My work colleague Myra gave me a little gift when she came back from her holiday and it was in this pretty floral paper bag. People often say they think about the packaging when giving me a gift because they know I will recycle them. Do you remember the baby shower gift with the teddy and tags on top of the box? Another work colleague gave me a small stone with the word 'FAITH' engraved on it when she came to my baptism last year. The box was HUGE in comparison but she said "I knew you'd like the box and would probably re-use it". Well, she wasn't wrong there!
Within a couple of days I needed a small but pretty bit of packaging in a hurry for a little handmade gift I was giving to a colleague who was leaving work the very next day and I simply didn't have any time to whip one up.
I remembered this pretty paper bag on my desk at work, tucked down the side of my computer where I had left it when I took the gift out. I wanted to look at it for a while (Am I sad or what LOL!). I grabbed a pretty paper doily and rummaged through a tin I keep with left over bits and pieces when I craft. I often mass produce cards and so I keep any bits that I don't use rather than throw them away. It makes for a really handy 'go to' when I don't have time to stamp or die-cut something for a project and often I'll fit what I need around the bits and pieces left over rather than the other way around. It makes for some very different and neat designs sometimes. What is it they say? "Necessity is the Mother of invention!"
I grabbed a few bits, threw them in my bag, headed off to work and did a super quick assembly with a stapler and a couple of foam pads. The stamped images are all Waltzing Mouse and really fit the gift inside. I made up a pretty tissue holder with some Cath Kidston fabric and popped some pretty CK tissues inside it. If you look real careful you can see where I hid the staples - just under the scrolls above where it says Waltzing Mouse Stamps. Ordinarily I'd have matched the green a bit better but it still worked - just athought that came to mind as I type and look at this photo in front of me :-)
It kinda makes me think I should go buy some really pretty paper and make up a few bags and then stamp up matching tags and bits. I love the 'matt' finish on some of the more costly papers from places like Paper Chase. It won't be long before I find myself needing another gift. It's all change at work with babies due and people coming and going! I don't know if we've ever been up to full capacity with staff at work and no sooner do we get more staff we find out more are planning to leave! Why you'd be forgiven for thinking it's not a nice place to work but you'd be wrong. There are such lovely girls at work and we've all been there for one another a time or two so it's a bit like a second family.
Enjoy!
Suezie
No comments:
Post a Comment