Thursday, June 18, 2015

Thinking Outside the Square

A rainy Good Afternoon to you dear friends & readers,
(typing this post with kitten on lap so please excuse any typo's!!!)

I am making sloooww progess with my Cottage Revamp, but at least I am making progess
There have been several boxes of old stock packed up to give back to suppliers & a large bag went into the Op Shop just yesterday.
These little wooden bowls were an Op Shop revamp quite some time ago


They started out their life as dark stained wood, which I waxed, painted & lightly sanded.  I displayed them as "vintage wooden bowls" 
They sat  .  .  .  & they sat .  .  . & did not sell.
I reduced them to half price  .   .   .  they still did not sell.

It was time to "think outside the square" .... my idea to display them as "little bowls of prim" pretty much came about by purchasing these cute wooden spools of twine & a packet of rusty looking bobbins . . .
. . . from The Warehouse of all places !!!


I covered the bottom of each bowl with a layer of dried rose hips then embellished away to my hearts content.
 I wanted to be able to scent the bowls with my cinnamon & clove oils so the rosehips & the cinnamon stick bundles were perfect for absorbing the fragrance.


Now I just need to design some grungy primitive style labels to attach to them ... mostly for those customers that ask me "what are these for??"  . . . Or "what do you do with these ??"
(My Mr always suggests to me when I get asked this last question, that I smile politely & say "you take them outside, plant them in the garden, & hope that more will grow"  .... as I am not sure that they would laugh, I have never yet tried this !!!!)

Earlier in the year I made a couple of purchases . . .


This gorgeous Seed Box was bought on my last trip down to Mums
(No, not the cat, well yes, the cat was purchased but I am referring to the box here)


These envelope templates above were my other purchase.  They were bought online from here
I knew I had an old book of bulbs in the back of my cupboard .... a $1 find from the Op Shop many years ago.


Pippi & I spent a rainy afternoon last week sitting at the table making envelopes from the pages of the Bulb Book ... apart from Pippis help it was quite therapeutic, all the repetitive cutting & folding ... we made 8 small size envelopes & 6 large size ones.
(Incidently old calendar pages are great for making envelopes also)
My plan is to package up some of my seeds from the garden, display in my new Seed box & sell in the Cottage


Often in the spring, when the garden is pretty & the groups come, I frequently get asked if I sell any seeds.
  I plan to make a label & attach with plain brown string to the envelopes . . . cross my fingers & hope for the best !!!!

While attempting to sew an orange wool blanket rabbit yesterday I grabbed my phone & clicked to show you just how very difficult creating can be since a small ginger 4-legged being came to live here . . .


She is fixated when the needle goes up & down & a paw will often shoot through from the other side ... other times she decides I might need the stitch length altering on my computer panel perhaps !!!!***!!!!

Though I try really hard to maintain some sort of order here in the house, some days it just all turns to chaos.
 It has been a bit like that lately as Pippi has discovered a basket left on the dining table (previously housing my bags of rose potpourri) makes an ideal sleeping spot


She is there in the mornings as the sun comes into the room . . .


. . . she is there tucked up in the afternoons as the fire warms the room . . .


. . . well golly gosh, look who is there in the evenings with his ample proportions squeeeeeezed into the basket ??!!

While the shortest day looms closer here our nights draw in very early now ... I have been so enjoying the beautiful Yankee Candle gifted to me by my youngest son for Mothers Day last month
The fragrance "MacIntosh Spice" is just beautiful ... I burn it while we have our dinner, away from little dancing paws & inquisitive faces.

I hope you are finding some creative time in your world dear readers,
I hope life is treating you kindly whether it is winter Or summer you are experiencing now,
Thank you So much for stopping by today ... I am off to fill the wood basket (yes, again!!)
with much love & friendship to you all,
Julie, Blackie & Pippi Longstocking 
x0x0x0x0


18 comments:

  1. I especially like your seed envelope idea - am sure this will sell really well. Good luck with all the new stock ideas. I wondered if pictures of your kitties in the garden in bloom would make good postcards or notelets for you to sell at the shop also. That little kittie is a delight. Betty

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  2. ooooO! Those little round boxes look really nice
    with the old spools of twine and bobbins...Yes!
    Very vintage!

    And poor Pippi, looks disappointed that the box is
    empty! Bless!x
    And a cat in a basket...? Loveliest thing ever! HeHe!
    And Blackie certainly fills it out...I've got a cat in a basket,
    in my pussy~cat folder...I'll get it off to you.
    And, Pippi looks as though she's got it all 'sewn' up!x

    Well, it's nearly seven in the morn'in over here Julie.....
    Best get on, another lemon tea is called for....And,
    Flossy's sitting out on the table, on the patio waiting
    for her saucer of milk...Think l'll join her! :).

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  3. Cute photo's of both cats in the basket, next they will try to be in there at the same time! imagine! I like your seed envelope idea too, you do come up with some clever and pretty ideas. I remember the lovely prim wooden bowl you made last time I was down, really cool idea, I can almost smell them from here and that candle too..........your house always smells so warm and welcoming.

