Today I have been tasked with writing about tote bags. I will admit right from the start that I have two other things on my mind just now:
Now that I have admitted what is really on my mind I will tell you what I know about tote bags. We make them. Yes, right here in Gibsons, BC. Our totes are not the type that you would take to Costco and fill with half of your purchases. Ours are the type that could carry some books, a bunch of groceries and a bottle of wine. Our tote bags are sturdy and they have fun pictures on them that are meant to entertain you as you stand in line at the grocery store wondering why you did not choose the line next door.
Another fine feature of our totes is that once you have finished with the bag it folds up super small so you can slip it into your purse or another tote. Yes, if you put our tote into another tote they will NOT fight. Our totes are friendly, and not just in the eco friendly way.
Each of our totes comes with a tag suggesting things that you might like to put into the bag. Here is a sample tag.
I think that is about as much information as you probably want and I can see that if I am going to get out to chop that kindling before the light disappears, I will need to go out soon.
Tea is done. Cookies are all eaten.
Bye for now.
People often ask me where my ideas come from and what inspires me. I have thought a lot about that and now here is my long winded answer...
]]>1. Tea towel designs mainly come to me when I am swimming or biking. Not when I am doing an interval set which requires concentration but more a long, slow distance set when my mind can wander. The thing I find funny is that often while swimming I will get an idea that I think is brilliant. When I come home and draw it out I realize it was ridiculous. I am always grateful that I caught the bad idea before I put it out there to the world and suffered the humiliation. For every good idea I would say there are about six bad or mediocre ones.
4. My last object of major inspiration is a clean kitchen that I did not clean myself! Jody is very good at cleaning after I go to bed at night. He stays up to clean and watch scary movies.
As many of you know, I make tea towels. Lovely ones. Now, I have some important information to share with you. If you are going out to a friend’s house for supper soon, AND you are planning on taking a bottle of wine, this is what you need to do. First, buy one of my tea towels! OK OK, you are allowed to do this with someone else’s tea towel but we would love it if you would buy one from us too. However, I will never know if you did buy from us so don’t worry.
I am going to show you how to make a tea towel into the loveliest hostess gift possible. First, I will describe what to do, or if you prefer you can skip to the bottom and go look at the video.
STEP 1: Go buy some wine and a tea towel.
STEP 2: If you are using one of our towels unfold it to the first fold, place your wine bottle in the center and lie it down lengthwise.
STEP 3: Close the tea towel around the bottle so that both ends come up around the neck of it.
STEP 4: With the bottle lying down tie some rafia or ribbon around the neck of the bottle. Now look at the finished piece.
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We always tell people that we would prefer they use our towels for their dishes as this way they will eventually wear out, then the people will need more and that way we (the elves at Sa Boothroyd) will not starve.
Here are some other options for the use of a tea towel:
Ok, here is one last personal story about the tea towel and a trip that I took with my kids (then 7 and 9) to England. It was 2011 and I was absolutely dying to go swimming but had no towel. The girls and I all had swim suits but that was all. I decided to nip into a shop, buy a tea towel and then we all went to the Taunton Pool. We swam and then we had the one tea towel between the 3 of us. It worked! Ok, maybe we did not have dry hair but the tea towel did the trick.
So there you have it, a bit about me, a bit about us, and a few unconventional ways to use your tea towels. As drying the dishes may not be the most exciting part of your day, we are here to make it a little more fun. You're welcome.
Over and out,
~Sa
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On February 24th, 2022 everything changed in the lives of the people of Ukraine. The horrible events that continue to take place in their country ever since will never be forgotten. We may not be able to do much, but with $1 from the proceeds of each sale of our What really happens during Savasana tea towel, our Find time in your day for yoga bag, and our Dr. Bonnie Henry tea towels over the last quarter we were able to make a donation to UNICEF Canada to help provide urgent emergency assistance to children and their families in Ukraine.
We would like to thank you for your support as we continue to do what we can to help some amazing charities do a lot of good. Both close to home and across the globe.
If you have a charity you feel passionate about supporting we would love to hear about it. We are always on the look out for a great cause we can help support. Email us at elfsupport@saboothroyd.com with your idea.
With gratitude,
Sa & the Elves
]]>This update is very overdue. Things have been a bit busy at the gallery but we assure you we have not strayed from our charitable efforts and last week we made another donation to a great charity.
This time around we decided to stay close to home when deciding which charity to donate to. $1 from each sale of the Bonnie Henry tea towel in the last quarter was donated to One Straw Society, right here in our own backyard on the Sunshine Coast. One Straw Society is a non-profit dedicated to Food Security on the Sunshine Coast. Its mission is to provide education, advocacy and community connections, empowering people to access and engage in a local, resilient, and sustainable food system.
If you are interested in reading a bit more about our pandemic inspired tea towels and the story behind our donations, check out this little feature article on us in the Daily Hive.
The Bonnie Henry tea towel continues to be a popular choice on our website and we thank all of those who have purchased one for your support. If you have a charity you feel passionate about supporting we would love to hear about it. Email us at elfsupport@saboothroyd.com and it might just be the next charity we make a contribution to. You can also head on over to our website and contribute by purchasing a towel for yourself or someone you know who might like one.
With gratitude for your support,
Sa & the Elves
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