gift wrap and pretty packaging

Ice Cream Sundae Pinata

09.01.11

We are in complete back-to-school mode here. But summer is not officially over. Not yet.

The final day of summer is still a couple weeks away. So I’ve been thinking. We need one more bash to send summer off right.

It recently occurred to me, while I was packing away groceries, that I could fit a pinata

in the freezer.

Of course I immediately got to work on making a pinata. I pulled out my Elmer’s glue, an old Amazon box, and a stack of tissue paper and got to work.

It took me all of a half hour.

We picked out a few ice cream sundaes in a cup. How cool would it be, by the way, to do a grown-up pinata with Hagen Daaz?

And we picked out a few good fixings too to go along with them. We poured them in Whisker Graphic’s sweet little Bitty Bags.

Now here comes the sneaky part.

We’ll invite a few little friends for homemade cookies.

And of course there will be homemade cookies.

But we’ll also sneak the pinata from the freezer to the tree when no one’s looking. So we get to suprise everyone when the ice cream and fixings come tumbling out.

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Paper + Clothes Pins

08.25.11

Hello everyone. How has your week been? I’m so happy that I managed to come by to say hello. It’s been one of those weeks.

School started yesterday for the kids which means we had lots of details to work out, cute head bands to find and plain lunch boxes to decorate (I fabric glued pictures of Lego Harry Potter to a canvas lunch box, and phew! it totally worked.)

My man’s birthday is around the corner and I’m thinking of taking him to McCovey cove to watch a ballgame by kyak. What do you think?

My SIL and I are up to our necks in chocolate working out new recipes. And then we decided, since we aren’t already making ourselves nuts, we really want to host a cousin camp for all our kiddos this year.

It should be fun.

But that’s not what I’m here to talk about. I’m here to tell you that I have been playing around with decoupaging lately, and my new favorite thing is decoupaged clothes pins. I managed to snap a few pics. How fun are these?

I’m trying to figure out a way to incorporate them in my office. Along with all the awesome orginazation ideas I keep tripping over on pinterest. Hmmm

But in the meantime, they are the perfect quick way to pretty up a paper bag with a little Divine Twine, don’t you think?

And while I have your attention, I wanted to say thank you to all of you who have purchased this awesome recipe book to support the Red Cross (100% of donations go directly to the Red Cross). And if you’re still wanting to pick one up, act now. This week is your very last chance!

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Simple Crepe Paper Flower Pin

08.04.11

I adore all things paper. And I adore flowers.

So this crepe paper flower pin has become a staple for me to give on all occasions that deserve a big to-do. And a little to-do (we gave one to my kids’ school secretary on secretary day). It is very fun to clip on a gift, and is a good grown up version of pulling a bow off the top of a gift and sticking it on top of your head. Don’t you think?

So here are a couple pics I’ve snapped of a few I’ve made, with an exact how to, now that I’ve gotten it down to a science.
Supplies
2 lengths of crepe streamers, each about as tall as you (same or contrasting colors)
Needle and length of thread about as long as your arm
Masking tape (optional)
Hair pin or safety pin

Method

Thread and knot the needle. Thread the needle and knot the thread using the traditional method, or just use a small strip of masking tape and fold it over the end of the thread, sticky sides together, in place of a knot.
Match up the streamers. Lay the streamers one on top of another, so you have a double-layer streamer.
Stitch the streamer on one side to create a ruffle. Begin stitching the double layer streamer. Stitch all the way up one side, leaving a small margin on the side where you are stitching so the thread does not tear through. Use a basic running stitch, down from the top, up from the bottom. After sewing several stitches, compact the streamer down on the thread so it is folded into a ruffle. Your ruffle should be tight, but not too packed. The streamer will naturally begin to take a spiral shape that resembles a flower. The extra thread is going to want to tangle as you stitch, so be careful.
Tie off the thread. Once you have sewn through the entire streamer and created a spiral ruffle, tie off the thread using the traditional method or using a small strip of masking tape.
Fluff the layers of streamers, then knot the thread again. Use your fingers to slightly pull the two layers of streamers apart from each other, creating a fuller flower. Prepare the thread to sew again by tying off the end or folding a small strip of masking tape over the end.
Arrange the ruffle into a flower and stitch the bottom together. Begin shaping the ruffle into a flower. The tight stitched sides of the ruffle will be the base of the flower and the unstitched sides will be the top of the petals. Create the center of the spiral by folding the end of the tight stitched side of the ruffle against itself. Push the needle through both sides of the ruffle, right about at the same point where you stitched to create the ruffle. Wrap the ruffle around to create another half loop and stitch through this second layer of the spiral. Continue wrapping half a loop at a time, and stitching the base together until you have created a flower.
Stitch on a pin and finish. Stitch a few loops through the flower and around one leg of a hair pin or around the stationary side of a safety pin. Tie off the thread or secure with a couple small strips of masking tape.

