Craft time: Christmas gift bags

I have a bit of a trend that I make people presents, rather than buying them. The trend is sometimes broken, but generally I bake or sew or make a big batch of something, then divide it up amongst my family. But I always have difficulty finding things to put them in... the gift bags that are in my price range (read: really really cheap) look it. So this year I decided to do things a bit differently. I swallowed my pride, and went on Amazon.

Oh gosh, I know, Amazon doesn't pay its taxes. But the items I purchased amounted to about ₤6, so I don't think the tax man is losing out on too much. I purchased 15 white paper bags with handles, 1 bottle of gold paint, "Cadburry" purple tissue paper, and some cellophane bags (for the as-yet mysterious goodies!). So my packaging was sorted with very little headache and even less expenditure!

Now to make the bags a bit more special. I bought some doilies from the local super market (unfortunately, we live in a time when doilies are hard to find, so I didn't have much selection of where to buy them or what pattern to choose) and a sponge. 

I placed the doily on to the paper bag, and sponged the gold paint so that it came through the holes, creating a pattern. I then removed the doily, wrote the name of the recipients, also in gold paint, and voila! Beautiful, home decorated gift bags for very little. 

I will be filling these with delicious unnamed goodies (yum!), with purple tissue paper coming out the top. Luxury on a budget, no artistic talent required!

Inspiration credit:  http://ashleyannphotography.com/blog/2009/11/21/diy-doily-canvas-bag/

CHALLENGE: Day out in London for ₤10

I'm visiting my Aunt in London this weekend, and thought I'd set myself a challenge: to have a Saturday out in London for only ₤10. Sound impossible? Well, there's more.

You see, I know London. I lived here for a year. So I thought I'd up the ante. The ₤10 must include all transportation, all food (not including breakfast and supper, which I'm having at my Aunt's), and include at least 1 museum, 1 gallery, and 1 live performance. I used some of the tricks from my previous blog post on entertainment on a shoestring, but still I was nervous that I couldn't pull it off...