Floral Gift Wrapping

Gorgeous gift wrap shouldn't just be for Christmas.  A few easy but effective wrapping ideas can ensure your presents are the most beautiful!  Here are some of my favourite Spring/Summer floral ideas that you can do too...

Use copies of old botanical prints for your wrapping paper.  This idea is nice with the tonal print, undyed string or raffia and a few sprigs of fresh or dried flowers.  So simple and so effective.

Home & Garden NL

Need something special for a bridesmaid or a wedding gift?  This idea of a fresh flower corsage used as a gift topper works really well.  The topper could be dried later as a keepsake!

The Pastel Corner

Bright paper and tissue paper flowers are a really simple way to make a big impact.  Lots of color and texture!

marieclaireidees.com

All you need here is a collection of paper flower cutouts.  If you've got a paper punch, then this will be super quick.  Stick them on top of your parcel to create a gorgeous 3D floral display.

Sarie.com

This image is for soap packaging, but you get the idea...  Get some sample wallpaper or vintage fabrics to wrap your gifts.  The more bonkers the print, the better!  If the print is really bright and busy, then just use a simple bakers twine or string to finish off the look.

the fabric of my life

I hope this inspires you the next time you are wrapping up that special gift.

If you like these, then head over to my Pinterest board for more ideas https://www.pinterest.com/bazaarboutique/bazaar-boutique-gift-wrapping/

Handmade Mother's Day Gifts From The Kids.

Well, it's Mother's Day this Sunday and I love, love, love receiving a handmade present from my wee one.  Usually it's just a card that hubby has helped with but here are a few easy Mother's Day crafts that you can do with your kids.  Keep them, or gift them to Granny or another amazing Mummy!

Painted Tin Can Planters
I am all for some upcycling, and this is a great way to get a little bit creative and repurpose your tin cans ready for the recycling!  Just make sure there are no sharp edges before letting your kids decorate their cans.

1. Painted Tin Can Planters from Dosfamily

2. Decorated Tin Can Planters from Make:

3. Decoupage Tin Can Organisers from iCreativeIdeas

Handmade Sugar Scrubs
Mum deserves to be pampered, so here are two really easy sugar scrubs to make.  Save a nice jam jar and some ribbon to make this gift extra pretty.

1. Baby Rose Sugar Scrub from Smart School House

2. Lemon Sugar Scrub from I Heart Nap Time

Wooden Lolly Stick Photo Frames
You can buy these wooden sticks in the craft sections in the supermarkets now.  With a little PVA, paint and some embellishments, kids can be as creative as their imagination can take them.  You could use shells, dried pasta, beads, glitter, pom poms, yarn...

1.  Popsicle Stick Frame from What I Live For

2.  Craft Stick Picture Frame from Zing Zing Tree

3.  Photo Frames from Pinterest

4.  Photo Frames from Pinterest

I hope you have lots of fun making these great gifts...oh and Happy Mother's Day when it arrives! x.

Kid's Valentine's Crafts

I love getting my little one involved in holiday crafts.  It makes the celebration more fun for us both.
I've pulled together a few of my favourite Valentine's craft projects that you & your kids will love to do.

1. These yarn hearts are super easy once you prepare the heart shape for your little one.  This crafter suggests floral wire, but you could use pipe cleaners which are probably easier to come by.  I'm sure the kids will love using lots of brightly coloured yarn and how about adding some beads or sticking on sequins too?

Yarn Hearts by Family Chic

2. Crayon hearts are a beautiful way to decorate the window.  The kids will love to see the light shining through them.  This one requires the use of waxed paper.  You can buy this online as its not readily available in our supermarkets.  You'll need to help melt the crayon shards but the end result is amazing.

Crayon Hearts by Martha Stewart

3. These Fruit Loop or Cheerios Bird Feeders are a great way to bring a bit of nature into your crafting.  You'll need some cereal hoops and some pipe cleaners.  The kids will love seeing the birds feeding from their little creations.

Fruit Loop Bird Feeders by Sweet and Simple Living

4. Toilet paper roll heart prints are super easy!  Add a bit of glitter for the finishing touch.

Toilet Paper Heart Prints by I Heart Craft Things

5.  You can make versions of these suncatcher hearts.  Use PVA glue and get the kids to decorate the the glue heart with clear beads, glitter, sequins, etc... or if you've got them, use Hama/Perler beads to create a heart.
Another method involves putting clear coloured plastic beads into the heart cookie cutter and placing in the oven until the beads have melted together.  Once cooled, you have a heart shaped plastic suncatcher!

Suncatcher hearts by Where Imagination Grows

6.  Using lots of coloured paper and heart shapes, you and your child will be able to recreate these cute animals.  This link has lots of animal suggestions.  I love the Panda!

Heart Shaped Animals by Crafty Morning

I hope you have fun making lovely things with your little cutie pies.

Glamourous Cocktails

New Year celebrations are over now but that doesn't mean we need to stop having a bit of fun!  

It's always nice to catch-up with girlfriends with a few cocktails, so here's a few ideas on how to make your drinks deliciously gorgeous!

