Sunday 5 January 2014

Turning old magazines into carrier bags

Ready to be filled with shop purchases
More waiting for handles to be attached
Yesterday was a bit quiet in the shop what with the rain and it being January so I made carrier bags. I've always made these out of old magazines. Five pages for one of these and just one page for a folded little bag that practically every purchase goes in. It means I don't have to buy bags and people like the look of them and the fact that it's recycling.

 My preferred magazines are Vogue or Harpers for the carriers and Country Living or Country Homes and Interiors for the little bags. Certain lovely customers have been bringing in their old magazines for me to use so I always have a good supply. And if I ever get a World of Interiors magazine (which has thicker paper than other magazines and beautiful pictures) I can use the pages for both carriers and small bags.

I took out a lot of the Christmas decorations yesterday. Monday is the deadline for removing Christmas displays as you know. But I am a bit confused as to what to celebrate next shopwise. A friend who had a shop in Chichester advises not to celebrate spring too soon (which had been my intention) but to have a couple of months with a winter theme. She reckons fresh spring displays will look a bit jaded by the time March and April come around. Maybe she's right. But I do find spring flowers a lot more inspiring than winter frosts.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think in January there is a real need for colour.

Having just taken down all the christmas decorations and all the lovely homemade paper baubles all the family made, I am left with a rather bland house.

So I have decided to splash some colour around with brightly coloured crochet garlands. I've also decided to leave up a couple of the strings of plain white fairy lights across the dresser and the fireplace. They don't look Christmassy and it's still cold and dark - so I'm welcoming in the light!!

Vicki

Fibre frenzi said...

Valentines Day? Lots of gorgeously coloured hearts!

jenny said...

I agree with Vicki about keeping fairy lights going for as long as possible and let's use colour to cheer up the dark winter mornings.
I like your idea Alison of focussing on Valentine's Day now as an excuse for hearts bunting and red and pink everywhere. Thanks for your comments.