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  4. The bowls look gorgeous actually, and I'd have bought them if I'd come into the shop. But you've made them even more perfect by filling them with so many treasures. I love your idea for seed packet envelopes. My daughter and I make envelopes out of old atlas pages. I adore Pippi, she reminds me of Nala, who's always up to mischief and will sleep in the most awkward of places :) The image of your Blackie squeezed into the basket made me chuckle. I have a similar one of Cobweb in my sewing basket. I love your creative blog.

    As well as the Winter Moon Vintage shop, I also have a Winter Moon Makes shop, which I hope to fill with all kinds of creativeness, so lately, I've been collecting moss and lichen, and pressing little flowers for future projects.

    Have a perfect day!

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    1. Thanks Yvonne for your lovely comment .... your atlas page envelopes sound so wonderful. I love to re-use the old books for repurposing. I am so pleased that you enjoy my photos of rascally Pippi - I do so enjoy when you post pics of Nala & Cobweb, they are SUCH beautiful cats. I look forward to seeing your Makes shop filled with all your goodies .... love what you do too x0x0

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  5. Love those bowls. The first thing I thought of was prim bowls and then i kept reading and you did just as i was thinking! Some people just need visuals to understand how good something is. Oh your kitties are so funny! Mine love scissors and I am surpised i havent nipped a whisker or paw in them yet :/
    Oh your scene of the candle burning makes me long for autumn days. It is so dreadfully hot here. Makes it hard to go walk the new pup.
    Good luck with the rest of your organzing and thinking outside the box :))))

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  6. Just back for another peek!.....and wishing that this screen was a 'scratch and sniff' screen so I could smell those goodies in the wooden bowls!

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  7. Oh I do love your Pippi....my Indy (kitten,now 18 months) used to do exactly the same thing with the sewing machine. Have a photo of her asleep on top of the machine, don't you just love them to bits!!! The wee bowls look awesome what a great idea to re vamp them!
    Have a great weekend and happy stitching, when you are not cuddling you wee grandson or Pippi !!

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  8. Oh don't you just love missy pippi and Blackie. I enjoy reading Willie's comments as well. It would be great to sit and chat with a nice cup of lemon tea with him. Julie your bowls are lovely and you could almost smell it with your gorgeous burning candle as well. At least when the weather is as miserable as it is you don't feel guilty at not being out in the garden. Happy crafting and take care. Hugs Shirley

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  9. Love the vintage bowl re-vamped ( maybe that should be re-glamped as they look so good- The Warehouse does keep coming in handy at times!). Thought the envelope idea and template was so good I went over to the web-site to order one for Miss H to put in her Christmas present. She has a friend she regularly writes to and it would be fun to make her own envelopes. Great idea! Love the way you have made the seed packets. Those cats are all snuggled up like I wish I was on this cold day. Still not too long till tea time then it's over to Grandma's to watch the Chiefs. Have a great weekend!

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  10. .........you should try doubling the price of the bowls - weirdly, if people think the price is an indicator of value they sometimes buy.

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  11. That envelope idea is amazing! Great idea selling your seeds too, I should share some of my stash with you for your garden. Mothers little helpers are awfully helpful aren't they.

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  12. Hello clever friend. It's amazing you get anything done in a straight line at all, with all that enthusiastic extra assistance! Good for you re-inventing the bowls. I notice a lot of people on Trade Me just stick to their guns no matter what, but if you try to be flexible & re-present stuff, most things will eventually sell. No flexibility, no sale (well from what I've seen & if it's sitting their for a bit). I like the envelop maker. Great idea using an old book....nice pictures & glossy pages. People respond very favourably to the packets. Although, I have to say they take a bit of time to make. I'm not very good at growing instructions just yet! Perhaps I should just write..."Take outside & plant in garden!" Thanks Graham : ) By the way, Honeywort is one of my best sellers. Lovely candle. I love the fire part of winter. Lucy likes candles too. Yay we finally had some rain...after having to do more watering again today. Happy cottage refresh..always helps to get rid of the extra stuff. Hope the baby days are going well. Tell them that spring will be much funner : ) Much love my friend, Catherine x0x0x

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  13. Your house must smell amazing with the candle burning and with those lovely re purposed bowls, they would make wonderful pincushion bases too ....I am having a pincushion craze at present!! Love the envelope idea and the seeds, I would want to buy them!!! Amazing you get any sewing done with that little ginger paw helping!! The cats look so cute in the basket!!

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  14. The little bowls look lovely now, you are very clever at breathing new life into old things! The envelope and seed idea is lovely, your packaging is gorgeous. Little Pippi is so cute, funny how cats need to be 'involved'!! hugs Wendy

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  15. OH dear Julie, seems I am a little too absent from blogland at the moment :-( and I missed this gorgeous post!! I do hope you're keeping tucked up nice and warm down there. I love your wooden 'pot pourri' bowls - what a brainwave of an idea... also the envelope idea is a grand one. It looks like your dear pets are keeping you out of mischief too!!

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  16. As you can tell from the copious comments from me, I am having a catch up on your blog Julie! Such a clever idea to cut up the seed book for envelopes, you have such a creative mind :) The seed box is lovely, what a great find :)
    Jillxo

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  17. Cats and baskets eh, mine are the same, I'm currently on the look out for one I can vamp up for Jinx, she's taken to stealing Max's basket, much to his disgust :D

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