Wednesday 21 August 2013

Souvenirs Recycling Style (With Crochet Of Course!)


As already indicated in these pages, I am susceptible to packaging. Shops that sell things in old-fashioned, paper bags or even better, shops which give away those nice, unbleached calico bags, get my custom almost regardless of what they sell. Parcels that come through the post in drifts of tissue paper beneath the outer wrapping, and with ribbon and pretty cards to boot, fill me with happiness before I've even seen what's inside. I buy wine, olive oil, flour, soap and all manner of other things guided by the outer appearance and feel of the container or wrapping (especially if it can be reused or redeployed in some way). I am afraid I am a packaging-designer's dream target!

Conversely I can be put off, if the packaging is unattractive in some way. I am currently battling my instinct to stop buying my favourite bread-making flour from Waitrose, (Canadian Extra Strong Breadmaking Flour, if you're interested) for example, because they have replaced the nice thick, brown, paper packaging, printed in a reassuringly old-fashioned, dark, red and black design, with thinner, flimsier, (nastier) paper, in nasty (to my mind) pastel shades of peach and washed-out raspberry. The original packaging was both practically robust and had an engaging, timeless feel to it, both literally and visually. The new version simply doesn't cut it - it splits easily, spilling flour all over my larder shelves and doesn't "feel" nice in handling. These things matter. I am shopping astray as a result. Fickle? Yes. Frivolous? Yes. Going to stop being so silly and carry on buying the original product, regardless of the packaging? I am afraid not!

My soft spot for packaging gets a whole new lease of life when I'm on holiday and I often come back with unusual, or particularly pleasing, examples in my suitcase. Match-wood cheese boxes with pretty printed labels from France; unusually-shaped olive oil bottles from Italy; honey tins and jars from Greece; quirky, individual wine-bottles from hotel mini bars or baby jam jars, surreptitiously squirrelled from hotel breakfast tables, saved from their inevitable, sad destiny of a commercial recycling bin to ride again as containers for little gifts of homemade jelly or jam back home; dinky, little Maltese salt-jars; hinged, wooden chocolate boxes and Lebkuchen tins, equipped with musical box mechanisms that play "Stille Nacht", from Germany; they all now people my home in various new guises housing tea, stationery, cotton reels, buttons, preserves etc, or like the baby jam jars become containers for little homemade gifts.

My big weakness is, believe it or not, yoghurt containers! I have two roughly glazed terracotta bowls, that take it in turn to house tomatoes waiting to ripen, on my kitchen work surface, which were originally sold, containing fresh ewe's milk yoghurt, from a sheep dairy, in western Crete. I only brought back two smallish half-litre size ones but the yoghurt also came in big, one litre bowls too. I felt that this might be going too far as it was quite big and heavy but I have regretted leaving it behind ever since.


My watercolour-painting water jar is a Spanish yoghurt pot, embossed with a kite and clouds in the glass.


(The same Spanish holiday also supplied a fetching, brightly enamelled, dried milk tin, now the repository of candle-ends.)

I have a set of no less than six, lavender-coloured, terracotta dessert pots that originally housed, set, French yoghurt which I now use to serve lemon syllabub or chocolate mousse in. I saw the same make of yoghurt when in Provence a few weeks ago and I can't tell you how tempted I was to add to my collection!


 You get the picture!

I have been known to embarrass my family in restaurants in France by asking If I can take home beautiful, printed, paper place mats that I have turned into book-covers.


And I have not been allowed to forget, asking a waiter in Munich, in my very sketchy German,  if I could purchase the glasses, in which a round of Glühwein had been served. (These were very delicate to bring back on a plane, but with care, everything is possible!) Every time, we're packing to come home and I sidle along with a mysterious bundle to be slipped into someone's suitcase, my family raise their eyes and ask why their dirty washing has been redeployed. (To prevent my treasures getting broken in transit of course!)

This last holiday I was quite restrained. I did not make everyone eat a particular yogurt every day for a week to provide a complete set of dessert dishes back home, nor did I cause embarrassment by asking if I could purchase the tableware from any restaurants. I did however bring home a Provençal wine bottle. Nothing fancy. A plain, uncoloured, glass bottle that housed my favourite Provençal vin gris. Not quite plain though - it has the word Provence embossed along one side of the base.


It appealed. So, the wine having been drunk, home it came, wrapped in an old T-shirt. (Not my T-shirt of course, in case the bottle broke in transit and shards of broken glass caused any damage! Tee hee! I know, I know, I am very unscrupulous!)

