Heather Bullard

Garden Party Favors

Garden season is in full swing and I've been thinking about having a small luncheon out on the back patio. I thought these simple seed packet favors would be nice to send home with my guests. They're very easy to make and budget friendly. Oh, and you all know how much I adore repackaging things! ;-)

Supplies: Your choice of assorted seeds, twine, small wax, paper or glassine bags, adhesive labels, scissors and a pencil or pen.

Cut a small portion of the seed packet label off the top. I think it looks nice to leave a little bit of the photo of the plant too. You can tape or glue the planting instructions to the back of the label.

Slip it into the wax bag, add the seeds and seal. Repeat with the other packets.

Stack your seed packets, wrap several times with the twine and tie a small knot.

Add your label. I chose to name my "summer herbs" since the seeds I chose are used in lots of summer recipes and meals. And once planted, they'll be ready to harvest in the summer. 

I also came across these beautiful seed packets which are wonderful just on their own. They're certified organic by Seeds of Change. (I'm planting both of these!)

Resources:
Twine: May Arts
Seed Packets: Lowes
Red Labels: Martha Stewart with Avery
Bags: Purchased at Merci. Here are similar: wax bags, glassine bags and kraft bags.

 

From Medicine Cabinet to Built-In Shelf

We have an upstairs guest bathroom that rarely gets used and because of that, it rarely gets updated or finished. Most of the builder grade amenitites have been hanging around for years. Recently, we decided to do a few minor changes and replacing the old medicine cabinet was first on the list. So we tore it out and The Man replaced it with an open built-in shelf.

We figure most guests don't unpack their toiletries and place them in a cabinet anyway and we can hide necessities under the counter. The open shelf provides a way to display a few decorative objects along with cotton balls, Q-tips and such. To keep the mostly white room from being too stark I added in a mix of colored glass and natural, textural elements.

Bella's favorite addition to the room was the jute runner. She wrestles with it every now and then and leaves the crumpled remains for me to straighten out. She's very nice to chickens but not so nice to small area rugs. Maybe she knows she can win that battle.

And lastly, I'll leave you with the Before & After. You can see how such a minor change can make a big difference in a small room....

 Resources:
Jute Rug - Marshalls
Wall Paint Color - Cottage White by Behr
Mirror - Lowes
Switch plates - Lowes
Green glass bottle - antique
Wicker top glass jar - Marshalls
Hand towels - World Market
Wicker basket on shelf - Paris flea market
Perfume - Jo Malone Orange Blossom (one of my favs!)
Milk glass light fixture - Martha Stewart for Home Depot
Any other items not listed...source unknown or antique.

Valentines Day Free Printables

Daily Candy is featuring my Free printable French Chocolate Labels today!
Welcome Daily Candy Readers!
Below I've added a few of my other Valentine printables from the archives. Just click on each link below to download the pdf file and enjoy! 
Want to stay in touch... Join Me on Facebook or Subscribe Here to keep up with the latest posts and happenings.

Sweet as Candy Free Love Gift Tags

French Love Quote: The Price of Love is Simply....Love 

Tea for Two Valentine Tags 

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Valentine's Day!

Reclaimed Wood Sofa Table

Handmade gifts are the absolute best. I feel extremely fortunate that I'm married to a guy who fully embraces the concept. Especially since I'm the most frequent recipient of his handiwork. I'd been searching for a table to go behind one of the leather sofas in our family room but finding one with the right scale and design hasn't been easy. For my Christmas gift, he offered to make me one of my own design and dimensions. So I quickly sketched it out, gave him the measurements and by the end of the day he gave me this!

He'd been saving a couple of huge planks of reclaimed wood which ended up being just right for the project. After he cut them to fit the frame he applied a coat of clear wax, no stain was needed and I asked him to leave the metal frame he welded unfinished instead of painting it. I sort of like the rustic look with all the other elements in the room. And if I grow tired of it I can always give it a quick coat of paint.
I absolutely love my gift and know I will cherish it for years and years.
Along with The Man.

Secret Dreams: Oil Painting

image via ktmerry.com 
I have a little secret to share. I want to start oil painting.
I picture it feeling something like this photo. Fresh, natural and relaxing.
But I have no idea how to start. What kind of oils do I need? What about supplies?
Not sure if I want to take a class because I have paintings in my mind and don't want to paint someone elses dream. You know?
But maybe I need some basic instruction...or should I just dive in?

I know there are some very talented artsy folks who might be reading my little blog. Do you happen to have any advice for a wanna be artist?

Evergreen Gift Tags

By now, most of us are starting (or finished with) our gift wrapping. This year I've decided to use more natural materials and simple wrap mixed with traditional Christmas colors. I made these Evergreen Gift Tags for the holiday issue of Souvenir and thought it would be fun to share them here too!

The supply list is very small: manilla tags, waxed thread, twine or embroidery floss, fresh garden clippings, scissors and hot glue. Please feel free to improvise and use what you have on hand. No need to be running around for materials....scavange your cabinets and drawers. 

Below are a few ideas on ways to wrap and attach your greenery to the tags. 

I used a variety of clippings from my garden such as ivy, fern leaves, seed pods from our ash trees and boxwood (my favorite). I think it would also be nice to use berries, holly leaves, blue spruce, eucalyptus or small pinecones. The greenery will stay fresh looking for about a day or two. There are endless options to try and the gift tags will suit any gender or age.
Happy Wrapping!

