Sandi Reinke from Loose Ends joined Carol to show some of the best and most unusual products from this company's catalog. The Loose Ends catalog is internationally flavored with exotic handmade paper, cloth and ribbon perfect for wrapping gifts, decorating your home, or creating bathroom accessories like Sandi's.
The Best of Loose EndsSandi introduced "Jacques," a decorative paper bird from Loose Ends' Tuscany collection, who has a smaller brother named "Rene," and a larger one called "Maurice." These birds are indicative of Loose Ends' efforts to group similar types of products with the same feel or theme into collections.
There are nearly 40 to 50 handmade paper ribbons from the Handprints collection. Some are hand-painted, others hand stamped or gilded, and all are perfect for bows but are also very attractive borders for windows, doors, and wainscoting when used with wallpaper paste.
The Casablanca collection of handmade paper comes in eight-foot rolls. A highlight of this grouping is a decorative garland called Botanikal Butler Pull, which is made from lotus leaves and foam balls covered in lotus leaves.
Sandi also brought fabric made from linen and rayon and which has real shells glued onto it. Her customers commonly use it to create draping window curtains, and producer Linda Watson thinks it would also be ideal for making a summer sarong.
Loose Ends Bathroom SetMaterials:
set of potpourri boxes, with clear openings on the top lids
handmade paper
Pulp Sealife - molded, handmade paper forms
Paper Braid- thick weave and white
white glue
small paint brush
glue gun and hot glue
cotton swab
Steps:
- Cut paper to fit around the box, leaving a 1/2-inch overlap at the top and bottom.
- Paint white glue on the sides and adhere the paper. Fold down overlaps, clip where necessary, and glue down.
- Cover bottom of the box with handmade paper, cut to fit exactly.
- Cover the top of box with a round piece of handmade paper to fit. Wet a cotton swab and run it around the window edge of box top and pull the paper apart for a rough look (see illustration).
- Hot glue the Pulp Sealife to sides and top.
- Fill with cotton balls, bath oil beads, cotton swabs or other toiletry items.
