Jars today and journal tommorow...

Hi girls! Thanks for all your lovely comments about coming (or going) to Norway. Of course this has been in the planning for some months now, but now that it's all so definite I've felt a HUGE need to get up to date with my journaling/scrapbooking/various other memorabilia projects! So today has been a catch up day (we have a public holiday here so it's been a pyjama day at our house!). I thought I'd show you some 'Salt and Pepper Memories' (see page 30 of my first book, 'Living the Dream')that I made today and then tommorow I'll show you my Italy to Greece journal.

Looks bigger here but these are salt and pepper shakers from IKEA that I've filled with tiny shells from Merimbula, New South Wales, Australia (back from a holiday in Easter 2005 - oh I am behind!). I just added a simple tag, with some ribbon scraps, using a pre made tag from the stationary shop (Buff size 1) as a background, and glued on a photo and trimmed. These jars are 10cm (4") high.

This is what they look like at IKEA:

I also made one using a few pebbles from the beach in Positano, Italy, that I collected a few weeks ago (yes, I did declare these at customs):

I wish that I'd collected more pebbles, but I didn't, so these will do. The back of the tag looks like this:

Then I was on a roll so I COMPLETELY caught up with all those bags of sand (etc) that I had stored away:

These jars are bigger, and also from IKEA (the largest is 9", then 7", and 3"). My collection of D.M.C. perle thread now has to find a new home!

Seeing as it's winter here and there's not many flowers in the garden, this can be my kitchen display until it goes to live in the bathroom! I added a row of three candles on each side for a 'warm beach display'!

Hope you feel inspired,

Leanne Beasley xxx

Comments

[Account Deleted]

I am sure that you would have enjoyed a lot in Merimbula, because it’s a great place to beat the heat. The exotic place offers lot of great surfing locations, lots of fishing spots. It’s truly like heaven in earth. Nice article, the pictures are good.

[Kim Bunney]

What a brilliant idea! You are so inspiring! We collect these nostalgic little bits and pieces, then end up with a shoebox full of "crap" as my males aptly call it! Thanks, I am SOOOOOOOO inspired! You recent DVD on Quilters Journal also got me totally inspired and hooked, so I'm buying many folders now for all the other kinds of journals my brain keeps suggesting!

[Jocelyn House]

I love the little shells in the jar that you collected at Merimbula. They remind me so much of the coast house we had near Moruya when we where growing up. We collected heaps of those little shells from there. Just wish that I had thought to put them in some kind of jar so that I still had them. Oh well...I have the memories.

Dad didn't really like the Moruya Front Beach, which was the main beach. He didn't think it was safe enough for small children. So we used to left by the funny little shop at the beach and travel up the road, over a cattle grid, and to the most wonderful beach that was nearer the mouth of the Moruya River. Better still if you walked back towards the main beach, you would come across all these magical little coves, where you could imagine coming across a mermaid sunning herself on the rocks whilst coming her hair. Okay I confess no mermaids, though we did once find three fat and content seals basking in the sun. This was where we collected the little shells and my other favourite - sea glass (remnants of old bottles worn smooth by the action of wind, wave and sand).

I will keep an eye out for similar jars in the shops around Canberra. The nearest IKEA to here is up in Sydney.

Anyway here's hoping that by the end of the year we will be very much closer to and IKEA.

As usual, thanks for the great ideas.

Jocelyn
Bungendore NSW

[Rebecca]

I love the creativity of your work yesterday - brilliant

[Janet - Wildcraft Farm]

Leanne, I think when you go to Norway you'll need to skip over to Sweden. There is nothing like driving along the motorway and suddenly coming across THE Ikea store - with face pressed against the window, begging your tour driver to stop - you'd feel like a kid in a candy shop. By the way, make sure you have a couple of days off to cruise the Fjords, totally magical!

[Kim]

What an interesting idea - one I might have to try sometime.

[dottycookie]

This is a fabulous idea - we always collect sand and pebbles and I usually find places in the garden for them but this would be a better way to remember our visits. I feel a visit to Ikea coming on ...

[Iris]

I love what you did with the jars !!! Very noce idea !

[Iris]

I love what you did with the jars !!! Very noce idea !

[happy zombie]

How clever!!!

[Anina]

How much fun! I'm seeing those little IKEA jars in a completely different light now.

[nicolette]

Hi Leanne, you’re a busy blogger! I recognize the jars from IKEA. I have little wax lights stored in them and ‘DROP’, a typical Dutch delicacy. Could the man who is the brain behind IKEA ever presume this huge success? It is such a funny idea that you’re coming closer to wintertime while we’re ready for the summer. The sand and shells look lovely! Very summery! Today I made some little things inspired by your gorgeous book ‘Living the Dream’.

[Juliann]

Leanne
I saw these in the book - the one that just arrived from Mrs. Martin (thanks for signing it!) and I love this idea. I have some rocks from camping and hiking that I never knew what to do with but this is perfect. We have a store called World Market here that sells lovely little jars too but a trip to Ikea would be fun.

[margie]

what beautiful bottles so inspiring ,wonderful things that nature brings to us .. and they make us so happy happy week margie

[Georgette]

I have always admired the jars from your first book, they are a great idea. Wish IKEA was closer, hubby is probably glad it is so far away though. When do you go away to Norway - before or after Loxton? Do you have a sneak peak of what we will be making yet? Can't wait to catch up....

[Lucy Locket]

Hi Leanne - your jars look lovely but it did make me laugh to think of you having bags of sand stored away! You truly are a collector!!! Well I've got both girls off poorly today and a horrendously messy house to deal with - but I want to sew! I think I will have to break it down into 1hour work/1hour sewing and so on - but first I need to stop playing on the computer!!! Love Lucy