Tuesday 6 May 2014

Pretty Little Boxes

HaPpY May everyone!............if i had to choose a favourite month then may would be the one :).......
i am loving the blossom, the new green of the trees, the birds, the flowers, even the showers....and especially the sunny days.............today i am showing you some little decorated boxes.........
 .............the little plain paper mache boxes found in craft stores always inspire me to buy a few and paint them in pretty colours.......then add decorations to the top.............this one was decorated with adhesive ribbons in a patchwork of stripes..............
.............you can put a surprise inside too, maybe some speckled eggs.............
 .............or a little hand sewn fabric brooch.............
 .............besides using ribbon you can cover the lid with selvedge strips................
 ................such a sweet way to use up your saved selvedge, something i have written about before as i LoVe selvedge strips and finding uses for my own stash of them...............
 ..............whenever i use a new piece of fabric i iron it and carefully cut off the selvedge and throw it into a nearby basket...........i use the strips as ribbons to tie things up as well as to decorate projects like cushions and pin cushions..............
 ................the colours of the selvedge we save reflects our own tastes as it comes from the fabrics we choose to work with..............mine tends towards the flowery colour palette :)....................
 .................all the little boxes shown here (and the fabric flower brooch) can be found in my book....*pretty patchwork gifts* which can be found here.......................
 ..............below is some of my recently collected selvedge ironed and ready for crafting with.....
 ..............this week i have been working on my garden quilt, adding some tiny words using inkjet transfer printing........(this may prove to be impractical but it's fun for now).............i have added some cherries and more strawberries........each day i do a little bit more to it.............
 ............the sun is shining beautifully here today, now that the bank holiday weekend is over ;)......we did lots of gardening though as it was perfect weather for that, no rain and not too warm, and i like the grey/green atmosphere of those cloudy may days as well as the sunny ones..........
.................thank you for visiting me here today, lovely readers, i am always so happy to see you and reading your sweet comments is always a pleasure too..........i leave you with some may flowers from the garden and wish you a wonderful week wherever you may be.................back soon xxxxxxxxxxxx

49 comments:

Amy at love made my home said...

Lovely to see your little boxes and their pretty contents!! What a great use for your selvedge edges, you are so creative Helen! xx

Miss Holly said...

I would have to vote that you have one of the happiest sites ever!!!! I always leave wanting to jump right into a project!!!!!

homemade@myplace said...

love your little boxes!!!!!
xxxxx Ale

Rhona said...

What a great way to decorate those plain boring boxes....now they are beautiful!

justpootling said...

Hello Helen
Your boxes are so pretty and that is such a good idea to keep all your seledge edges - that would never have occurred to me but as you say they combine all of our 'go to' colour choices.
Have a great week,
Kate x

Christine B said...

Hello Helen! Love your little boxes and your beautiful flowers!! Now I'm all unpacked in my new house I have my copy of your lovely book to hand again. I'm off to plan some projects using it for inspiration! :)

Cindy said...

Very pretty little boxes! I can see using these for the many gifts I need for this month. Your quilt is coming along nicely too. Have a great day!

By Neymes said...

SUPER IDÉIA,ADOREI AMIGA.BOA TERÇA.BEIJO.VALÉRIA.

Annerose said...

Die kleine Schachtel ist eine wundervolle Idee, das sieht ja so süß aus. Ich mag ja diesen Scherenfinder sooo gerne. Ich habe ihn schon oft gemacht und benutze ihn auch selbst. Eine klasse Idee, liebe Helen

greenrabbitdesigns said...

The little boxes are so pretty, such clever use of the selvedge edges, I really must start saving them!
As you know Helen I love all your quilts but your garden one really is beautiful and may well be my favourite! :)
Lucky you getting into the garden yesterday, it rained here most of the day and I didn't get any gardening done at all, I got my sweet pea planted out this morning though.
Have a good week,
V xxx

my4lilgirls said...

The boxes are sooooo pretty
Karen x

scrappyjacky said...

Your boxes are so pretty....and what a great way to use all your selvedges.
I am loving the start of May as well.

mynestofyarnandbuttons said...

Hurray for MAY sweet Helen and you are getting to be outside gardening that is wonderful!!! Love this post and the box idea with selvages. I save them too, but didn't know WHY! Now a great craft and gift idea, thank you! I must iron mine and then I will be all set. Can't tell you enough how lovely and beautiful your garden quilt is!! It will be a true treasure. Have a great week dear Helen. xoRobin

crazydazy said...

Such lovely little boxes and what a great way to use selvage edges....Ill be saving mine from now on!

Elaine said...

Oi Helen! Lindas caixas! parabéns!

Teje Karjalainen said...

Dear Helen, thank you for a sweet moment! Most needed after one of the most difficult weeks in my life. Hugs! Teje

Jennifer Hays said...

Your boxes are beautiful. I especially love the way you upcycled the selvedge strips. I save them sometimes too.

Susan said...

Your blog is such a happy, cheerful place. Thank you. Your boxes are so sweet, and I'm a bit in love with your garden quilt.

Kay said...

This really is a great way to use up scraps. x

Jane said...

It was a such a lovely bank holiday wasn't it Helen. You are so organised and these boxes are just perfect for storing everything in. Your selvages look most interesting, I wonder how you will use them? Have a lovely week although it does look as though we will get some rain xx

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

That is such a fun project using things we already have. I keep every little box and scrap of fabric and ribbon. Love your sweet ideas! Enjoy your day my friend! Hugs, Diane

Teresa Kasner said...

