Garden Show Recap

Phew! It was a fun, yet tiring weekend at the garden show. I had a mad rush on Monday of things to do, and finally, today, I can sit down and process... new orders, next steps, etc. Below are some of the new items I was showing. I will be adding them to my website this next week, so be sure to check soon!

Garden Botanical delights, great for Mother's Day!

At the Shore items were quite popular...
A woman visiting from Boston was so excited to
buy one and bring it to her Nantucket home! How perfect!

Baby stuff galore... my personalized banners were definitely a hit!

Summer garden berry and veggie fun-- also well received.
Although the weather was a bit chilly
(crazy after having a heat wave earlier that week),
the summer colors and images really warmed things up!

Enjoy!

Spring Garden Show!

Come one, come all...
If you happen to be in the San Francisco Bay Area,
this Thursday, Friday and Saturday (April 23-25)
head over to Gamble Gardens in Palo Alto
for their Spring Garden Tour.
bnute productions will be there in full force!

Hope to see you there!

Handmade Mass Production

I'm knee deep in handmade mass production mode right now... getting ready for a spring garden show! Handmade and mass production don't seem like words that go together, but let me tell you, they do! Every table top, floor space, shelf and nook in my house has something on it drying or being assembled! My family is so tolerant!

I once saw this great PBS show about Ray Kroc, "fast food's founding father." It was about how he streamlined the process of the restaurant business, and created the ability to make many, many milkshakes and hamburgers at one time. Although I'm definitely not a fast food business, when I'm in mass production mode, I sometimes think differently... :)

More about the show soon!

at the shore...

I'm so lucky to only live less than 30 minutes from the ocean! Life gets busy, though, and the little mountain between me and the ocean always seems so daunting (like I said, it's only a 20 minute drive, but some how it seems much farther.) So, I was so happy when a dear friend of mine (from nursery school!) decided to have a birthday gathering over at the beach.


It was a breezy, somewhat chilly afternoon - typical for spring time in Northern California... but it was so beautiful. The smells, the sounds, the sights... oh, I just love the beach! I also had fun snapping pictures with my new camera.


The outing also reminded me of my trip a little less than a year ago to Nantucket, and inspired me to start creating some "At the Shore" items- with that nautical/beach-ey type feel. I started with some note cards, but have also created a banner, and am planning on a full Party Kit.

Summer will be here before you know it... and I definitely will be looking forward to any clambake, lobster boil, crab feed, or beach party around to attend!!

Eat Me, Drink Me, Mad Hatter Giftie!

When I threw a Mad Hatter Tea Party event at my daughter's school, I needed to come up with a "goody bag" treat to give out... This should of been an easy one to think up, but for some reason, it took me awhile. My concerns: I knew I needed to make a lot of them; I wanted them to not only be cute and in keeping with the theme, but also something hopefully that would be used after the party; and I also knew I had limited budget.


There was the "plant in a pot" idea, the "tea cup" idea... and then I it dawned on me... "oh, yeah, there's the 'Eat Me, Drink Me' idea!" I was so excited to remember... and those clues for Alice were also cute tags. I couldn't wait to make them!



So, out I went, to the local discount store, and found several different styles of mugs. With more budget (and time, of course) I would have loved to scour thrift stores for real china tea cups... but I also knew big mugs are always popular for big, strong cups of coffee or tea in the morning! Then I filled 2 clear goodie bags, one with tea bags, one with candies, and strung an "Drink Me" tag, and a "Eat Me" tag on each.

I also thought this goodie bag idea could also work for kids... The mug could be plastic or ceramic depending on the age group, and since many young folks don't drink tea, I also thought putting those individually packaged lemonade mixes in the "Drink Me" bag would be great.

Well, the Mad Hatter night was lots of fun, and the gifts were well received!

Mad About Paper Flowers- Mad Hatter Party Decor

I've been aching to make some paper flowers... I purchased Klutz's Tissue Paper Flower book sometime ago, thinking some cold winter day, my daughter and I could make some flowers and brighten up our space... Well, lo and behold, spring has sprung, the real flowers are out and I have still not made my paper flowers...


So, when I signed up to chair an event at my daughters school, which of course entailed throwing a party, I knew paper flowers would have to be in the mix! The event was our annual Founder's Day celebration-- I decided to go with a mixed up Mad Hatter theme... what a better way to honor all our mixed up, crazy volunteers than a fun, crazy Mad Hatter tea party.


I definitely knew I needed tea pots... and lots of them. And I wanted bright, festive colors. Paper flowers were perfect for that, and a lot less expensive than filling all the pots with real flowers, especially on a PTA budget!!

So, the morning of the party, I sat in my dining room, tissue paper everywhere, and made loads of flowers. I was pretty "stressed" about getting them done, but actually during the process, I relaxed (!) and had a great time! Also, I LOVED how they turned out!

I received many compliments at the party on the flowers... and am now enjoying them in their tea pots on my dining room table. The best part, is I know they will last a long time! :)

Mad Hatter Party

This past week, I hosted a crazy, mixed-up Mad Hatter Party
at my daughter's school for their annual Founder's Day celebration. It's an event that is meant to celebrate all the many, many extraordinary volunteers - past and present at our school. We are very fortunate to have so many great folks who give so much of their time... I thought the Mad Hatter theme was perfect for this crowd... I mean we all must be a little mad and crazy to volunteer so much, but we all know it's worth it!


There were some challenges for me with the event...
how on earth was I going to fill a huge space like the school auditorium...
especially on a PTA budget!?

Of course I made banners...
I just love banners, and I love how this one turned out!
I found great old-time engravings of different items
that are perfect for a the Mad Hatter theme....
Then I sprinkled in some festive lanterns, crepe papers and a bit more...
and voila!

I must admit, the space was by no means filled... but once the 100 or so people showed up, all the food was brought in, and the kids came to do some performances, the space was more than filled with crazy, mixed-up festivities!

In upcoming posts, I'll share more ideas from this party... and soon, I hope to have it prepped and ready as part of my Party Kit selection! If you're in a hurray, and can't wait to have your Mad Hatter Tea Party sooner-- just give me a hollar, I'd love to hear from you!