And there you go. You have the perfect I-AM-Special hair piece. simple, festive, and pretty.

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DIY Cloth Wrap Tutorial

04.05.11

Lately I’ve been using all my fabric leftovers to make cloth wrap squares. It just occurred to me that this might be something worth sharing in a tutorial. It takes about 3 steps and 5 minutes. And zero sewing. Which is why it is totally my style. Plus it is so fun snipping up an old shirt or fabric scrap into beautiful wrap.

DIY Cloth Gift Wrap
Start with a square of fabric. My general rule for making cloth wrap is that the square of fabric should be four times as tall and wide as whatever it is you’re about to wrap. If you’re going to use two pieces of fabric as an inside and out, cut them together, just as you’ll wrap with them.

Side note. If you don’t have a rotary cutter and a cutting matt, you need to reconsider your values in life. I don’t even sew and I live by my rotary cutter and cutting mat. Go get a half off coupon and bring one home. It’s worth it. You will love it and it will love you.
Pick up your sponge roller and roll it either in fabric glue or this good stuff. It’s acrylic medium used for thinning acrylic paint. You can find it at any art store. Mine is leftover from high school art class. Good times.

Roll a thin even border around the edge to stop fraying. Allow it to dry, then snip off any loose threads.
That’s it. You are now ready to make pretty pretty packages and amaze all your friends.
p.s. You can get super awesome tutorials for wrapping with fabric here (and some beautiful fabric wrap) and here.

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Loving Project Envelope

07.06.10

I don’t know what it is about pretty mail, but I can never get enough of it. Pip of Meet Me at Mike’s has been hosting project envelope, and I’ve been enjoying every minute of it. Hundreds of readers have been sending along mail art and Pip has made quite the pretty mail patchwork. At the end of the project, all the pretty mail and its contents will go to one of the (very lucky) senders.

I’ve considered hosting an exchange of sorts here. Perhaps we can work that in some time. Have you sent off or received anything pretty lately?

More fun coming later in the week. I have an interview you are going to adore. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying your summer days.

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On the topic of lovely mail, have you been by LetterGirl’s shop? Her custom address stamps are made to your liking, and will insure that every piece of mail that leaves your house does so with something pretty on it.

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Sponsor Hello: pi'lo

06.10.10

I’m thrilled to introduce you to my new sponsor, which may already be a favorite shop of yours, like it is mine.

Pi’lo is chalk full of handmade goods made by Heather Shaw in her home-based Toronto studio. If you’ve never seen her work, prepare to be awed. Everything she makes and everything she blogs is a breath of fresh air. She creates one piece after another that will instantly become an heirloom. Below just a few favorites.

So much gift inspiration. Be sure to stop by her shop.

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Reader Question: Bubble Mailers

04.30.10

“I just opened an Etsy shop. In an effort to make the packages I send out as exciting as possible, I have been searching your beautiful site. I’m wondering if you have any sources for attractive bubble mailers? Thanks so much! ” —Amy

Pretty handmade bubble mailers from zannajune’s flickr.

Amy, first of all, congrats on the new shop! I’m always excited to hear about new etsy ventures. As for bubble mailers, you may have to get creative. Here’s what I’ve seen.

As you may have seen in my pretty packaging index, there are some lovely lined, printed envelopes from Merci Liberty, but you would have to slip in your own bubble wrap.
I’ve seen white and brown kraft mailers, which could be fun to print on.
And I’m not sure if you’ve been introduced to the snazzy envelope, but they look just like they sound.
But my favorite solution has to be recovering old mailers (which sounds do-able with a can of spray adhesive).

