WESTie Wednesday - featuring Tawny Bee

Welcome to WESTie Wednesday, where each week we better get to know a proud WEST member and their Etsy shop! Let's meet Tawny Bee, of Tawny Bee, an earth mama who loves to use upcycled materials in her work.

(source)

"I mostly specialize in reusable mama cloth, potty training pants and nursing pads. In the new year, however, I'm going to work towards fulfilling my dream of becoming a toy maker. I've spent this entire year learning how to crochet in order to best realize this dream. I'll be sewing and crocheting wonderful toys for kids and kids at heart. Have no fear though, I won't forget about my tried and true products! I create in my dungeon... er... I mean studio/laundry room/rec room of my house. I like to be in the fray of family life when I create. My kids are super creative and always get me thinking about things in a different way. I spend a lot of time in thrift stores where I source many of the materials you might find in my potty training pants especially, as I upcycle fun children's clothes into these fantastically helpful garments. I line them with bamboo batting, which I purchase in bulk whenever I find a good sale at whatever fabric store carries good quality bamboo at a decent price."

(source)

"I sell mama cloth, potty training pants and nursing pads (and other such things made to be reusable and absorbent). Some call me the bodily fluids lady... ummm... yeah... I guess it's true, so I'm fine with it. I also sell toy hammocks and will venture into actual handmade quality toys in the future."

(source)

"I have an Etsy shop because if I didn't create, I would go insane. Also, if I didn't sell some of the stuff I create I think I would be labeled as a hoarder and my husband would have me committed. So I guess what I'm getting at is that my shop keeps me from being insane. :P"

Looking for Tawny Bee? Check out her out on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

skip the gift wrap with Caitlin / Real Swanky!

This Tutorial Tuesday, Caitlin of Real Swanky will be showing us how to wrap gifts without the use of paper! It's a great way to utilize your..

• spare fabric
• a bandanna
• a cute vintage handkerchief
• a dish cloth or towel, which may be part of the gift, to boot!

You will need:

• Your gift
• A square piece of fabric (or whatever you are using to wrap) that is at least 3 times the length of the longest measurement of your gift

For my gift, I'll be wrapping up my latest embroidered piece, an anatomically correct brain (details here). It measures 7" in diameter, so I made sure my fabric was at least 21" long. For placement, start with your gift at least 1-2" away from the edges of your fabric's perimeter.

Flip the whole piece towards the other end of the fabric once.

..and again..

Flip once last time, you may have a few inches of fabric remaining at the end, so flipping it one last time is a wise idea. As you can see above, the "wrong" side of the fabric is facing up on your left and right side.

Take the fabric on the left and right side, and tie it into a knot, as you would tie your shoes.

Then, tie one last time. That's it!

This method of wrapping is great for just about anything -- books, soaps and perfumes, cooking utensils, boxed goods, and a heap more.

Gift Wrap Alternatives

Our very own Kat of aeliosdesign on CTV this morning 

talking about gift wrap alternatives

In North America we spend billions per year on commercial gift wrap. If you are looking for some other ways to wrap gifts here are a few ideas:

• Use other kinds of paper like newspaper, old sheet music, old maps, paper lunch bags, and old book pages. Add a potato print pattern, doodles, washi tape or stickers for more flair.
• Reusable metal tins or wooden boxes, like vintage cookie tins or cigar boxes (search Etsy using our team tag "winnipegteam" to find local sellers)
• Reusable cloth bags with drawstrings - make your own or check out local WESTie Sew Dandee's shop on Osborne for some locally made ones
• Make paper boxes from old Christmas cards. Check this link for a how-to http://www.pedagonet.com/fun/minibox.htm
• Make pillow boxes from toilet paper tubes or paper towel tubes http://www.createcraftlove.com/2012/12/toilet-paper-roll-pillow-boxes.html
• Furoshiki or bandana to wrap the gift--here are some instructions: http://reubenmiller.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/08/thats-a-wrap.html
• Decoupage boxes with old gift wrap so you can use the boxes over and over again 
• Make your own gift bags from recycled materials, magazine covers, old maps or atlas pages, brown paper bags etc.
• Use a stocking to pack up all the small gifts like make up, jewellery,  watches, etc.
• You can find the small paper boxes from the segment here:  http://www.linesacross.com/2012/05/paper-pyramid-gift-boxes.html