least 12 flags out of it.
3 – Fold and Iron. Fold the flags in half doing your best to get the back and front edges as even with each other as possible. Then Iron each flag.
4 – Measure and Place Flags. Lay out your lace, ribbon or binding on a large table or floor. Place flags evenly along it. I ended up using 10 flags. I left about 20 inches on each end and around 3 inches between each flag. You could pin your flags or I just placed small pencil marks along my lace where each flag would begin. (If you are using glue instead of sewing, you can go ahead and just fold each flag over your ribbon at this point, place glue along the edges of the flags, press down so that the front and back edges are even and then repeat for each flag.)
5 – Sew. Fold the flag over your ribbon or lace. Starting at the top of one edge of the flag, sew down one side of the flag and then up the other edge or side. I just kept the foot of my machine even with the edge of the fabric – so I got somewhat of a straight line. I used a zig zag stitch but a straight stitch would be perfect as well. Keep it simple. (If you are hand sewing, I would use an embroidery floss and just do long stitches.) Continue doing this with each flag.
6 – Done! Now gift or hang.
So sweet of you to follow along! Whether you are budgeting this Holiday season or simply enjoy the idea of giving handmade gifts, I hope my ideas are providing your with a little inspiration.
-xoxo-
plaid pockets & pink shoes 