Hope

This weeks featured item is a necklace called Hope on a Rope. It was created really on accident. I needed the inside of a clothes line to secure a handle to a purse and in pulling out the inside I was left with a new creation. I am dedicated to helping kids so the entire sale of these necklaces will be donated to charity. So please buy yours today and make a difference in a kids life. I guess it really should be called Hope in a Rope. Nonetheless, the kids still get the money! Happy, happy week!

Alterations

I've been asked recently to alter some pants. So instead of dissecting them and creating a purse, I'm changing them to be useful again in there original form. This too is being earth conscious and "green". If Bob were to give them to a second hand store it would force him to buy new ones. If he simply threw them away he'd have to buy new ones. Regardless of what he did with the pants he'd have to replace them. New fabric, buttons, zippers and thread, all manufactured, creating pollution and waste. Perhaps it's good for our eco system but not so much for our economy. So in conclusion, mending, altering or transforming are all means of recycling. Something to think about! Happy, happy week!

Lavender

We were out of town last week golfing in Peshtigo. A couple weeks ago we blogged about lavender and it uses in wreaths and the like. We would like to follow up this week with the idea. Remember Twilight Zone episode where this guy's house and then ultimately himself, starts turning into foliage? That's the first thing we thought of when our lavender covered vase was complete. Not everything comes out well, but you never know unless you try. Hope all had a great 4th of July and are rested and rejuvenated. Happy week!

Happy Father's Day to all you dad's out there. We know there is not much on our site for you guys but it's a great place for you to shop for your wives, sisters, girlfriends, etc. Once upon a time it was considered rude if you received a gift from someone and then gave it to someone else as their gift. Worse yet, the original card was still in the box! It was coined re- gifting. Great idea! New this week are wrapping kits and bags, and will be featured on our main page at gpurse.com starting in July. Re-Gift Wrapping kits and Re-Gift Gift Bags come in three sizes and work just like the wrapping paper or bag you'd buy from the store. The cool thing is they are intended to be used over and over and over. Housed in a coordinating envelope, each comes with blank cards for your personal notes as well as a card for keeping track of all the homes, cities, states or maybe countries your Re-Gift has traveled. Additional cards can be ordered for a minimal fee. Not so great at writing your own note! Verses are available at gpurse.com under the merchandise tab. Click the more button and go to the Re-Gift section, you'll find some ideas there. Next week we should have the lavender project complete and ready to blog about. Happy week.

June's Newsletter

This weeks post is our June Newsletter. Some highlights are Trash Trivia and the answer to the April Trash Trivia question. We are also running a special, so don't delay, read The Vintage View today! Happy Sunday.

How does your garden grow

Now that the gardens are starting to grow we can use some of their harvest. Lavender is so fragrant. The smell somehow is reminiscent of being a kid in the loving home of your parents. We learned a cool trick a number of years ago using glycerin. This won't work with flowers. For foliage, cut sprigs and wash dust and dirt from leaves. Cut away the lower leaves and stand in a solution of two parts water to one part glycerin. Big leaves may do better in a solution of 50-50. Keep a watch on them and  after a week or two the leaves color will have changed, it is then that they are ready. Now your plants are preserved and you may create arrangements or wreaths, etc. We've got a new idea we're excited to try, so watch for it in the days to come. Happy, happy week!