Notes from A Cottage Industry

Weekly words to live by.

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A dining area update. (Or why I spring cleaned my dining room ahead of schedule.)

Very nearly a year ago I shared my dining room in progress in this post. Since then, I added new slipcovers to the chairs, and kept avoiding the big job of painting and staining the dining table.

I didn't feel like the black table base worked with my cottage style, and the table top was incredibly red-toned. That being said, painting the table base white over black was doable, but it seemed like quite an undertaking to sand down the table top. For starters, the table is decently heavy, and in order to get in the garage to sand would entail dismantling the table and schlepping it out the front door, through the yard, out the picket fence gate, around to the driveway, and finally, into the garage.

I felt tired just thinking about it.

So, time passed. The slip covered chairs looked okay. I mean, they were fine. Really, perfectly fine. Just not zippity-do-da-these-are-the-chairs-we-have-been-waiting-for fine, but fine. 

Except that they didn't add that warm cozy look I had anticipated they would add to the room. They looked a bit too formal for our little cottage, if that makes sense. That, and (...and this is the bigger issue) we apparently are rather sloppy grown ups. Every time I would look at the chairs, I would find another little blob, or smudge, or spill and I would have to run and grab my upholstery spray cleaner to get rid of the latest spot. (This was a challenge that had never occurred to me when choosing slipcovered chairs.)

Anyway.

Time passed.

I was down at Camas Antiques adding something to my booth when I saw three fabulous (to me at least) butter yellow wicker chairs. I stopped dead in my tracks. They were exactly what I wanted for the dining room. I asked at the counter if there were more of the chairs, and low and behold, there were indeed three additional chairs downstairs.

I needed to think about this. After all, I had already been through two different sets of chairs that were wrong for the room. I went home to think on it.

I went back a few days later and got them. Unloaded into the garage, they waited patiently for the big moment they would be brought in and placed in the dining room. You see, I knew I wanted the table painted and stained before the chairs could come in.

Yesterday was that day. actually, I began painting the table base the night before, and had Ralph help me flip it over to paint, then stand it back up when it was dry. (Right there in the dining room, because it seemed like too much work to move it to the garage...) All that was left was to sand the table top.

In the dining room.

What was I thinking? Was I thinking? 

By the time it crossed my mind that this was not a good idea, I was too far into the project. There was no turning back now. A fine coat of sawdust blanketed literally everything in the room, from the ceiling to the floor. (At least I had the sense to close all the doors in the hallway and to the kitchen...)

It took me all morning to sand the table top, and the entire rest of the day, into the evening, to vacuum, wipe down, and wash everything in the living and dining rooms.

I guess it's a good thing I am doing a month of spring cleaning, right?

On another note, I think I am happy at last with the table and chair pairing! Here is a parting shot of the room from the kitchen doorway....

Happy hump day, friends!

Taco Tuesday, the soup edition.

We don't necessarily do Taco Tuesdays every week, but I am thinking it just might turn into a thing at our house, for two reasons. First off, they are relatively healthy, as long as you are mindful of what toppings you get carried away with. Second...I am a Pinterest girl when I need a recipe, and dang! There are just so many good and different taco recipes out there! (Different kinds of meat, no meat, baked, crispy, soft....soup.)

Tonight we are having the yummiest and easiest ever taco soup. ( Find recipe here.) Seriously, all you do is cook the meat, and open the cans of other ingredients, dump them all in the crockpot, and let the magic happen while you are busy doing other things (like spring cleaning!)

The post where I decided to try my hand at actual "spring cleaning".

I have a memory from back when I was a school-age kid growing up in the bay area of California, of my Mom taking a week's vacation off from her secretarial job at Lockheed to do spring cleaning at our home.

It was quite the undertaking, at least from my child's-eye-memory bank.

I recall her spending full days, beginning in the morning, with an organized game plan to tackle all sorts of deep cleaning housekeeping chores that kind of develop over time while no one is looking. She waxed the hardwood floors, cleaned the oven, (This was long before the days of self cleaning ovens...) washed the baseboards and the windows, and I'm sure a whole lot more that I do not recollect. What I do remember was thinking just how squeaky clean our home was by the end of that week in spring.

Looking back, it was really kind of spectacular.

I had forgotten all about this, until last week, when something I read prompted me to do an actual deep spring cleaning of my own home. Interestingly, I have never actually done a structured "Spring cleaning", even though my Mom used to do it. I am not sure why it has never occurred to me to do so.

That is until now.

Okay, let me back up one more time. I know I might seem to rambling, (am I?) and this is getting to be a long story here but, I'm trying to give you some background.

