Here's a year round treat for Mum...create a cosy nook for her to unwind whenever she wants to, surrounded by her favourite things.
Pick a spot in the home where you think she'll love. Relocate the armchair that I suspect has been rooted in its place for like a decade ( I can never understand this ). Find an occasional table or in the absence of one, repurpose a stool for the task. Once you have the table in place,gather her favourite things together creating a vignette.
Get creative! The picture holder you see is actually an old fork. I've bent the tines using needle-nose pliers. How you wish to curl the tines is entirely up to you....just make sure you don't use Mum's precious cutlery! She can prop little notes or cards on it as I have or use it to hold her recipe card when she makes your favourite dish!
If you're using a lamp with an old shade, why not give it a fresh look? Vacuum the shade using the upholstery attachment, then glue on trim at the rims. Double sided tape would do just as well. I've chosen a beaded fringe (from Spotlight at Plaza Singapura) and topped that with gimp.
Finally, to pull the whole look together add in a couple of coordinating cushions for Mum to snuggle up with a book or her hobby.....
So go forth, be inspired!
I decided to go off on a blind start and see where that would lead me........ta daa! The finished product. It was even more gratifying I must say than if I had started off with a vision in mind.
.jpg)
It's easier if you have a theme. It could be a colour or pattern that ties it all together, keeping it simple for those of you who are rather daunted by anything DIY. In my ensemble of four presents, I've used the colour pink in each and as for the glam factor....a little bling from trinkets. Don't be too quick to dismiss the idea of using trinkets because you don't have any. The ‘bling' factor can even be from previous year's Christmas tree decorations that need to be retired or which you intend to give away. Tiny toys and little bells make perfect embellishments for kids' presents.
This gift was wrapped with paper that came in a book of 12 wrapping papers bought about eight years ago at a book clearance sale.The ribbon was saved from a previous gift which goes to show it's worth saving seven inches of ribbon too! To add a liitle interest, you could use ribbons of different widths or even contrasting shades. I clipped off part of a bracelet and stitched it to the ribbon. In place of a gift card, why not use the initial of the recipient, which I coincidently had in this case - it's great when things come together nicely!
I love this one! I've wrapped it in brown paper first followed by the lace. I bought the lace during my first visit to Japan some six years ago. If you look closely, you can even see it yellowing! It was supposed to be café curtains. The lace was so pretty that I bought 1 metre of it. It now has a purpose, going to a special someone. I've threaded a ribbon through the ready-made slits. For the embellishment - a buckle from a little purse that had seen its days.
I didn't have to wrap this one. The box was pretty enough and the colour the right foil for what I had in mind. I'd spotted this interesting yarn at a clearance sale and bought it with the intention of using it as hair for a doll I'd make for my little niece. She's three-and-a-half now and that doll has not come into being, and so it now makes a fluffy bow! To jazz it up, I've snipped another bracelet and tied it to a cluster of pearls I have put together. The gift card is actually a clothing tag trimmed to size. Stick on a button and a tiny trinket and you're done!
For this charming present I've used brown paper. I wanted to show you that with a little colour and carefully chosen embellishments, a gift in brown paper can look classy. Another rescued bow sets the tone. It seemed a little plain so I've added a gold string to bring out the colour. The sprig of flowers tops it off nicely. The tag again is from a clothing label. The flower on the tag is part of the same bracelet as the cameo previously mentioned. A tartan ribbon underscores the look.