Hello my friend! What a neat idea to decorate a utilitarian box! I'll have to give that a try with ribbons. As always, I love your color choices.
((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Unknown said...

Happy May! I'm also a big fan of this time of year! Your boxes are just precious! I wish I had your patience, one day I'll be making a quilt/other project on which I work a bit every day ;-) Have a lovely week!

sky-blu-pink said...

Gorgeous boxes, even when they are empty! Garden quilt looking beautiful, too.

moonstruckcreations said...

Love those boxes, and what a clever way to use up the selvedge trimmings, I would never have thought of that!

Helenxx

Unknown said...

I do love your little boxes, Helen, and now that I'm sewing more, I'm gathering more selvedge bits to make my own! And it is a pefect way to store selvedge - I just posted about how the little coloured dots can be used as a colour palette for crochet yarns! Enjoy your week, Chrissie x

forgetmenotsblue said...

So cute! your little boxes are absolutely adorable. What a clever idea. I feel inspired to have a go myself.
Lovely flower combination in the last photo. Happy may to you too x

Simone said...

You're so clever Helen. I love the boxes covered in ribbon or selvedge strips and the lovely gifts inside too! I am glad that you are enjoying your quilt making. x

The warm fireplace said...

Love the sweet boxes, what a great idea to use the selvedge edges.
Sue

Joy said...

I love your little boxes Helen, you have so many wonderfully bright ideas! I ordered your lovely book last week (through an Aussie online company) but I think it'll be another week or so before it arrives, drat, I can hardly wait!!! I hope your week is going well! xo Joy

Ana Love Craft said...

Hi Helen, I love your gorgeous little boxes! Lovely idea for using selvedge edges. May is really a fabulous month! I love all nature in this season.
Hope you have a wonderful rest of week.
Love from Portugal,
Ana Love Craft
www.lovecraft2012.blogspot.com

Poppy Black said...

I'm so excited! I found your Pretty Patchwork Gifts at a bookshop, and of course it had to come home with me. I don't know what project to work on first! xxxxx

thriftwood said...

Oh Helen,you are so full of lovely, good ideas, usually involving a visual feast of delights! Love the idea of saving the selvedges (being thrifty, I like to find a use for everything!)... a beautiful post, as always, and I think May is my favourite month too!

Love Claire xxx

Clara {Clover and Violet} said...

I have never thought of painting the boxes, and I love using the strips of fabric, especially floral ones. I love seeing your little rabbit pincushion, I have my eyes open for one similar to yours, it's so cute!!

Ladybird Diaries said...

Love the pretty boxes and what a fab idea to use the selvedges from fabric. I will be keeping mine from now on!
Marianne x

Pat said...

How lovely to personalise your present boxes with your favourite selvedge fabrics. Thank you for sharing. I love your garden flowers. Love Pat x www.weebly.com

gillyflower said...

Loving those gorgeous little colourful boxes, what a great way to use up the selvedges, not a scrap wasted!
The quilt is looking so pretty Helen,i love the yellow fabrics!
Have a great week!
Gill xx

Madelief said...

Such sweet little boxes Helen! What a good idea to use the edges of the fabric to cover it with. A lovely brooch too and beautiful bouquet of flowers from your garden!!

Madelief x

Poppysnest said...

Using selvedges edges to decorate - my new favourite idea! Thank you!x

♥ Mary Janes TEAROOM said...

Such a lovely idea Helen for your little gift boxes...the selvedge strips look so pretty together (I think we should all save them and see how individual they all look as they definitely reflect your colours here!)and I'm loving the fabrics in your new garden quilt...x
May days when the garden looks so lush and green are a favourite time of mine too...x
Susan x

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

Leave it to you to make selvedge look fantastic! I love that you trim those off and save them for embellishing and to be used as ribbons - such a great idea! Your little boxes are so cute and you're right - our scraps really do reflect our tastes. My fabric scraps are bright happy colors - probably not as many florals as you have - but bright and happy just the same. :o)

Mokki said...

Those boxes are so pretty. Such a lovely idea for little gift boxes. Thanks for sharing them.

Art and Sand said...

Those little boxes are so cute - I never thought of covering boxes with ribbon.

I love all the sweet colors and little ideas on your post.

flowers on my table said...

Hello Helen, lovely boxes, and I love the idea of saving your selvedges, such fun. Your garden quilt is coming along beautifully. Thank you so much for your kind comments. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, love Linda x

Blondie's Journal said...

What a darling idea...I would love to have a few made just to pop out for a special birthday gift...sometimes the wrappings can be as special as the gift itself!

I do love this month as well, the excitement of seeing the gardens spring to life, all the plans for new flowers and prettying up other areas. All that we dream of during the long cold winter is finally within our reach! Hurray!

Have a wonderful week, Helen! :)

XO,
Jane

Mia said...

Hello dear Helen,

Beautiful boxes! Those would be perfect for a little dolls (mouses, rabbits) for their beds too, I have found a new interest in dolls after my niece came along :) Great way to use those selvedge ends!

Happy day!

Yours,
Mia

Unknown said...

What an absolutely gorgeous blog Helen-such beautiful and inspiring projects and posts! Alison xx

Unknown said...

I would have to vote that you have one of the happiest sites ever!!!! I always leave wanting to jump right into a project!!!!!
happy wheels
super mario bros
pacman
agario

Unknown said...

Love your blog!! Why don't you blog anymore :( I miss your blog. Wahhh
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