I am a sucker for marketing. (Always have been.) Fabulous business cards, labels, or tags cause me to stop my scrolling online, or stop my shopping cart in Target to take a closer look. Because I love that stuff, I spend far too much some time looking at marketing ideas on pinterest or wherever I may happen to spy it with my little eye, and at some point online a few years ago, I came upon the branding pieces for Clean Mama.

Maybe it was that Robin's egg blue, or...who knows what, but that lead me down the rabbit hole to see exactly who this Clean Mama was. If you are not familiar, do yourself a favor, and check her out. She focuses on cleaning everything in your home. (Um...yeah, hence the name Clean Mama. Smart name, clever branding.) 

Aaaaaaanyway....

Last week I saw that she was doing her annual spring cleaning event, and I felt suddenly inspired to get on the spring cleaning bandwagon.

Beginning today, for the entire month of March, she is doing a free spring cleaning event, broken out by weeks, complete with printables and the weekly breakdowns for the month. I'm thinking after a year at home, I am more than ready for this challenge. It starts today, and the details are on her blog. (Check out her blog post to get yourself ready...) 

As you can see, this week is prep week and the laundry room. (It sounds doable!) I'll be starting today and I hope you'll be inspired to join in. I'll share my progress, and I'd love to hear yours. Who's in?

 

......edited after I read Clean Mama's post for today: (8:20 AM Pacific Time)

We can find Clean Mama's daily spring cleaning posts here.

Also, I want to be clear here that I am not saying that I am (or would expect you to) buy all of Clean Mama's products today to get started. I am confident her products are good (with great packaging) but if you're doing this deep dive into cleaning, please feel free to use whatever products you love.

I printed the free downloads I needed for the week, and I am starting now with my laundry room, and beginning with the washer. I am going to tape the washer cleaning instructions inside my cupboard for future reference, as our water is very hard here, and I am thinking I will want to do this task monthly moving forward.

One last thing; I may be jumping the gun here, but I looked up Clean Mama's post on how to clean your washer. (I never knew we needed to do this!)  Here is the blog post link. 

Weekly words to live by.

#weeklywordstoliveby #notesfromacottageindustryblog #acottageindustry

The unseen decor must-have item I cannot live without.

Regardless of the time of year, there is one constant that adds to the comfy, cozy, welcome feel in my home, and if you've been here, you know what it is.

It's home fragrance.

Mmmm, mmm, mmm, mmm. I want everyone who enters my home (including myself) to immediately feel welcome, and furthermore, to be met with the most pleasant, yummy, comforting scent.

It has been a daily ritual of mine for literally years now, and I will tell you what it is.

It's wax melts.

Oh, my, my, my, how I love me some wax melts. (The only time you will not smell my wax melts is when I have something delicious smelling cooking in the oven, crock pot, or on my stove top....)Oh, and in case you are wondering, you can get the the wax burners here as well.

Decades ago, back in the early, early 1980's I think, potpourri enjoyed a wildly popular resurgence (I think it comes from the Victorian times originally or even further back in time...) and we enjoyed big jars or bowls of fragrant dried flowers. (Anyway, my girlfriends and I all did.) and then along came a thing called "simmering potpourri" where you put these dried flower petals, and cinnamon, or lavender, or vanilla, or whatever...in a big ol' pot of water on the stove.

It smelled heavenly.

The problem with simmering potpourri was that you would be enjoying the fabulous scent wafting out of your kitchen, and la-dee-da...time would pass, and suddenly, (usually when you were at the point most furthest from your stove) you would smell...what is that?!

Uh, oh.

Just at the precise moment your brain processed that bad, burning smell, your smoke detectors would go off. All of the water in the simmering potpourri would have evaporated, and you now were the proud owner of a burned pot, and a smell you couldn't get rid of for three days.

Far out.

**Side story here: One of my friends (in the 1980's....) had a pot of simmering potpourri on her stove, and her elderly father lived with her. Well, he was having some of his pals over, and she left to run an errand.

She returned to find that her Dad had served the simmering potpourri to his friends, mistakenly thinking it was some type of interesting cider drink, due to the cinnamon and vanilla he smelled.

They didn't really like it, but they all politely drank it.

True story, friends. (No one got sick, but it was easy to understand how it happened.)

Okay, back to my blogpost, and the history of home fragrance.

Scented votives and fat candles in glass holders then reached the height of popularity at some point after that, (The 90's....about the time Pearl Jam and Nirvana hit the scene....)and while I love a nice scented candle, I was born in California, and I kinda still worried about earthquakes. Also, I am rather forgetful, and the fire hazard thing just concerned me too much with three elementary aged kids in my home, so I never got too heavily into the scented candles all over my home thing. (I mainly enjoy a nice scented candle during my bubble bathes....)