Anyway it didn't break and all was intact. But what to do with it? For a week or so it sat on the side looking a little forlorn.  And then I thought I would redeploy it as a water carafe. You may have one of those nice fridges that have an in-built, chilled water dispenser, but I don't and when it's hot, I do like chilled water. I don't buy bottled water, except for the fizzy variety which H drinks in vast quantity; I prefer tap water, especially here in Oxfordshire where the Thames Valley water is very "hard" - full of calcium and other minerals anyway, but I always forget to chill it and in any case, there isn't always room for a big water jug in my fridge. A wine bottle that could slip into a small space in the fridge door made a perfect solution, but not without a smidgeon of hooky adornment.

Thinking of all the colours of Provence and the essence of the place, in the beautiful rosé that the bottle had originally contained, the idea of a colourful hooky wine bottle / water carafe jacket was born.Very simple but somehow very pleasing! The only snag is that the jacket has covered up the embossed letters of "Provence". I wondered about creating a window in the crochet to reveal them but in the end decided it would look fussy, so they are present, but hidden.


I embellished the plain, blue jacket with a handful of hooky tulips which I made using AterG's lovely pattern. You can buy the pattern on Etsy here.


I know tulips are not exactly typical Provençal flowers, but nevertheless, I think, they give the ensemble a lovely sunny, summery feel especially in these slightly, sun-bleached, pale colours.


There's not a huge amount of space for decoration - as you can see I had a few tulips left over. That's OK though - they will adorn another project. Possibly another bottle cover!


If you fancy giving the idea a whirl, it is very straightforward. I have put the pattern up as a separate page here.

Once kitted out in its pretty hooky jacket, fill your bottle with water and stick it in the fridge. The jacket, as well as being pretty, prevents the bottle getting slippery from condensation so has a nice practical aspect to it as well as a purely decorative one.


Anyone else stuff their suitcases with similar items? It's a fun and cheap form of souvenir-hunting and often I've found that these kinds of souvenirs are more laden with memories than things I've bought specially. I recommend it! (Just don't forget to wrap breakables in someone else's T shirt!)

E x

PS Hello and welcome to new followers here - it's lovely to see you! 

24 comments:

  1. We are of the same mind regarding containers, but you have found many more pretties than the average gal . Your water looks refreshing and sweet in its own pretty holder.

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    1. Thank you, Nancy! I don't know why water should be more appealing out of a hooky-covered bottle but it's seemed so! E x

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  2. Guilty too of buying for the packaging, mainly glass yoghurt pots and biscuit tins.
    My mother pads the lids of the miniature jam jars and covers with pretty fabrice to make a pin cushion and fills the jar with matching buttons. They look fabulous.
    Is there no limit to your creative crocheted items?

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    1. I love your mother's idea of turning baby jam pots into mini pin cushions. How does she affix the padding etc? Does she glue it in place? I'm going to try this! Thank you! Yes, biscuit tins are another vulnerability! And do you remember those "Terracusty" things or whatever they were called that Waitrose stocked years ago? They contained crème caramel I think. Very similar to my French pots but not coloured. I acquired a good load of those but unfortunately used them to put flower arrangements in for a church function and never got them back. E x

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    2. I've taken a closer look and yes, the padding is glued in place. I've put a photo here http://pinterest.com/pin/209065607675241736/

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  3. Oh my, I feel we are from the same gene pool! I too can be completely overwhelmed by packaging, wonderful bottle cover.....I've gone all giddy, quick must get one of those posh glass bottles of water, despite the fact we've a Brita Filter! :) x

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  4. Thank you Ada! Glad I'm in good company on the whole packaging thing! E x

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  5. So pretty, I like you am terrible for not throwing pretty bottles and jars away, the trickies item I brought home from holiday were hand painted blown eggs shells from Austria, where the chef at the hotel kindly wrapped them up and put them in a egg box for me to get them home.
    Clare x

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    1. Goodness! I have not (yet!) tried to bring home any eggshells! But there's a first time for everything! Glad you too are a hoarder of bottles and jars! E x

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  6. Don't tell anyone, but I have a stash of just about every container imaginable - but they are all not pretty. I intend to do something similar to what you have done as you and your tulips are very inspiring. -)

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    1. Me too! It's a bit embarrassing really but I can't bring myself to throw any out and if I ever do, you can bet your bottom dollar I'll find a perfect use for what has gone a few days later! As you say not all are as pretty as others but I have to have some i can bear to part with to give away! Also the plainer ones lend themselves to hooky treatment which is all grist to our mill! Happy Container Hoarding Astri! I am with you all the way! E x