PS. Just remembered, I did a 4 part series on Vintage Wrapping a few years ago. Here are the links to: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

Craftapalooza & Holiday Happenings

Last week I got together with my friends Pam, Jenny and Amy for our official Christmas Craftapalooza. We met at Jenny's new Studio Crescendoh which was amazing! Each of us picked a holiday craft to make and brought supply kits for the others. It was a great way to keep it simple and stress free for everyone.
Pam's Felt Wreath kits came wrapped in festive burlap bags, so cute! 

My craft was to make simple Acorn Elves (not Elf since we made 6 each) and I packaged the kits in kraft boxes with small cellophane bags of supplies.
In the photo below, Pam's elves are on the left and mine are on the right. Big difference in the artists hand right? Hers look more like actual elves. Don't worry, I'm not embarassed by my amateurish skills. Glitter fixes everything. It's all good. 



Amy won the trophy for Most Generous Overacheiver by bringing two amazing crafts. I know, show-off. She brought antique mesh bags filled with gorgeous beads to make Souvenir Necklaces and holiday inspired ephemera to make Bon Bon Bags...including the chocolates to fill them! See more photos from her post.

And Jenny got us all in touch with our inner doodler with this fun craft! Sorry, I must have stopped taking photos somewhere after 9pm or so. My favorite part was using the Copic markers for the first time ever...specifically the BG-10 Cool Shadow. I heart that color big time. And I used it very liberally on everyones journals. Hope they liked it. :-))

So how about you guys/gals? Have you been making merry and getting your craft on? My freezer is jam packed with cookies waiting to be packaged & delivered this week. And I've made more spiced nuts than I care to admit due to an epic recipe failure (via a famous Barefoot lady) that got multiple thumbs down. Expensive lesson learned...pounds and pounds of nuts are not cheap. I guess they can't all be homeruns can they? In the end, I went back to my old tried and true family favorite. Why try to change things Heather, why?

Hope all is going well in your neck of the snowy, wintery, Christmasy woods!
Feel free to share your fun holiday stories, mishaps and adventures!

Raspberry & Almond Oatmeal Bars

I've been baking and freezing lots of holiday goodies in anticipation of the "Great Cookie Box Assembly Day". Most cookies and bars freeze quite well and its helpful for me to bake ahead (when time allows) and then box and wrap them right before delivering to friends and family.

Here's one of my recipes that shows up in every Christmas cookie box. It's an easy to make bar cookie that's packed with delicious raspberry jam and hearty oats. Over the years I've noticed that the quality of jam really makes a huge difference in the flavor. I only use Bon Maman Raspberry Preserves or homemade if I have it on hand. And please feel free to adjust the amount of almond extract to your taste.

Raspberry & Almond Oatmeal Bars

1 1/4 c. flour
1 1/4 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 to 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 jar (13oz) best quality raspberry jam 
1/2 c. sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 baking pan.
Mix together flour, oats, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add vanilla and almond extract and mix until blended into dry ingredients. Cut butter into small pieces and using a pastry cutter or fork, mix in with the dry ingredients. Mixture will be very crumbly. 
Reserve 1 cup of crumb mixture and add in 1/2 c. coconut. Set aside.

Press remaining mix into the bottom of the pan. Spread jam evenly over the crust. Then top with remaining coconut crumb mix.
Bake for 23-27 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool. Cut into bars.
Makes 18-24 bars. Enjoy!

DIY: Watercolor Leaf Garland

 
 Hello, Hello! I have a fun DIY for you today. Last Friday, I shared on my Facebook Page that my niece was spending the night so we could make some "Craps" together. And since we're smack dab in the middle of autumn I thought a watercolor paper leaf garland would be perfect. Plus...it's easy, peasy!

 
Supplies: real leaves (for inspiration) twine, books in various sizes, scissors, pinking shears, watercolors, paint brushes and a hot glue gun.

 
Cut out leaves in assorted shapes and sizes. Be sure to measure the size of garland you want so you make enough leaves. Once cut out, paint the leaves with watercolors and let dry.

 

 
 Next, hot glue sets of 3 or 4 leaves together. Then lay paper leaf sets upside down and hot glue twine to the back. If you overlap the leaves the garland will look more full. I may add more leaves to my garland but then again...maybe not. ;-)

 
This craft would work well for other holidays too. You could glitter them for Christmas or make holly leaves and berries and paint them red. Or you could do hearts for Valentines Day or shamrocks for St. Patricks.
 A simple year round craft. Hope you give it a try!

DIY: Chalkboard Treat Baskets

 
Here's a fun and easy craft project for your upcoming fall parties. I created these Chalkboard Treat Baskets for the autumn issue of Souvenir. The little goodie baskets make great party favors or classroom treats and kids will have lots of fun making them!  

 
1. Supplies: Chalkboard paint, garden peat pots, twine or ribbon, foam brush, hole punch, scissors, chalkpaint pen or chalk, assorted candy, cookies or toys.
2. Cut out peat pots to make individual baskets. One package of garden peat pots will make 32 treat baskets.

 
3. Apply 1-2 coats of chalkboard paint to exterior of peat pots. Let dry.
4. Punch holes on sides of basket and tie twine handle. 

 
5. Using chalkpaint pen or chalk to write names or phrases on baskets.
6. Fill with your favorite holiday treats!
Enjoy!