This brings me back to wax melts. (Were you starting to wonder where I was going with this post?) A company named Scentsy first brought them to life, at least in my world, and then the copycat companies jumped on the bandwagon. The Better Homes and Gardens brand is still to this day my all time favorite, with it's not-to-be-undersold pricing, and wide array of fragrances.

You melt the wax in a cute little electric contraption called aptly enough, a wax burner. Wax melt burners come either as wall plug in style, or sit on the table style, and I have both. (I know you are not surprised.) I couldn't pick a favorite if I had to. I just know that I love the comforting fragrance floating throughout each and every inch of my home. (Another side note here: They also double as great little night lights.)

I am a seasonal scent nut kook purist, and I love matching the seasons, or weather to my home scents. I mostly use the vanilla peach for summertime, (fresh, and light, with just a hint that something just might be baking in the oven) A Thankful Harvest for autumn (Be still my heart. I swear it's a scent straight out of a Hallmark movie.) Perfectly Pine smells like a real fresh cut Christmas tree,(I start burning this the day after Thanksgiving while I am putting out my Christmas decorations.)  and finally, Orange Buttercream is my number one go-to for springtime. Of course, sometimes I try new scents, but these are my tried and true wax scents for the year.

I am now realizing that I have rambled on about the history of home scents for several paragraphs, so I should probably button this up, for fear that everyone is thinking that I am a fragrance obsessed senior with far too much time on her hands. 

(Well, we are still in the midst of Covid, so that is not entirely untrue.) 

Whatever.

Don't take my word for it. If you have not tried wax melts to add the icing on the cake to your home atmosphere, I suggest you pop by any big box store, and when you are alone on the wax melt aisle, open a package of a scent that sounds yummy to you, pull your mask down off your nose, and take a big. deep. long. sniff. of it.

It just might change your world. It did mine.

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Happy hump day, peeps!

There are still a few remnants of snow on the ground here, but spring has most definitely sprung inside my home.

I know I eluded to it just a few posts ago, but I am ready for some springtime. This week I decided I could wait no longer.

I put away all of the red and black decor touches all around my home over the past week. I then pulled out my most favorite Robins egg blue and light corals, and I've gotta say, it's like seeing an old friend after they've been away.

Since our home is on the "cozy" side (Around 1100 square feet total) most of my touches are in the living and dining room area. (In smaller spaces, less looks like more!) The fantastic quilt my mom made me for my birthday a few years ago now adorns the back of the sectional...

...and makes the most welcoming statement for the entire room. Bird's nests and faux eggs, along with greenery and terra cotta pots are scattered about in nooks and crannies.

The mantel is enjoying a re-do as well, with my terra cotta pots and my favorite seed banner, along with some of my faux Robin's eggs. This all works for me through Easter and Mother's Day, and clear into June, when I pull out my patriotic decorations.

I am so loving this change up in decor! The entire color way and lighter, brighter look is like an actual breath of fresh air to me.

I know. It's still raining here, with grey skies, and so it's not quite windows-open-flip-flop-wearing-weather just yet, but it's coming, hopefully sooner than later, and I for one, am ready. who's with me?

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Weekly words to live by.

Who else is ready for spring?

I know we are not supposed to wish our lives away, to live in the present, but...dang, between the Covid virus and the record setting cold and storms (and tornados...) I am over winter already.

Talk about your cabin fever.

I've got a crazy busy day planned here, with a quick trip down to Camas Antiques (our snow is melting....yay!) to pull the last of the Valentine items from my booth and get it ready for my spring and Easter items that I will be loading in tomorrow. From all I have been creating and gathering, it looks like aqua and coral are gonna be taking the lead color wise. (Which is no surprise, as that are my favorite color combo and what I am pulling out of the trunk in the living room today.

I store all of my offseason linens in there (everything must be useful in a small house!) and today I will be putting away the red and black plaids from Christmas and Valentine's Day, and I'm beyond ready for my yummy robins egg blues and corals to totally change the feel of my front room! I'm feeling happy just thinking about it.

I hope everyone is staying safe, and warm, and I hope you're doing something today that makes you smile.

The post where I decided to go with "more is more", and created a fun and foofy backdrop, courtesy of the The Other Tracey.

I love it when an impulsive idea morphs into something fabulous, don't you? Like, it was meant to be. If you don't know what I mean, let me explain:

Sometimes, an idea will quite literally pop into my head, and before I have actually fully processed that idea, I will act upon it. (Note: I do not recommend this as a method of running your business or your life.) One of these half-baked ideas happened just before Christmas last year.