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  7. Je vois que je ne suis pas la seule à encombrer mes étagères de cuisine ! Je ne peux pas résister à un joli ,pot de verre, et j'ai les mêmes pots "la fermière" dans mes placards !... Je m'en sers pour faire mes yaourts "maison".
    Le pot de terre cuite venant de Crète est absolument magnifique !
    Christiane

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  8. Le problème des placards encombrés, je trouve, c'est que lorsque quelqu'un d'autre les ouvre, ça risque des avalanches! C'est pourquoi on m'a donné le sobriquet "Mrs Avalanche" chez nous! Ça me fait grand plaisir, savoir que tu as les mêmes pots ""la fermière" chez toi - et c'est une idée magnifique les utiliser pour les yaourts "maison" - je vais le faire, moi aussi! À bientôt! E x

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  9. Bottle hoarder here too! I am amazed at the lack of glass bottled items. Most everything is now bottled in plastic. My family knows if it is in a glass bottle to save the bottle for me. I love your book cover using the placemat. Your bottle cover is a great idea...could make a cute housewarming gift.
    Deb

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    1. Yes I too am surprised at how many things aren't contained in glass any more - such a shame. Glad you have your family trained up to save stuff for you - sounds a very good way not to let any treasures pass by unspotted! I hadn't thought about the bottle cover as a potential gift but you're right - a nice idea for a little house-warming present - thank you! E x

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  10. I love all your pretty items! I have a few things I purchase just for the packaging -- a certain store's spices just for the glass container -- but I have to say I am less imaginative than you and haven't really thought that much about it before.

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    1. I too buy spices preferably in ranges that come in glass! Funny isn't it really?! E x

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  11. Dear E - so glad to know i'm not alone with the whole packaging 'thing'!!! Have been known to buy something just for the packaging and then give away the product inside cos no-one at home eats it or uses it!!! Indulgent? Yes, definitely. Necessary? Absolutely. xxx ♥

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  12. You and I think a lot alike on these things - this is so me too! None of us like Stilton and we all really hate cranberries but last Christmas Waitrose had a lovely pottery jar decorated with a seasonal knitted print on the sides and with a button printed on the lid, containing, you've guessed it, cranberry Stilton! Well of course I couldn't pass that up now could I?!! I managed to palm most of the Stilton off on other people and a few sandwiches had it infiltrated under the wire when I thought I could get away with it to see off the contents! Fortunately the jar was quite small! But it's quite normal for me to devise a shopping list around the packaging and, as with the Stilton, if there's anything special going in the way of a container that I really must have, my family just have to hope and pray the contents are not too awful! The Stilton jar is now a most delightful button jar and I love it to bits!! So yes, you're dead right, indulgent? Possibly! Necessary? Yep!! E xx

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  13. Hi, Elizabeth. I will send you a longer note soon, but had to comment on your post. I can certainly understand the appeal of food packaging. I didn't make it to Fortnum and Mason on my recent trip, but I can remember going there years ago and still have a tin I bought there as well as a ceramic honey pot, although it broke several years ago. I recently made a trip to a big mall to look for aesthetically pleasing yoghurt containers--but didn't find anything to my liking. Your French ones are gorgeous.

    I will keep my eyes out for any interesting containers, as I hope to send a package your way sometime before the end of 2013.

    I miss spending time with you and your family in the relaxing English countryside. I have been so busy and have been neglecting my blog, as returning to school has been quite stressful. I have a post I plan to put up soon and hope that I don't sound too whiny and unpleasant in it.

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  14. Hi Elizabeth, I haven't been reading blogs in such a long time but by chance today I am reading yours and I remembered how much I love it. I love your collections of pots and wish we could have yoghurt from such beautiful pots. Anyway just popping in to say hello. Hello! Waving an appreciate wave to you and your lovely blog!!

    Helen xx

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  15. This post really made me laugh! I always say to my boys "What's the point in having children if you can't embarrass them - that's what parents are for." I agree with you on the packaging front - I'm a sucker for old-fashioned and practical packaging. I can sympathise with the flour-bag issue - I like to buy the very big 2.5 kg bags of bread flour (can't remember the brand) because the bag is tough and you can roll down the top without fear or it ripping or disintegrating. I also have a collection of old Absolut vodka bottles sitting on the windowsill - at present they serve no purpose other than to decorate, but I think that glass itself, particularly when crafted to appeal, has a value that transcends the purely practical. Judy.

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  16. Oh my goodness! I have those La Fermiere pots varefully brought home from Paris, and I love buying things abroad just for the packaging! I'm desperate to go to Italy just to get some pomodoro tins for my pencils.

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    1. carefully brought home, that should say! x

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