Unbought Delicacies: Making the cards

Friday, 18 December 2009

Making the cards

One of my favourite parts of the Christmas preparations is making the cards; I usually do a whole run of one design, but this year I had lots of very lovely bits and bpieces to use up, so made a varied selection. 102 I counted, I think! I spent a happy couple of hours at the kitchen table, taking my time, warmed by the Rayburn and a big mug of hot fruity cordial. I'll get them written this afternoon, ready for posting tomorrow; a bit later than usual, but that's only to be expected. I'm already planning next year's cards.............lol

This one is a bit of fun - not my idea, but I got it from the wonderful http://grayhood.com/, and I borrowed his idea, but made them pink! It makes me smile just to look at them!

6 comments:

thesnailgarden said...: I love your reindeer's pose, very Saturday Night Fever. Best wishes, Pj x; 18 December 2009 at 14:32
Kath said...: Lovely cards :)
Thank you for the link, looks like a very interesting site - great for inspiration.
Have a lovely and cosy evening xx; 18 December 2009 at 15:28
Vivianne said...: Tell us more about the fruity cordial ? :-); 18 December 2009 at 17:17
Willow said...: Lovely idea - I'm sure people will really appreciate your cards. I was thinking I might even start some napkins for gifts for next year (but I'm probably not that organised!!).

Willow x; 19 December 2009 at 07:48
aromatic said...: They look delightful and how clever you are... wish I could be more creative... nothing nicer than a home-made card!!
Love Jane xxx; 19 December 2009 at 11:14
MrsL said...: Vivianne - the fruity cordial is a bought one, by the Bottle Green company, called Spiced Berry. They do a lovely one with ginger and lemon grass too which is nice hot.

Thanks for the card comments :) I need to get a bit more organised for next eyar, and have a couple of longersessions, so I have a good stack ready for birthdays and other occasions throughout the year. It's a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

MrsL

xx; 19 December 2009 at 19:29

I have found such joy

I have found such joy in simple things;
A plain, clean room, a nut-brown loaf of bread,
A cup of milk, a kettle as it sings,
The shelter of a roof above my head,
And in a leaf-laced square along the floor,
Where yellow sunlight glimmers through the door.
I have found such joy in things that fill
My quiet days: a curtain's blowing grace,
A potted plant upon my window sill,
A rose, fresh-cut and placed within a vase;
A table cleared, a lamp beside a chair,
And books I long have loved beside me there.
Oh, I have found such joys I wish I might
Tell every woman who goes seeking far
For some elusive, feverish delight,
That very close to home the great joys are:
The elemental things- old as the race,
Yet never, through the ages, commonplace.

~ Grace Noll Crowell

Ideas for handmade gifts

Small knitteds - gloves, scarves, hot water bottle covers, hats, tea cosies, phone covers, little toys,,cushion covers, bags. Some of these can be felted/fulled for extra interest.
Edibles - chutneys and jams, pickles, nice teas in a vintage/retro tin, sweeties, toffees, mustard, home made wine and liqueurs, home dried fruits, ketchups.
For the home - trimmed tea towels, handknitted dishcloths, quilted wallhangings, small samplers, restored picture frames, pot pourri, lavender bags, covered coathangers, little scented bags for hanging on handles, framed photos of family,etc you've taken yourself, pincushion,needle book, scissor keeper, book of promises (eg babysitting, 1 hour's housework, the ironing, etc)
Bathtime - homemade soap, bath oils, bath salts, knitted washcloths, herbal bags for the bath, hand sewn toilet bags, trimmed hand towels, homemade lotions and potions packed in pretty jars and bottles.
For the garden - home saved seed in handmade decorated packets; homemade handcream, exfoliating soap, wheat bag for those digger's aches and pains!

Handmade books, personalised printed notepaper and envelopes.
Hamper of bits and bobs from the above lists, packed in a pretty lined basket.

I'll add some more as and when I think of them; These can be used all year round and easily tailored to the recipient - everyone loves a homemade gift. :)

Inspiring thoughts.............

I saw a man, an old Cilician, who occupied an acre or two of land that no one wanted.
A patch not worth the ploughing, unrewarding for flocks, unfit for vineyards;
he, however, by planting here and there among the scrub cabbages or white lilies and verbena and flimsy poppies, fancied himself a king in wealth, and coming home late in the evening, loaded his board with unbought delicacies.
Virgil

I had no theories to prove. I merely wanted to try living by my own hands, independently as far as possible from a system of division of labour in which the participant loses most of the pleasure of making and growing things for himself. I wanted to bring in my own fuel and smell its sweet smell as it burned in the hearth I had made. I wanted to grow my own food, or forage after it. In short I wanted to do as much as I could for myself, because I had already realised from partial experience the inexpressible joy of doing so.

Harlan Hubbard, Shantyboat: A River Way of Life

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Friday, 18 December 2009

Making the cards

6 comments: