| Get creative: Covers for containers make easy gifts The "holiday season" may fall in December, but between graduations, weddings, Father's Day and the like, you're hardly off the hook for gift giving this time of year. For teachers, consider giving glass containers a modern twist on that old classroom standby - the chalkboard. These are perfect for couples, especially if you "carve" their initials into the bark. This collection of decorative, yet useful, items can be easily customized for different recipients, from dads to grads, teachers to brides. The simplest idea is also the most elegant - wrap bottles or jars with white birch bark and turn them into rustic vases or candle holders. If not, cut a flat piece of bark so it's large enough to wrap around the container with a bit of overlap and hot glue the ends together (a rubber band helps hold the bark in place until the glue dries). Once it's dry, you can write on the surface, either to label the future contents or just to scribble a message for the recipient. While I'm lucky enough to live in New Hampshire, where the white birch is the official state tree and there's easy accessibility to bark from fallen branches and limbs, there are online retailers who sell the bark in sheets and tubes, as well. For example, a congratulatory note on a vase of flowers or a "Thanks for a great year!" message for a teacher. |
Monday, 4 June 2012
Get creative: Covers for containers make easy gifts