I have been enjoying having a larger booth space at Camas Antiques this past year, (even with the pandemic!) and one day while trying to find a spot for some new holiday banners, it suddenly struck me that I should have a case sized space somewhere close by across the aisle from my big booth. That way I could showcase a certain theme in it. 

Anyway, as soon as the idea came to me, (and without a second thought that maybe I should think this idea through or at least sleep on it for a day) I whipped out my phone and texted Clark (he is in charge of booth spaces at Camas Antiques) to see if I could get on a wait list for a case. A couple of weeks later (after I had forgotten all about wanting a case at this point...) Clark let me know he would have a case for me on January first.

Oh! Okay.

I now had about two weeks to figure out what I was going to put in this new small space area, and for the life of me, I couldn't remember exactly why I felt I needed more space at the store. I knew for sure that I could fill the case, and after thinking further on it, I gave myself a time frame of six months to give it a shot. If it isn't profitable for me by the end of June, I would give up the extra space. (And no, it never crossed my mind to tell Clark it was a spur-of-the-moment idea and thanks, but no thanks...)

Stepping back in time about two or three months to early autumn, The Other Tracey had sent me a box literally crammed full of fabulous old skirts in various styles, and all in shades of whites and creams.

Be still my heart.

She had cut them along one seam so they could be hung flattened out on a wall as a whimsical backdrop. (She had done this a few years ago in her booth in Reno, and somehow had never gotten a photo of the idea, but she was certain I would love the idea too!)

So, I had been keeping the box of skirts, and was adding more to it so I could cover one of the walls in my large booth space. Now I realized I could use what I had to cover the back wall of the new case. 

Yeah, baby.

It suddenly felt very meant-to-be to me.

On New Year's Day I headed down to Camas Antiques. I used my staple gun to attach the skirts to the back of my case, and, with the Other Tracey giving me her input on installation of the many vintage skirts, via video call, I had my backdrop up in no time at all. (Truly, it was the next best thing to her being there!)

It was perfect, and I was beyond thrilled with the results. Here is a peek at the beginning of me filling the new case....

So far, I am thrilled with my new case space, as it seems to be a great little side hustle of sorts to house more of my paper crafts inventory, and it is very easy to restock. I filled my case with a Valentine's Day theme and a couple of weeks later, switched it up for the upcoming Superbowl game.

I love it when these kinds of ideas work out! Do you ever do things like that? At home, or with work, or whatever? 

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The evolution of my workroom over a six year time span.

Aaah yes, the little room where all of the magic (and messes) happen, so to speak.

Okay, Let's start at the beginning. If you've been reading my blog a long time, you might remember that the smallest room in our cozy cottage was my little workroom. It is a teeny tiny bedroom sandwiched in the hallway between the other two bedrooms and the bathroom, and its petite size is perfect for my workspace.

I was looking through old blog posts, and I was shocked to realize that I have never shared my home workroom renovations with you.

I moved into my sweet little cottage on the corner back in December of 2014. (Can you even believe it has been a little over six years?! I can't.) I shared a peek into it in early 2015, and you can see a picture to refresh your memory (and mine) here.

And later, I shared some small details here.

Then I tried repurposing the heaviest piece of shelving in America to hold crafting supplies here. (Oh my. What exactly was I thinking? I planned on painting it, but, in perfect 20/20 hindsight vision....the 80's furniture just needs to stay in the 80's....)

None of it was really coming together quite the way I had envisioned it in my mind's eye, but it was working.

Kinda.

We (my handy-mad-carpentry-skillz daughter and I) renovated my workroom in 2017, and somehow I never shared anything about it here.

Weird.

(Let's go with the "better late than never" mindset here.)

So, as I said, it was 2017. (Remember 2017? When life was lived with lots of hugs and no masks?)

Anyway.

Twenty seventeen. My daughter is very handy with wood and construction, and for my Mother's Day gift, (along with a new nail gun) she wanted to refresh my workroom.

Yay!

We designed some built in shelves and a desk to do beneath them, and then we got busy...We (My daughter) built shelves (I was the go-fer helper) above the desk and I moved the little vintage white dresser to hold more crafty supplies. 

She had a very old, very heavy thrifted desk that had been passed around between family members that she had an idea for in my workroom, and we planned the whole makeover around that. She took the top off of the desk, and we repurposed the two banks of drawers to use as the base for my new desk area...

Oh, so much better for working in!

Except for the fact that I am a messy creative type.

