inspired by little bits

According to the note in Liam's backpack last week, today was teacher appreciation day. I remembered this while pulling together some breakfast and considered what we could do. We are trying hard not to buy extra things these days, so I figured out a cute way to upcycle some old jars. After scavenging the yard for blooms, we ended up with a pretty sweet gift. I have to give some credit to my friend Liita and her Little Bits Workshop. I have been a cheerleader for this creative venture since it began, but on Saturday I went to River Forest and visited the workshop and got a firsthand taste for the amazing creativity and inspiration behind it.


Everything about the space at Little Bits inspired me to want to make stuff. And Liita is the queen of turning old things into new things that are attractive and useful. Messing around with paper beads and Mod Podge on Saturday gave me the idea for our vases this morning. I just love that it doesn't take much to create something lovely. Even trash can become a gift. Or, as Liam's teacher said when she heard how we made the vases, "I bet you'll never look at paper napkins the same way again."


So, here's what we did. First, I dug up some old condiment and spice jars I had saved. Liam brushed the outside of his jar (except the rim and the bottom) with Mod Podge (which is basically watery glue). Then he cut up a napkin to fit around the jar. We used several pieces to cover the whole jar (pulling apart the layers so we were just using the one outside layer of napkin - like tissue). We also tried a couple other napkin styles on some other jars. In the end, the more lovely the napkin, the more lovely the vase.


After positioning the napkin pieces, we brushed another coat of Mod Podge over the napkin, carefully making sure that all the edges were sealed to the jar (some wrapping around the bottom) and that the wrinkles were brushed out as well as possible. Then we turned them on their rims and let them dry. The results were far better than I imagined. So while Liam was at school, I felt inspired to make one for his piano teacher and one for me. It's a strange day when I make something for me. But being at Little Bits, surrounded by all that beautiful, whimsical, creative work, I decided that it's time to change. We need more craft around her. Not just making it. Keeping it, too.