Labels - Recession style

I am extravagant in many ways.  There is some really very expensive stuff that I like a lot and sometime buy for myself and as gifts.  Generally I would not at all consider myself a cheapskate, but I still have a very thrifty side to me.  I think that comes from my German grandmother.  She was a beautiful woman and she loved pretty things which is why I put her photo in the most pretty frame I could find.  But my grandmother was known to be thrifty and although a generous woman, there were some things she didn't like to pay too much for.

I don't think that the recession is what has caused me to be even more thrify.  I rather have a feeling that it was the overwhelming abundance of the upswing.  It just got to be a little bit too much.  I, at least, noticed this trend towards homemade and homegrown everywhere around me (i.e. on the Internet) quite some time before the recession hit.

But anyway, I have been experimenting with drying herbs and drying them and making oil infusions myself.  I have learned from the bitter past that labeling the jars is essential.  I always think I am going to remember exactly what that is in there, but... not so.  So I came up with a cheap way to quickly label my jars.  I bought a couple of rolls of old adding machine paper for 40 cents a piece.  These I tear up and use as labels.  They are rather narrow, so suit my purpose beautifully.  I store them in an ice cream container that I got while on vacation in Florida.  Nothing special, it just took my fancy.

The glue that I use is home made.  I love that!  How cool is that!  I found this wonderful book in a bookstore.  This is one of the reasons why the Internet will never be enough.  I would never have looked for this book, I hadn't known that something like this existed.  Just found it while browsing.
The Green Guide for artists, by Karen Michel (find out more about her at: www.karenmichel.com) is just a really cool book.  It contains a lot of recipes for artist materials, gesso, glue, paint and stuff and I made one of the glue recipes.  I would really like to make the milk paint!  I mean, who knew!  Milk paint!







But the recipe for the glue that I used is really simple recipe and easy to make:
The ingredients are:
Gum arabic
Glycerin (or honey)
Clove oil (or peppermint, lavender, rosemary, lemon or thyme essential oil - these have good preserving qualities)

1. Mix 1 part Gum arabic with hot water.
2. Combine 5 parts of that mix with one part glycerin (or honey)
3. Add 2 drops of essential oil - I used lavender.

Apply with a paintbrush.  This will last about a year.

I use my finger to wet the paper and stick it on the glass jars that I use.  This is not a very strong glue, but perfect for paper and I like it because it is easy to wash off.  I'm so tired of those labels and packaging that require an army and nuclear devices to get off!

The photos: My German grandmother, Ellý in the most ornate frame I found in Urban outfitters. she would have loved it. The pen and ink I bought in the Bronte museum in Haworth and I use it a lot to write notes.  The other photo: My kitchen is overflowing with jars full of herbs and flowers infusing in oils. It works really well to tie muslin over the top.

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