The room functioned well, but my messiness creativity stayed pretty out of control until...well, until the pandemic hit. I am not sure if has been all of this time spent at home, day after day, after day, after month, or what, but the messiness began to wear on me something awful. 

I decided to do something about it.

I got a bag for trash and a box for donations. It was hard at first, but the more I purged, the more I began to see just how much stuff I had that I had not used in at least a decade and a half.

Seriously.

I got in touch with my inner Marie Kondo (I didn't know I even had it in me!) and after a few purging sessions with myself I found I had more to donate than to keep. (It turned out that all of this stuff wasn't "bringing me joy" as Marie would say, as much as it was very nearly turning me into a craft hoarder. (You know what they say; it turns out that shopping for craft supplies, and crafting are two different hobbies....)

Desperate for a system of order, I purchased white photo boxes from Michaels Crafts (Only $2 each with the sale price...) and picked them up curbside. (I actually love this service that has come out of the pandemic. Just pop open the hatchback on my car, wave thank you, and get back home...)

As much as I liked the little vintage dresser I had in the room, the long narrow drawers were just a magnet for messiness. I searched online, and found a cubby style shelving unit that would hold items, yet keep them visible for me. Also, it would hold the photo boxes oh, so neatly.

I then filled the boxes with the themed paper craft supplies and already made banner inventory  I had purged through, and I stood and admired my handiwork for a solid forty five minutes.

I am thrilled to share with you that I have now kept my workroom clean and organized for going on three months now.

(Trust me, this is huge for me.)

Has the past year and the pandemic changed your homekeeping style any? Have you paired things down, like me? Started cooking differently? Baking more? I'd love to know!

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Weekly words to live by.

Happy Valentine's Day, sweetie-pies! 

A little Valentine cookie post.

This Sunday is Valentine's Day, and since we are all pretty much still hibernating at home, (And it looks like most of the country is under winter storm watch!) I thought it might be fun to share some easy (and so cute!) cookie decorating tips.

I love baking sugar cookies for holidays, birthdays, and pretty much any occasion I come up with. You can find my recipe for my Sugar Cookie and Buttercream Frosting recipes here:

  Download Best Ever Sugar Cookies Recipe  Download Best Ever Buttercream Frosting Recipe.

I have a set of graduated heart cookie cutters that I love to use, as I can have various sizes of cookies to tuck into baskets, boxes, bags, or plates to give out. Once my cookies are baked, I let them cool completely before I frost them.

Make your frosting, and use separate bowls to add various shades of food coloring to keep things neat. You will want to use a pastry bag, and a number 3 decorating tip to frost the cookies. You may also want to add sprinkles to your cookies for some added color.

Once the cookies are decorated, they can be arranged in boxes, baskets, or bags to share with friends...so easy!

 

#Valentine'sDayTreats, #GimmeSomeSugar

 

Weekly words to live by.

Weekly words to live by.

Weekly words to live by.

Weekly words to live by.

Well friends, it's been quite a year so far. (and it's only January 17th...)

It seems to me that it is more important now than ever, living within our current level of political stress, and lack of in-person social engagement to pull out all the stops at home.

Take extra care to treat yourself, (and anyone you live with) as a very special guest. Life is just too short to not make the most we can out of every. single. minute.

Be kind, and be safe my friends, and do your best to make each day one to remember.   #notesfromacottageindustryblog #cozycottagehome #beyourownguest

Weekly words to live by.

Hello, 2021.

I hope today finds you healthy, and happy.

I always take down my Christmas decorations the day after Christmas, but this weird year has me in a mode of what's-the-rush-life-is-shorter-than-you-know and therefore, my Christmas tree is still decking the halls of our little home.

How about you? Was your holiday decorating and take-down the same as always, or was this year different for you too? Did you put up the usual amount of sparkly holiday touches, or scale it back a bit, embracing the less-is-more feeling?

Well, that tree isn't gonna take itself down, so I guess I am going to tackle that today, after I enjoy my New Year's cuppa cocoa (with whipped cream and marshmallows, thankyouverymuch.) Happy New Year, everyone!

#hello2021 #kiss2020goodbye #happynewyear #newyearnewgoals #notesfromacottageindustryblog

Weekly words to live by.

Weekly words to live by.

Weekly words to live by.

Christmastime mantel.

I shared a while back that I scored a rusty toolbox at a yard sale. It's the longest toolbox I have ever seen in person, (about 32 inches) and as soon as I spotted it on the driveway of a yard sale, I knew I wanted it.

For my mantel. 

(I may have already shared this fact too, but, just in case I didn't..)