What about you readers? Have you found any good solutions for packaging delicate etsy wares? Amy and I would love to hear.

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Stickers and Pictures

02.17.10

First I have to say, thank you for your kind comments on my post yesterday. It was nice getting a little encouragement right when I need it. I so enjoy all your clever and thoughtful words.

I apologize if the blog is acting strange this week. The beautiful and talented Brooke is helping me with a tune up, and I think that if I hadn’t pitched in (oops) the job would be almost done. But we are close.

One last thing. I got the nice surprise of finding out I’d been nominated for the I Heart Design Award in the blog category. Would you stop by and vote for me? Only if you deem me worthy. I won’t prepare my acceptance speech yet. You can vote once per day. And if you leave a comment there you’ll be entered into the $50 giveaway.

And now, on to something I’ve been wanting to share with you.

In the middle of finishing Valentines last week my daughter and I came up with something fun. We call them salutation stickers. We printed off a page on label paper (the best deal I’ve found is these) for her to stick on her Valentines, and an extra page to use during the rest of the year. You know, for signing cards to her friends, sealing envelopes, sending off notes in the form of paper airplanes.

I thought this was a nice intro to the next couple of posts that are on their way, which are all about photo gifts. Remember last week I told you I’d introduce you to someone special? You’ll have the chance to meet her and pile your brain full of ideas for photo gifts. Doesn’t that sound nice? I can’t wait.

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Printable Labels (address-label size)

01.19.10

Hello. How is your week going? Ours has been a nice, slow kind of week. Brent spent the weekend in Idaho doing a film shoot, so I spent the weekend feeding the cow (we’ve had a mouse move into our corn bags, eek!), stoking the fire, and introducing the kids to shrink-ie-dinks. Perfect for the rainy days we’ve had.

I decided recently that I should reorganize my entire wrapping and gift closet. You know, to be ready for a year of birthdays and happy occasions. It’s been a project. I’m hoping to share soon.

As part of my closet makeover, I’m printing sheets of labels for quick and pretty gift wrap. I often print on full sheets of labels (thisis the best deal I’ve found for full-sheet label paper), but when I don’t have time to pull out the paper cutter, I like to have a short cut. I always have something I can print off on address labels.So here for download are two sheets of labels that will fit on a standard, 1 by 2 5/8–inch address label (Avery label template 5160).

Download from DropBox by clicking here: Printable Address-Labels

Or download here: Free Printable Labels, pillows and dots (9120)
Printable Labels, hand drawn (6868)

On a side note, I’m hoping to find a good place I can donate to the relief efforts in Haiti. I’ve been looking at this list. Does anyone have a charity they recommend?

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5 Ways to Wrap a Gift Card

12.21.09

I always worry about gift cards in paper envelopes on Christmas. I hate to send them off like that, among all the bigger presents. I worry they may not be able to hold their own during all the excitement on Christmas morning. So here are a few ideas for putting them in something that’s less likely to get thrown out with the wrapping.

This is my long-time go-to for wrapping a gift card, one of the $1 frames I pick up when I develop photos.

I love pillow boxes, and they’re so quick and easy to make. Download a template here.

Just a little something I created from a cream carton. Do you like it?

Fabric envelopes are the best. I cut this from a sheet of felt and glued with fabric glue. It took me ten minutes. That’s my kind of fabric project. (Can you tell I’m having fun with my new baker’s twine?)

This is my new favorite thing. It’s made from a milk carton and meant as a sandwich holder. (I’m saving all my milk cartons now and using this for everything, from packing lunches to care packages to organizing every drawer in my house.)

And for more inspiration for giving gift cards, don’t miss Gift Card Girlfriend. Shelly has put together several thoughtful ideas for presenting gift cards. (I love her idea of giving a family the iPhone geocaching app and a list of caches in their neighborhood. So thoughtful.)

