Reading My Tea Leaves Slow, simple, sustainable living.

Time 2021-11-21 06:29:01

Web Name: Reading My Tea Leaves Slow, simple, sustainable living.

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description:A lifestyle blog, written by Erin Boyle, celebrating a practical and purposeful approach to a simple, sustainable life.
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giving: a kumihimo cord. November 19, 2021

In today’s handmade gift guide, a few favorite ideas for making Japanese kumihimo cords from a variety of materials and offering them as a handmade gift during the holidays, or anytime…

A little kit for making:

If you’re not up to the task of making the caddies and offering them yourself, or you know someone who would love the chance to try them for themselves, offer the supplies in a cloth bulk bag and give the gift of a neat little kit. All you need is a cardboard loom and some embroidery thread. Add a link or search instructions for our kumihimo friendship bracelet tutorial, and you’ll have given everything your loved one needs to practice a new craft and end up with a cord of their own making.

A lanyard:

We were inspired by the beautiful wearable lanyards made by Big Soeur Supply and wanted to see if kumihimo cording would work in a homemade variation. Rose used 4mm flat leather cording and the same cardboard kumihimo loom (with a slightly enlarged hole in the center) to make this. For notions, we attached a few simple brass key rings. A solid brass swivel clip would be a perfect addition here as well and would make things easier to take on and off quickly. For folks who prefer not to use leather, the nylon hardware store cord we used in last years dog leash would be a smart substitution. Also shown here is Rosess very nearly vintage Baggu pouch, but heres a similar Leather Wallet from part of their current collection.

A utility cord:

I cant personally get enough of plain old kitchen twine—easy to find at grocery stores or zero-waste shops like Fill More Waste Less—because its thick and cheap and cords up super quickly. Corded together, seven strands of very humble unbleached cotton thread turn into beautiful, thick cord thats perfect for hanging beautiful wooden brushes like this Horsehair Table Brush Set from Salter House.

A mask cord:

Reality bites, and for most of us, it still includes daily mask wearing. Give the gift of a little something fresh and lovely with a handmade mask cord and one of these seamless Japanese knit face masks from Front Street General Store. Theyre some of Rosess favorites and they look beautiful with a custom cord. Gift your cord like the beautiful piece of jewelry it is, tucked into a mini origami masu box of your own making.

To turn an embroidery thread kumihimo cord into a mask cord, you just need to attach two 15 mm Lobster Claw Clasps to the ends. Use any remaining string at the end of your cord to carefully thread through the tiny circular ring of the lobster clasp. Once threaded, tie off by knotting that thread around the existing knot as neatly as you can. Cut off any remaining threads or leave to hang as a small tassel. If you don’t have enough thread length leftover on your corded necklace, then cut additional string (or sewing thread) and loop through the lobster ring and knot securely to the knotted end. Or you can use a sewing needle and extra string to sew the threaded clasp into the knot or woven part of the cord. Cut off any remaining threads.

A key fob:

Play with texture and size and use a variety of fibers to make a classic corded key fob. Ive been using a kitchen twine cord on mine for the last few months and I recently refreshed it with fresh twine and two contrasting embroidery threads to create a distinctive pattern and add a tiny glimmer of color.

To attach the notions, simply loop the cord through a brass key ring using a basic ring or cow hitch. For a gift with a touch more heft, consider looping the cord through a Brooklyn-made Craighill Brass Keychain.

A glasses keeper:

Attaching tiny rubber bands (think braces) to the ends of a delicate kumihimo cord made from embroidery thread creates the perfect solution for holding sunglasses or reading glasses. For a very special gift, pair them with your favorite sunglasses, like these Eva Masaki Taea Sunglasses, designed here in Brooklyn and made in Italy.

To turn the kumihimo cord into a glasses keeper, make a tiny ½” loop with each tail end of your cord. (The loop should be big enough to slide onto the arm of your sunglasses but not too large that it can easily slide off.) Use a mini rubber band (think braces!) to tie the loop into place, also looping the band a few times right underneath the knotted stings. Trim any remaining threads with a scissor.