To this day, I am not sure why my fireplace mantel stood out in my mind's eye that day, but it did. The lid is rusted in such a way that it is slightly open, and that makes it extra perfect (in my mind, anyway) to nestle little seasonal goodies inside so that they are just peeking out, without the lid falling down on top of the items inside.

For autumn I shared that I had filled it with spiders and little white pumpkins (I use the Dollar Store plastic ones; three for a dollar! and no worry of them rotting, plus I can use them year after year....) as you may remember my sharing...

...and for the Christmas season I have filled it with my artificial frosty looking boughs, vintage ornaments, and a few bits of cotton ribbon, which is the same ribbon I use to tie bows on my Christmas tree. I just love the juxtaposition of the different textures; the rusty toolbox with the shiny ornaments and the feathery looking branches, and the chippied old bannister dowels.

I finished up the mantel by adding little vignettes on either side of the toolbox, and then hung our stockings.I'm happy with the new holiday look up there, as opposed to my year after year mirrors and gold balls and stars. Time will tell what I do up there next!

Have you done anything out of the ordinary in your holiday displays?

Weekly words to live by.

And on the fifth day of December, the holiday baking commenced.

(Insert a ginormously long, happy sigh here.)

Oh, I how love to bake.

Especially when it's an all out multiple baking jobs kind of time of the year. I tend to make the same treats year after year, even though I save new recipes all the time. (Do you do that too?)

I always, always bake my snowball cookies (Russian Tea Cakes I first knew them as) my old faithful Betty Crocker Cookbook sugar cookies with buttercream frosting, itty bitty white cupcakes, and dipped pretzels. It's my tradition I guess you would say. 

Oh, and I love a white on white on white theme, so I then add Trader Joe's chocolate dipped star cookies for that nice splash of color depth. (Okay, now I sound a little nutty.)

Anyway.

I am pretty much in my full glory when I have a baking day like this. No out-and-about-commitments on my calendar (Helllllllll-lo, it's the pandemic, after all.) and it's Saturday. (I don't worry about housework on weekends.) It's going on 2:00 in the afternoon, and I am still in my pajammies and robe, baking, and hummimg off key, and totally enjoying every single second of it all. It's a Traceyville day here, for sure.

What about you? Do you do holiday baking this time of year? How are you spending your first Saturday in December?

Gift wrapping tips and tricks, Part Two.

Whew! It's been a day.

(Nothing terribly exciting, just seems that way, because of that time management issue I keep mentioning...)

So.

Yesterday we covered supplies, and I hope you found at least one idea or supply item that was new to you! Today, (ehem...tonight, really.) it is all about my wrapping style.

(You may already know and do these few things, but in case you don't.....)

When I wrap, I use a measure and cut my wrapping paper like we all do. Then, I use a piece of tape to hold my wrapping in place on the center-ish area of my box, and then wrap the cut paper around the package.

When I get all the way around the package, I make sure the paper goes past the end of the box, and I crease it there. (See that fold there on the right hand end? That is my crease.)

Then my outer piece of tape on on the edge. It makes for a neater, tidy, seamless looking wrap job, especially if you use double sided tape, and put the tape under the seam where it is hidden. (In my humble opinion, anyway....)

Once the box is wrapped, I am ready to add the the various fun touches, such as shred, and tulle, and anything else that strikes my fancy. The first adornment step is usually ribbon.

I wrap a length of ribbon around my wrapped box, and tie it just like this...

Now it is ready for the fun little adornments. In the box I am sharing today, my first layer was red shred (Dollar Store- I love their colors, and their price!) I simply take a small amount of shred (the bigger the package, the more shred you use) and laid it on top of the ribbon, then tied the ribbon over the shed, like so, like that. ( I'm typing this in my best Tabitha Brown voice...)

On top of the shred layer I added 3 pieces of tulle (stacked on top of each other and bunched up in the center.) then I tied the ribbon again to hold it in place.

Next, I added a little sprig of faux greenery from my Christmas stash...

Then, a jingle bell (Dollar Store again...eight in a package!) topped things off. I was ready to either tie a bow, or, as in this case, I opted for a more simple look, and let it as a non-bow, with nicely trimmed ends on my ribbon.

I always like my ribbon to have an upside down "V" at the end. To get this perfect every time, simply fold your ribbon in have and make an angled cut. Unfold, and it's perfect every time.

The last step is using my spray glue and glitter when I am wanting a shimmery festive look. (And, in this case, I did.)

Ugh. The sun was setting, and my lighting got bad for the last shot there. (I told you, I suffer from a fairly severe time management condition...)

