Gift Boxes

This morning’s early mist demanded a dressing gown trip into the garden to photograph the rising sun drawing dripping droplets from the damp atmosphere while the early birds shivered in the still naked copper beech.

On the opposite side of Christchurch Road a thick heap of sand spilled by trucks from the gravel quarry further along the thoroughfare has now provided ample bedding for grass and dandelions. Some of the flowers have strayed over to our side. Later on, I made their eradication the first of my minimal weeding and clearing to compost.

My blogging friend Alys, from https://gardeningnirvana.com is a clever and devoted craftsperson. In response to a recent post of hers

I mentioned Jackie’s gift boxes made from

cherry tomato trays. Here, Alys, is the kit and the process.

Having first eaten the tomatoes, take six of the small trays. The pegs help the assembly which is glued in place,

the last tray providing the lid.

Actually Jackie began by making gift tags, then realised she could make the boxes.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s flavoursome sausages in red wine; creamy mashed potatoes; tender cabbage; crunchy carrots and cauliflower, with which she drank Hoegaarden and I drank Les Aumoniers Ségurat Cotes du Rhone 2019

76 comments

  1. I envy talented, crafty people. I can create a monstrosity by sticking a single flower into a bud vase. Any package I put together or wrap looks as if an inebriated chimp did it with his fee. Heavy sigh.

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  3. I love the misty scenery — here it is usually a sign of changing seasons, but it always creates a feeling of mystery. Having grown up near the coast, it always came as a part of a ‘marine layer,’ but I was amazed to learn, as an adult, that fog also comes up from the ground when one is farther away from the ocean — we call it ‘tule fog.’ The tule fog is much thicker than sea fog, and lasts much longer. It’s interesting stuff, and always changes the ambience of the area.
    The boxes are superbly creative recycling of everyday items — very clever!

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  8. What clever, beautiful boxes! A present is always even more special when received beautifully wrapped… and so ingenious to repurpose the tomato trays 🙂
    Your foggy morning was a good one for atmospheric images… I especially like the first, with the ring of rising sun!

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      1. It is fun to experiment, though, as that shot shows – can result in wonderfully lit images.
        What I especially love about Jackie’s gift boxes is that they are such a beautiful example of repurposing – made from 100% recycled materials, but no less pretty for that! 🙂

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  10. Early morning. Wandering. Dressing gown. My risk assessment includes, chill, pneumonia and being talked about by the neighbours. Nice atmospheric photos, but are they worth the risk?

    Meanwhile, very impressive recycling skills from jackie. 🙂

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  14. The misty morning looks like it’s quietly waiting for the sunlight. I love Jackie’s boxes! What a beautiful way to reuse and recycle!

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  15. It took me a while to figure out that your ‘pegs’ are our ‘clothespins’! The boxes are clever and pretty. I’m not crafty myself, but I’m always ready to admire others’ projects.

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  18. I find it interesting that “word for an object” is not clearly understood by someone else – and I sit here at the computer saying “google it”

    – and yes I know what a dressing gown is, mine is bright red and goes almost to my ankles. Mostly put on if the I’ve forgotten the garbage wheelie bin on the collection day, as they like to come early. I also know what “pegs” are – I have spring ones like your wooden ones, but also some plastic spring pegs and then some that are a bit different, doesn’t matter which end you use, handy when in a hurry…

    Love that the boxes have a pattern on their outer casing…and that makes a ready2go gift box.

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    1. Thanks very much, Catherine. What is interesting to me is working out which nations who started off English have retained the original meanings that we have changed, and vice-versa.

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      1. living in the Commonwealth with your Queen Elizabeth as the head of our government (NZ) – means that most of us Europeans, have inherited all the colonial influences including words for objects…unless we are talking in brands which we often do…

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  20. Oh, I love Jackie’s gift boxes, what a great idea, how clever of her – I would never have thought of that.

    I used to make little rustic bags from brown paper and brown garden twine, stick an image of a brown egg with a chick emerging on the front and fill with mini eggs to give to the children at Easter, very effective.

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  29. Thank you for sharing the gift box process start to finish. They’re even more charming than I imagined. My hat is off to you, Jackie. You’ve worked wonders with something that would otherwise be discarded. Derrick, I love your misty garden photos. I can almost feel the dampness on my skin.

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    2. I have put so many of these little tomato trays into the recycle bag, just seemed a shame, they have gone to the trouble of decorating them so nicely I felt moved to try to reuse them. I sit in the kitchen gluing and cutting, while I wait for the dinner to cook. Stops me getting bored!

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