***

For the past few years,Rose Pearlmanand I have been collaborating on simple, useful craft projects made from humble materialsthat can serve a practical purpose in your home.In celebration of our past work, we’ve designed aseries ofholiday gift guidesthat showcase just some of the ways that these humble crafts can become a part of a special holiday gift—or simply be the gift itself.

This post includesaffiliate linksto online shops. Reading My Tea Leaves might earn a small commission on the goods purchased through those links,but most of these supplies can be found locally right in your own community. If you’d like to support this site directly, you can contribute directlyhere. Thanks so much for supporting this work.

2 Comments Share: giving: a canvas wall caddy. November 18, 2021

In today’s handmade gift guide, a few favorite ideas for making canvas wall caddies and offering them as a handmade gift during the holidays, or anytime…

A little kit for making:

If you’re not up to the task of making the caddies and offering them yourself, or you know someone who would love the chance to try them for themselves, offer the supplies ina cloth bulk bag and give the gift of a neat little kit. All you need is the fabric, some pins, needle and thread, a wooden dowel and some string for hanging. Add a link or search instructions for ourcanvas wall caddy tutorial, and you’ll have given everything your loved one needs to practice a new craft and end up with a caddy of their own making.

A crafters caddy:

For the crafter in your life who needs a place to wrangle their most-used supplies, tuck in favorite essentials like clothespins and twill tape, and a handsome stapler. Add a handmade matchbook sketchpad and few favorite pens. If youd like to make it extra special, tuck in a handmade envelope with a certificate to take a class online or IRL at local-to-you places like BKLYN CLAY or the Textile Arts Center.

A kitchen caddy:

For someone needing a little help in the kitchen, consider this a spot for favorite essentials: tuck in a little bundle of homemade beeswax wraps, a stack of cloth coasters, a ball of kitchen twine from a zero-waste shop like Fill More Waste Less, a favorite dishtowel like the Jenn kitchen cloth from Fog Linen, and a special pantry staple like this beautiful Palestinian Freekeh from Canaan. Add a classic wooden spoon, a beautiful set of chopsticks, or anything else youd like!

A sweet dreams caddy:

Tuck in a few special things for helping along bedtime, including a sweet linen teddy bear from Salter House, a trio of essential oil rollers from Storq (use the code ERIN20 to receive 20% off on everything site wide save the bundles!), a handmade hair bow and pom-poms (more soon!), and a notebook for jotting down dreams. Adjust the size of the bottom pocket and skip the middle seam and youll have space enough to slip a new bedtime story like A Life Made By Hand: The Story of Ruth Asawa, a favorite of Roses.

A kids craft caddy:

For this caddy, we lengthened the pockets on the original tutorial and omitted all of the center seams to get three big pockets for tucking in oversized magazines, sketchpads, kid art, et cetera! For kid crafters on your gift giving list, consider a subscription (or single issue!) to the truly magical Illustoria Magazine (or to any of our other favorite kids mags), tuck in a set of colored pencils like the skin tone set from Lyra, a drawing pad like this beauty from Yoseka Stationery, and a little cardboard creation or kumihimo loom of your own making.

An advent caddy:

You asked for it, were on it! Well share the full tutorial with instructions for turning our basic canvas caddy into an advent calendar canvas caddy early next weekbut heres a little tease to whet your appetite in the meantime!

***

For the past few years,Rose Pearlmanand I have been collaborating on simple, useful craft projects made from humble materialsthat can serve a practical purpose in your home.In celebration of our past work, we’ve designed aseries ofholiday gift guidesthat showcase just some of the ways that these humble crafts can become a part of a special holiday gift—or simply be the gift itself.

This post includesaffiliate linksto online shops. Reading My Tea Leaves might earn a small commission on the goods purchased through those links,but most of these supplies can be found locally right in your own community. If you’d like to support this site directly, you can contribute directlyhere. Thanks so much for supporting this work.

4 Comments Share: giving: simple cloth coasters. November 17, 2021

In today’s handmade gift guide, a few favorite ideas for making simple cloth coasters and offering them as a handmade gift during the holidays, or anytime…

A little kit for making:

If you’re not up to the task of making the coasters and offering them yourself, or you know someone who would love the chance to try them for themselves, offer the supplies in a cloth bulk bag and give the gift of a neat little kit. All you need is the fabric, some pins, and needle and thread. Add a link or search instructions for oursimple cloth coasters tutorial, and you’ll have given everything your loved one needs to practice a new craft and end up with coasters of their own making.