1.  Even if you choose to have a non-alcoholic drink, you can be sure that you won't be missing our on the glamour with these pretty floral  ice cubes.

http://allthingsgirlyandbeautiful.tumblr.com

2.  To keep your drink cool without it getting watered down, just freeze fresh fruits onto cocktail skewers.

http://weddbook.com/

3.  Adding a sprig of herbs seems to be the new trend in cocktail making.  Check out these cocktails with herb garnish.
Vodka Lavender Lemonade; Blackberry Thyme Sparkler; Bourbon Rosemary Fizz

link to: 

http://theeffortlesschic.com/

http://www.theartfuldesperado.com/

4. Not sure what herb to use with which drink?  Here's a guide from Men's Health blog.

Men's Health Blog

5. Make some magic with this trick...  Candy Floss in a glass with some fizz added.  I think I'll try this with some sparkling wine!

http://serendipitysoiree.blogspot.co.uk/

Have fun!

November Window Display

I've not had much time this past week so the window display is a bit simpler that previous themes.  I think I'll still need to add more pom poms which will be work in progress.

   

http://www.bazaar-boutique.co.uk

Origami Christmas Baubles

I had my first craft evening this week and it was such good fun.  Just creating something simple but gorgeous can make you feel a great sense of achievement.  My ladies were so impressed that they had made a bauble from paper circles and were keen to know when the next class is.

My ladies have asked for an Origami evening to be the next theme...so, I've been racking my brain trying to think of a project that will be Christmassy, easy and look amazing.  I've chosen to make these...

To make this Origami bauble you will need the following:

• 2 x square pieces of paper (of equal size)
• a bit of tape (I used masking tape)

Step 1

Have your paper print face down.  Fold your paper in half and make a crease along the folded edge.  Open the paper and turn 90degrees.  Fold in half again and make a crease along the fold edge.

When you open the piece of paper you will see the following crease lines...

Step 2

Fold the piece of paper diagonally...so point to point to make a triangle.  When you open the paper out you will see the following creases...

Step 3

You now need to turn the piece of paper over so that the print is facing upward.  

You need to make a square fold now.  The diagonal folds need to be folded the inwards.  You should now have this shape...

Step 4

You will now have 4 'flaps'.

Each of these flaps need to be squash folded and you will have a fold that looks like this...

Do the same with the remaining 3 flaps.

This completes the origami...you'll need to do this first 4 steps again with your 2nd piece of paper.

Step 5

This is the tricky bit! 

Now you need to slot the 2 pieces together.  You'll need to do the following...

That's it finished!  You can add embellishments by threading beaded to hang from one end and add a hanging loop to the other end.  If you want, you can do this before you slot the 2 pieces together.

Originally from 'All About Origami'

Hope this inspires you to make your own!  have fun.

All Wrapped Up!

Don't you just love when you get a present that has been wrapped so beautifully?  Your loved one has really thought about the gift and wrapped it with love and imagination.  Here are our top 10 favourite gift wrap ideas from around the internet.



Miki Duisterhof.  Country Living Magazine.

1. This is a great look with the map wrapping paper.  It would be great to use a map of a place that means something to both of you.  Cute touch with the button and string.



Folk & Fest

2.  Fresh flowers make any present that bit more romantic.




originally from Style Me Pretty

 3.  Cute and easy way to wrap little presents or treats.  Just use a sticker or a beautiful gift topper to finish off the wrapping.



The Pink Couch

4.  Oh my, oh my.  This is a beautiful gift!  It would be a shame to unwrap this.  The paper is recycled garment pattern paper.  It's like tissue paper so it is perfect to wrap with.  The ribbon looks like it has wired edges to give the bow some structure.  And last but not least, the printed paper feather gift toppers!  You could print these from the internet or cut out from an old book.  Maybe flowers are your thing?...the possibilities are endless.




Housing a Forest

5. Great idea for a the little monster in your life.  Use round stickers and print-outs from the internet.




Helen Philipps

6.  Very creative.  If you've already got the sewing machine up and ready, this is got to be quicker than wrapping the traditional way with your sticky tape.  I like how the paper has been embellished with stamps, fabric flower motif, raffia twine and the button.  So, so cute.




Fraulein Klein

7.  Simple but effective.  Pom Pom topped parcels.  Nice with the feather name tags too!



Tara Anderson

8. Another Pom-pom topped present, but this one is extra special.  Lovely paper, embellished with a lace band, paper punch-out garland, bakers twine, sparkly leaves and finally the bright wooly pom-pom.  A fantastic use of colour & texture.



Joseph De Leo for Handmade Weddings



Chewing the Cud fabric gift wrap

9.  Using pretty fabrics is such a lovely way to wrap a gift.  Furoshiki is a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth.  There are so many different ways to wrap gifts.  You can even create handbags to carry items with your furoshiki.  Also...it's 2 gifts in 1!



Fab & Luxe

10.  An elegant use of the wide satin ribbon and the sparkly brooch.  You can find lots of pre-loved costume jewellery in thrift shops.  How about using a necklace to tie around the parcel, or a cluster of rings for the topper?

We hope you like our selection.  Follow us on Pinterest to see more wrapping inspiration.

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