This method of gift wrapping works with shred, tulle, tissue paper, and anything else you can think of, along with clever tags (I didn't get my tag made before the sun set...) and any kind of little ornament, or treat you want to tie on to a gift. The same exact process works when wrapping a wine bottle, except you would use tissue paper or tulle to wrap your bottle.

The little gift boxes I use do not even need to be wrapped, which is pretty sweet when you're in a time crunch, or when wrapping a lot of gifts, it is extra nice. (More on these in another wrap related post!)

I am looking at the clock now, and it is after 8:00 PM Pacific Time. I am thrilled that I managed to complete this post before the clock turns twelve and I missed the day entirely.

 

 

Gift wrapping tips and tricks, Part One.

The season of major present wrapping is upon us, and I'm hoping to inspire you to get yourself a dialed in gift wrap supply box-closet-cupboard-whatever so you will always be ready to make any package look fabulous, even at a moments notice. It also occurred to me that you might be able to score some pretty sweet deals with all of the extra deep online sales this year for some of the staples I keep on hand to make my gift wrapping unique!As a girl on a teeny tiny budget, I can tell you first hand that the supplies I use are all affordable, and, please know that I didn't buy all of my supplies in one giant shopping trip, but over time, and by thinking ahead.

Today I am beginning with the list of supplies I always keep on hand. After all, having wrapping supplies already on hand in a closet or drawer, ready to go, makes everything easier. 

I guess it goes without saying, but first, a decent pair of scissors, and a few rolls of scotch tape. (I buy mine in 3 packs at my Dollar Tree Store) There is nothing worse than needing to wrap something last minute and seeing you have exactly one inch of tape left!

Next is my wrapping paper. I say it probably too often, but I like to use brown kraft paper as my base for all gifts. I have rolls of kraft paper, small and larger paper bags, and even the cutest little 4" x 4" x 2" boxes. My bases are covered. (I have a friend that does the same, but her go-to is white butcher paper.)

The reason I am sharing this basic tip again is that it. saves. me. time. and. money. I don't have a basket in the corner with endless random roll-ends of printed paper that at some point get slightly crumpled, and never are quite big enough to wrap a gift when I have the right occasion for that paper, or still have the right color ribbon to coordinate with it, or....you get it, right? Oh, and one more thing; I keep rolls of painter's mask paper rolls on hand as well, for smaller packages.

The brown kraft paper is always neutral. Man, woman, child, housewarming, Christmas...it works.(Extra tip here: I also use the rolls of kraft paper as table runners either under a cloth runner, or sometimes solo, and the wider kraft paper makes for a great table top covering that kids can color on, or for protecting my table during a messy art project...) If you adore the many beautiful printed wrapping papers out there, and have a place to store them, fine. You do you. It's just how I work, and I am not trying to sway you. As long as you love the paper you use, it's all good.

Along with paper, I will say that having some gift bags and small gift boxes are my next supply basic. I get my gift bags, for the most part, at my local Dollar Tree Store. Small ones are three for a dollar! I also sometimes buy them in a larger size in bulk at the restaurant supply near my home.

I get my sweet little gift boxes here, usually, but I have branched out on these to also include black, white, and blush pink boxes from here. I know buying these little boxes in groups of 100 might seem like overkill, however I cannot tell you how many times they have come in as the perfect container for gift cards, a baked treat, party favors....you name it. You can use them solo of course, or you can stack them and tie them together with a ribbon for a themed gift.

I. love. them.

Okay, that covers containers and wrap material. Next is ribbon. True confession; I am a  crazy, out of control bit of a ribbon hoarder. Any time I find a ribbon I like, I get it. Yard sales are good places to find ribbon a lot of times! Also, places like Walmart and Dollar Tree.

I also am always on the lookout for cute tissue paper. I store it all together in one neat and tidy basket, and I can flip through it when I want to use some inside a box, as bag fluff, or even as part of a foofy bow.(This photo is hideous, but I want you to see how I organize it...)

My other always-have-on-hand-item is small rolls of tulle. I get my bolts of tulle at Walmart. You can find it online in an assortment here, and singles in the stores as well. After you wrap a ribbon around your package or handle of a bag, you can add in lengths of tulle for some foofy goodness.

Speaking of tulle, I also have some white tulle that iI bought a bolt of that I love to use to wrap wine bottles as a hostess gift, and in case you haven't seen it done before, I sometimes use it instead of colored tissue inside a box, or sticking out of a gift bag! It looks so whimsical and pretty, and you can dust it with a bit of spray glue and glitter to really take things over the top.

