Christmas wrap

Here's my giftwrapping from this year. How cool is the snowflake ribbon? It's from Calico&Ivy (they really do have awesome Christmas stuff). The brown paper is the last of my Ikea brown paper. And um, just in case you're confused, that brown mottled thing in the upper right corner is the vase for my Christmas stick.
Easiest wrap job was definitely the little box with the brown ribbon and bells. It's just the box that this Adorapop pendant came in


Plus the ribbon leftover from two Lindt Easter bunny chocolates. They stretched over the box (one in each direction) perfectly. I didn't even have to retie the bows or anything. Knew I kept them for a reason. See, despite buying my uber-fancy snowflake ribbon I also obsessively hoard things that might in any way be used to wrap a gift. The gold tissue paper above is recycled, as is the red box and the wide silver ribbon. The narrow silver ribbon was $2 for a haberdasher's size card/ roll/ thing (you know, the flat cards from which you buy trim by the metre) at a market stall selling vintage haberdashery.

behbee surprise blankie

I didn't knit this, no sir. But I did seam all seven strips together. It was a surprise gift for Michelle at my Stitch'n'Bitch, who is currently knocked up. Blanket looks pretty cool, huh? It's the circle of friends pattern from... um, I don't actually know what book.


And this is my super-duper gift wrapping (I stole the way to wrap the tissue from a clothes store I bought a dress from recently). Note the appropriate use of fun fur? Yes, it makes awesome gift trim.

And here's some garden caper. On the one hand, we have one of our largest beets yet. On the other, one of the two carrots that sprouted from a packet of very old seed. I'd been prodding the top of the carrot for ages, and was quite excited by its girth.


Stupid thing deceived me. It was only an inch long! The parsnips better not behave like that or there'll be trouble...

handbags

this is the handbag I use every day. See how the fabric is wearing away around the knot? You can't really tell from this photo, but it's also quite a grotty colour (washing machine has failed to fix this), and the fabric is also literally wearing away where it rubs against my hip (see the white flecks on the aqua part of the middle flower?)



Thing is, it's so roomy. It fit a water bottle and a lunch box and an umbrella and two glasses cases and my wallet and my phone and two sets of keys and some other sundry bits and pieces, despite looking no larger than the average bag. It's like a Tardis-Bag. I think it's because it has a base on it that's the size of a small dinner plate.
I figured I'd use it until the end of this year, then carefully unpick it for the pattern.
The other joy of this bag, however, is the pattern. I love it. It actually matches most things I own. It's bright, and it gains attention.
Well looky what I found:


Okay, this one has been sold, but the lovely NeverEnoughHours has others in her etsy shop in other colours. Maybe she will make another in the blue floral? I love the shape of the bag. And the kicker? She lives right in my city! It's like it was meant to be. Okay, I would need to (a) save up/ work a little extra (story of my life); (b) ask her to try and dump the contents of her life into the bag to check it's large enough for me (I think it is); and (c) enquire about a zip (prone to running, throwing bag on ground with gusto, carrying valuable loose in handbag, etc).
But I am very, very excited.

aside, here's what I gave mah mama for mother's day (unrotated, because I'm lazy). Note that the giftwrap from my work matches the complimentary 'thanks mum' sticker issued by head office (without knowing what colour wrap we had) which matches the Lotta Jansdotter notecard that I had in my stationery stash.


Also note my wonderful cloth napkins, which I use as placemats when guests come over.

clods

seems i spoke too soon. all but three of my beet seedlings died in the night. damnit. i think i broke their little rooties when i tried to split up the multiple seedlings in each little pocket of the container.

can't decide whether to try and grow some from seed (no roots to damage), or to give up and plant cauliflower.

change of subject from morbid thoughts of death and damage: giftwrap!



presents that have recently been gifted. all to the same person, actually. since the packages weren't a good shape to stack one atop the other (the needle roll ruined it, also the largest base package was an unframed matted etching, and i was leery of squashing it) i went with two stacked packages; one pink and frou-frou, one blue and kind of spunky. the silver ribbon is just wired, and not tied in a bow, so it sticks up. the pink rosette (is that the right word?) was made by leaving extra long tails. i tied a bow, then tied another bow with the ends of the first, then a third bow with the ends again, then tucked the remaining ends under the rosette to make two more loops. looked very swanky, i thought.

i love the look of beautifully wrapped presents. makes whatever is inside look more special.