Coffee Filter Gift Bag

I seriously LOVE coffee.
Not just any coffee; french press coffee made by my husband. For some reason I have stacks of coffee filters, and we my sweet husband does not use coffee filters when making french press coffee. I decided to recycle/upcycle those filters on gift bags.

For this DIY project, I started with plain Jane brown gift bags.

I  used oven safe paper bakeware for the base of the flower, (pic. below). One side of the paper is shiny, the other is matte.  

I crumpled up each paper tin, and flattened it out again.  I positioned the paper shiny side up, matte side down. 

For the next flower layer, I used a coffee filter. I decided to dye them green. I put a stack of filters (abt.25) into a glass bowl, added a few drops of food coloring, and a couple of tablespoons of water.  I waited a a minute or two, drained the water, and squeezed the remaining moisture out of the filters with my hands. Then, I dabbed the stack with a paper towel, to remove any remaining moisture.

I didn't wait for them to dry because the bottom layer (white paper tin), is coated with the shiny wax finish, so it won't absorb the wetness of the coffee filter. Then, I pinched the center of the fiter, turned it into a point, and used tacky glue to secure it to the paper tin. 

Ideas for center embellishments are endless such as: fabric yo yos, rhinestones, flower petals, and jewelry pieces. 

 

Need gift bags for all of your Black Friday purchases? Add a Christmas themed center, (from your local craft store), to the flower. 

linking to:
The Empowered Momma (t)
Learning the Frugal Life (t)
Sensational Creations (t)
Todays Creative Blog (t)
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia (t)
Sugar Bee Crafts (t)
Not Just a Housewife (t)

It is now time for my coffee,
Ele

Craft Show

A few pictures from my recent craft show. It has been a couple of snowy, icy days, but that didn't stop the crowds of people. Lots of brave Canadians came down for this big show, and I thank you!

 

 

 

 

 

I'm especially excited about the lady who told me one of my tote bags was getting on the plane with her that evening, and they were heading for Vegas. I hope it was a successful $ trip! As usual my booth was filled with vintage paper goodies; collages, cards, gift bags, journals, recipe books, ornaments, and wedding decor. I also had a few bracelets that sold out immediately. Thank you to all the lovely ladies, and the men, who patiently let their women shop!

 

I will have items at the Darling Stewardess on Black Friday, and will be at another show the first weekend in Dec. Be sure to friend a Bit of Heaven on facebook, for updates. 

 

Blessings,

Ele

RePurpose and ReUse Shopping Bags

Step by step instructions on how to create this:

from this:

Don't throw away shopping bags just because they have the store name on them. Repurpose and Reuse! This bag has great colors of Red and Hot Pink. I picked out scrapbook paper that had similar shades, only a different design. I like to pair a large print (stripe), with a smaller print.

Cut a strip wide enough to cover the store logo.

Turn the paper to it's back side, lay bag on top, and trace down the excess paper using the bag as your template. 

Trim off excess, by cutting along the inside of the line. 

Glue the paper to the bag by laying a thin strip of glue around the edge of the paper, and a few dots in the center. The key is not to use a lot of glue as the front side will look bumpy. If you do get a little too much glue, don't worry, it will dry flatter then it not wet. Stick glue will work, but over time, can detach from glossy paper. 

Next, you are going to pick trims to cover the edges of the scrapbook paper.  You can buy narrow foot long stickers, or sticker backed ribbon from the scrapbook department, or venture into the sewing department for a variety of trims that can be glued down.  

  

I chose a strip of hot pink rhinestone stickers, and rose colored velvet ribbon. Just about anything can be glued down, except satin ribbon, as the glue will show through.

Next, dip into your old, hardly every used jewelry, or take a trip to the second hand store and find an accent piece for your gift bag. Repurposing old jewelry will literally cost quarters. I chose a lavender colored drop, and some faux pearls, added them to a snippet of velvet ribbon, and glued it on.

If the store logo is on both sides of the bag, don't forget to cover it! However, you don't have to use jewelry accents on both sides, unless you want.

Voila, a bag for you to ReUse for gift giving.

 

Blessings, Ele  

Arts and Crafts Show/ part two!

Grab a cup of coffee. This post has a lot of pictures!

A Bit of Heaven, my shop/studio in an antique church building, is only open a few times during the year to the public. Last weekend was one of our open house events. This coming weekend, Dec. 5th and 6th, we will also be open. If you bloggers see anything you might be interested in, drop me an e-mail (righthand sidebar) and I will let you know if it's still available.

My friend, Farmchick, also joins me to sell her wares; wonderful soy candles, hot chocolate and marshmellow mixes, and treat mixes, yum. Last weekend she brought her cowboy soup, double yum! (Sorry shoppers, it was only for us tired, but happy workers!)

A woolen Christmas stocking-

Christmas stockings, and a tussie mussie-

Lavender Sachets-

Glittered Christmas words with a little extra embellishment.

Note the Happy Birthday pin at the top of the mirror. I think this one says, Happy 1st Birthday".

Christmas stocking gift bags-

Beaded silverware, tags, and one of my handmade table quilts-

A disply on top of a shelving unit-

Yes, I do have a few pink walls in my church. The narthex area (front entry), as well as the alter area (studio area) are raspberry pink. This is an old hosier cupboard filled with goodies.

Vintage hats for sale-

You know I'm not one to put a lot of personal info on my blog, but I've had such a marvelous week that I just wanted to share. In my last post, I told you my oldest son surprised me and came home. He hadn't been home for Thanksgiving in 3 years. My two boys, pink girl, Mr. Pink Heaven and I, together for Thanksgiving (along with other relatives).

Here are some of the highlights:

*coffee drips on the kitchen floor (this is code for "there are more males in the house, then females"- as it should be in my home- love those coffee drips!)

*the best meal I have had in a long time- I know it tastes better when we're all together, but REALLY the stuffing was FANTASTIC and NOT made by me

*Getting up at 4:30am on Friday to go shopping with my pink girl- her idea!

*Giggling at the lady that pulled the Christmas tree box out from under my hand. At this time of the morning, we seemed to think everything was funny. At the end of 12 hours of shopping, our giggles were cured, and we were just trying to feel our feet, but we'll do it again!

*having to stock the fridge with Dr. Pepper

*listening to the big boys say, "we're taking ANOTHER family picture"

*wonderful hugs and knowing that this time, it will only be 3 weeks until we're all together again....and yes, ANOTHER family picture!

Remember, if you add me to your public blog roll, let me know and If you have an arts/crafts/decorating blog, I will add you to mine!