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Friday, January 21, 2011

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up with String

Do you remember when groceries were packed in brown paper bags? Do you remember the smell?
How about the smell of them AND poster paint that was used to decorate them when we made masks out of them?


They were the perfect size to fit over a child's head. I can still remember putting it over my head and feeling on the outside where my eye socket was and putting a rough texta mark there so I knew where to cut out the eye holes.
Torn strips of crepe paper for "hair". What fun.
We also used them to toss vegetable scraps into and then bury them in the compost pile.

They were used over and over to carry things with the top rolled over and often used to wrap up mailed parcels because the paper was so sturdy. The post office doesn't like tied packages anymore and prefer you to use their pre-paid plastic satchels...just not the same is it?
I loved the smell of packages tied with string.
 So they keep talking about abolishing plastic bags...will they bring back the brown paper do you think?

8 comments:

  1. They made good patchwork templates too - for hexies, diamonds and triangles etc :-)

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  2. i hope so !
    it's only going to happen when the fossil fuels run out, and they will have nothing to make plastic bags from.
    ye-harrr soap box !

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  3. Hey Tanya, yep, I sure remember those brown paper bags. I used to be a check out chick and I remember when they bought in plastic bags.

    Can't imagine they will ever bring back the paper bags, that would mean chopping down trees...........

    Have a great weekend,

    Claire :)

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  4. i recently participated in a 12 days of Christmas swap and my partner wrapped everything in brown paper and tied them with string. it was thrilling!

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  5. I hope they do bring them back it would be so handy :0)

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  6. Our Christmas stockings used to be brown paper bags decorated by each child - a new one each year - fun!

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  7. I love paper bags.
    I really object to places like Spotlight taking away plastic bags which were not that great and not really replacing them with anything useful. I don't want the fabric or wool I have just bought clumped in with everything else in my bag or in one of those awful supermarket type bags. It is not so long ago fabric was folded neatly and wrapped in brown paper, notions like buttons and thread and lace were put in a little paper bag that was folded over and sealed with tape so that the things you bought arrived home in a decent state. I sound like an old lady but really it was still like that pre Spotlight coming to town and that is within the last 10 to 12 years I think.

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  8. We are able to request paper bags for our groceries when we shop. They would rather we buy the green cloth bags and I do have them.

    My problem is always forgetting to bring them along to the store, I am terrible at that!

    But I always ask for paper bags, I reuse them over and over...harvesting veggies, storing potatoes, mailing packages. They are great for all kinds of things...

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