Accordion Box and Herb Gardens

THANK YOU Organized Chaos!!


This has been THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER and I have only gotten ONE gift!!

This AWESOME Accordion Gift Purse and stunning Rosemary Christmas tree!! How clever is The CEO? VERY!! She filled the gift purse with ROSEMARY RECIPES!!

(This photo courtesy of FTD.com)

This gift was wonderfully creative and made me SO happy I had to share the LOVE!! Organized Chaos linked to TWO great tutorials to make these Accordion Gift Purses happen. Stampin Inspirations and Wendy Smedley's Blog.

Here is my version of the Accordion Gift Purse. I used my very favorite "GRACE" paper from Close to My Heart.

Notice how mine looks more like a box?? That is because I cannot read directions and missed the steps for the purse handle. Thankfully, it could still do the job for which it was intended.

I was BEYOND excited to share the love of a Rosemary tree and recipe holder. I made my two accordion gift holders and then loaded up Barnum and Bailey to hit the local greenhouse, Plants for All Seasons. The GO TO Greenhouse in our neck of the woods!!

We strolled in, asked where we could find the Rosemary Christmas Trees and headed that way. They had a gorgeous line up of all sizes!! Unfortunately, they started at $30 and I only had $10!! Ten Smackareenos for TWO Rosemary Christmas trees. My Christmas Cheer was sucked right out of me!! I CAN'T spend $60! This is TYOHC!! (The Year of Handmade Christmas)

The sales lady was extremely understanding and helpful. She whipped up these two herb gardens ("with a hearty, winter flowering plant!" :) I got the biggest chuckle out of her saying that!!) in two seconds and I ended up spending $10! ( I had the clay pots and potting soil at home)

I used the cricut to bust out some mini plant markers and then hit my two favorite cooking sites Food Network and The Pioneer Woman Cooks for Rosemary, Basil, and Thyme recipes. If you are interested in the 3 x 5 recipe cards I placed in the holder please just shoot me an email. I'll be happy to pass those along. It will save you a good TWO HOURS!!!

Now imagine big red bows tied around the clay pots!!

I didn't take a picture of the finished products!! SORRY!

Although my dreams of sharing the love of a Rosemary Christmas tree came to a screeching halt, I was still pleased with the Teacher gifts and pleased to share an economical gift idea!

Once again...THANK YOU ORGANIZED CHAOS, STAMPIN INSPIRATIONS and WENDY SMEDLEY!! Please go and check these ladies out!