A little tipple:

We might be approaching a long dark winter, but a trusty tipple on a handmade coaster might help things along. (We made this set from some remnant chambray fabric for a little pop of blue.) Curious No. 6 is a limited edition non-alcoholic cocktail with a tropical twist from Curious Elixirs. It includes lemon balm and nutmeg to help you unwind and aloe and neroli for a beauty boost. Sign me up. For folks who arent abstaining, consider a subscription to a wine club like What to Drink or place an order direct from indie winemakers, like our pals at Oyster River Wine Growers, who are offering flat rate $7 shipping with the code PUMPKIN SPICE. (Sign me up for these too!)

A little comfort:

Blend your own herbal tea! I like making a balanced blend of oat tops, rose petals, lemon balm, and mint for a relaxing bedtime (or anytime) wind down. I get my herbs from local shop, Remedies, and like to bag things up in small muslin bag or upcycled glass jar for ease of gifting.

A little sweet:

True story: Rose drinks a cup of hot cocoa every night. No doubt she rests her mug on one of her handmade canvas coasters. Take her lead and give the gift of a set of coasters with the very best cacao powder out there, the Anamalai Cacao from Diaspora Co. Add a little something special with a hand-carved wooden scoop, like this one made by Moore Wood Goods.

A little bitter:

I love the herbal bitters from Dram Apothecary. Offer the whole set of minis or just a pair tucked into a cloth origami masu box with a bundle of coasters. (If youre feeling very ambitious, include a canvas tool roll apron for the artisan cocktail maker in the family.

A little cozy:

If you know someone who needs a little something scented to feel the spirit of the season, this spruce-scented soy candle from P.F. Candle Co is a favorite in our house. Upgrade a few hardware store matchboxes with a piece or two of gum tape, add a handmade coaster, and invite yourself over for hot toddies and youre giving the gift of cozy.

***

For the past few years,Rose Pearlmanand I have been collaborating on simple, useful craft projects made from humble materialsthat can serve a practical purpose in your home. In celebration of our past work, we’ve designed aseries ofholiday gift guidesthat showcase just some of the ways that these humble crafts can become a part of a special holiday gift—or simply be the gift itself.

This post includesaffiliate linksto online shops. Reading My Tea Leaves might earn a small commission on the goods purchased through those links,but most of these supplies can be found locally right in your own community. If you’d like to support this site directly, you can contribute directlyhere. Thanks so much for supporting this work.

3 Comments Share: giving: a floral twine string dispenser.

Rose conceived of this basket made from paper-wrapped wire for being the perfect spot to stash yarn and string and keep it tidy during projects, but its usefulness and loveliness doesnt end there. In

November 16, 2021 2 Comments giving: cardboard gifts for kids.

Say it with me: This year, were giving the gift of cardboard to kids and theyre going to love it. Rose and I have taken inspiration from some of our favorite kids toys and

November 15, 2021 13 Comments my week in objects (mostly).

1. this nightdress. {a little wearable treasure.} 2. this ginger. {for settling stomachs.} 3. these leaves. {and morning rain showers.} 4. this curtain. {for going up, for coming down.} 5. this pothos. {and the

November 12, 2021 1 Comments make your own: block stamps.

I have a mostly hate/hate relationship with the amount of craft foam that comes into my house via kids crafting these days, so it took me some convincing to run this craft. But once

November 8, 2021 16 Comments my week in objects (mostly).

1. this scarf. {because this week got chilly. 2. these old sweaters. {because see above.} 3. this favorite cold-weather bag. {because here we are.} 4. this lip gloss. {and finding it in a pocket.}

November 5, 2021 8 Comments giving: supplies for making.

Everyones talking about supply chains and gearing up early for the holiday season this year, and no doubt with good reason. I ordered tiny lobster claw clasps sometime mid-September and theyve yet to arrive.

November 4, 2021 11 Comments Older Posts About

Reading My Tea Leaves is a lifestyle blog, written by Erin Boyle, celebrating a practical and purposeful approach to a simple, sustainable life.
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