Speaking of glitter and glue, as I said, if I want more of a shimmery look, I then use my spray glue, followed by a sprinkling of glitter. You can also substitute the glitter for confetti. (Paper confetti, or mylar for a metallic look) This works great any package or bag, and on a tulle wrapped wine bottle as well.

One more terrifically fun addition is colored shred. I get mine at Dollar Tree, but you can find pretty colors almost anywhere. You can also make your own shred if you have a paper shredder. Simply feed in sheets of sheet music, or old book pages, and you have instant vintage look shred!

Lastly, I add clever tags. (I make mine on my computer, and there are some in my etsy shop, but you can make your own as well on your own computer, or even by hand!)

Often times I add some sort of fun bobble to my wrap jobs. My most favorite place to find little ornaments for my packages is the Christmas ornament section of places like Target, Walmart and, again, the Dollar Tree Store. Take a look after Christmas when things are 50% to 75% off, and you just might be surprised at the cute little bobbles you find! Themes like sports, cars, camping, or a favorite color like lavender or pink...all found right there on the ornament aisle. I keep them in a box in my workroom closet, and when I need one, it's waiting for me.

I think that about wraps up my supplies list. (See what I just did there?) I hope I have inspired you to organize your own gift wrap area, or to check out the links in my post here to get some new creative wrapping supplies!

Next post I will be sharing my gift wrap techniques....Happy Thursday everyone!

#acottageindustryetsyshop #acottageindustry #notesfromacottageindustryblog #Christmasgiftwrap #christmasdecor

Knee deep in Christmas and glitter.

Time management has always been my biggest life challenge, and it has gotten way out of control while living through this pandemic. (I know I have shared this time management struggle before. I'm a work in progress.) Since the start of the year I have ever so slowly, as the slowdown to  shutdown has happened, gotten into a mind-set in my head where I think I always still have tomorrow to do that thing on my list that I didn't get done. (because, I am at home, after all.)

I'm sharing this (again) because I have a blog post 99% written that is full of my gift wrap tips, and I am anxious to share, but I am still editing photos and I keep remembering more info to share. Anyway, it was on my to-do list yesterday (because I wanted to share it today) but paper crafting took far longer than I had expected. Time flies when I am having fun with glitter, glue and cardstock!

Who else struggles with time management?  My latest tool is to use my Alexa, and set a timer. Then, I try to get a certain project or chore done in the allotted time. My other not-really-working-for-me-tool is a written to-do list. (I usually manage to misplace the list.) What are your tools to try and stay on a time frame? Help a girl out!

Hello December, twenty twenty.

I had fully intended to have this post ready to go first thing this morning, and here I am, a little after 8:00 PM Pacific Time, just getting it written. 

I can't seem to get my act all the way together.

(I'm blaming 2020.)

I am challenging myself to do a blog post each day in the month of December, not because I feel I must do it, but because I miss not doing it. I'm trying to stop being so hard on myself (as two separate friends in the past week have told me that I am.) and make more time for doing the things that really make me happy.

(Like writing!)

So...

Our little home is holly jollied up, and feeling all sorts of cozy and safe, and I'm sitting here on the evening of December first, reminding myself that I am doing my best, and that is enough.

I plan to post tomorrow, and I hope you'll pop by for a little read!

Weekly words to live by.

Happy Thanksgiving, 2020, my friends.

I just made a huge sigh out loud as I began this post.

Weirdest holiday on record, and no changes in sight if the jammed airports are any indication.

Trying to make the most of it when you know your Mom is sitting home alone a fifteen minute car ride away, spending this Thanksgiving watching movies, feels wrong in every way I try to approach it in my head. Meanwhile, I'm painting a piece of furniture in my dining slash living room, and writing this post while waiting for it to dry in between coats.

Another big, long sigh.

I'm spending Thanksgiving this way because I love my 87 year old Mom. 

Because I don't know if I could be carrying Covid after going inside Walmart yesterday for some items. (Ordering online was not available for curbside pickup until Sunday.)

Because Ralph works in a medical office, and yes, he certainly takes precautions, but could be carrying it with no symptoms, and it could get to me, and through me, to my Mom.

Because not enough of us are making the harder choice to stay more than six feet apart.

Because I am a person of faith, but also a believer in science, and numbers are spiking. (I'm telling you this, and of course, you already know it.)

Today, I am extra thankful that everyone in my family are all healthy. I know I am doing the right thing by cancelling Thanksgiving with my Mom, and my daughter and son in law, and grands because if this is what we all need to do to keep each other safe, then I am onboard. 

I hope you stay safe, and your loved ones are healthy on this most unusual Thanksgiving day!