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Not a Box

12.16.09

-gift wrap ideas The gift wrapping as begun around here. How about your house? Above is my new favorite solution for odd-shaped packages (in this case a little gift for the PE teacher). While my daughter got ready for school yesterday morning I was running around grabbing postal paper and busting out the sewing machine. And while we’re on the topic of wrapping things not in boxes, here are a few more ideas, many of which don’t involve a box. Some of these I’ve already shared in my gift wrap index, and some are new to me. Happy wrapping.

holiday gift wrap row 1: cookie wrap, paper bag tutorial, simple tag
row 2: free printable for cup, coronets, plastic bag bow (also love this version made by kids for a teacher)
row 3: yes that is a sock, cupcake liner bow, DIY bag via here

holiday gift wrap2 row 1: oragami stars, fry box, felt wrappers
row 2: fabric bag tutorial, felt loot pails, letterpress buckles
row 3: gift cones, tinsel, bags with personality

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Sponsor Hello: Divine Twine

12.07.09

I hope you’ll pop in and say hello to my new sponsor, Divine Twine . Truly the stuff is heavenly, pop in here and see why I love it so much. I’m sure you will too.

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MARTA WRITES: would or did

11.23.09

-clear packaging boxes Stop by Marta’s shop to pick up very fun packaging

I bring up the talented Marta of Marta Writes so often here, that I thought I’d better get on with it and ask her for an interview. Lucky, so very lucky for me, she said yes.

Marta’s blog is an absolute favorite. Marta is an Idaho girl (I grew up an Idaho girl), and let me tell you, homegirl can write. I see a block of text on her blog and can’t wait to dig in, to watch how she tousles and arranges the words. If I have a day when I don’t get to read a piece of serious and illustrious literature, but I’ve had a chance to read something on her blog, I’m satisfied. Yup. It’s that good. Oh, and she also takes inspiring photos, has super cute handwriting, and runs a great shop full of packaging and her graphic design work. Plus she always gives the best gifts. What more could you ask for? And since it is Thanksgiving week, be sure to stop by Project Thankful on her blog and join many others, including me, in listing a thing or two you are thankful for.

-sheep

Meet Marta
hello. i am marta dansie from martawrites. i live in idaho with my little boy and my husband. i am a graphic designer and specialize in book layout and announcements and invitations. i love to be with family, to write, to read, to bake, to wrap gifts, to plan parties, to roadtrip, to practice yoga and to purchase candy from the bulk section.

And now that we’re acquainted,

a few gifts that WOULD or DID make Marta happy

tickets to a broadway show. a few years ago my husband surprised me with tickets to Lion King and then again, another surprise to Wicked, both such happy occasions. he knows i live for musicals and is always such a good sport to escort me. i told him the gift of surprise broadway tickets should become a tradition.

-dpackage a set of photographs. my husband commissioned our niece (an amazing photography college student) to snapshot all of our newlywed places; where we lived, where we ate, the streets we walked and so on. i am still in awe whenever i see these incredible photos. not only are they beautiful, but they speak volumes.

-yoga001 a book of yoga wisdom. my darling cousin whitney put together a custom yoga workbook for me to brush up on my skills. she is a yoga teacher and is my go-to source whenever i have questions about certain poses. she always has the best advice for technique and makes me feel encouraged and strong. she was so sweet to put together a thoughtful book full of photos and quotes that i can open up again and again.

a day for a getaway. it was ever so romantic when my husband surprised me one saturday with a getaway to the big city for a weekend last december, just so i could get all the christmas shopping done in my favorite shops. we had nothing planned other then purchasing a few christmas list items, so everything else (even our meals) were spontaneous and lovely. we even went to watch ice skaters downtown at night.

a jar of grandma bernice’s strawberry jam always gets tucked into my purse every time we visit her. she is such a classy woman, in her nineties and still incredibly on top of it. she is my hero. it not only tastes delicious but it reminds me of all the qualities i love about her.

a package of stamps from my dad. one day i blogged about vintage stamps and soon thereafter i found my dad’s amazing stamp collection in the mailbox for me. he said he was happy for me to have them!! (he is the best gift giver because he is always paying attention to details.)

anything from a local bakery or gift shop is always a fun surprise.

a few gifts that WOULD or DID make someone else happy

a stack of magazines. i love taking a big pile of my favorite glossy magazines to a friend who loves them as much as i do.

tickets to tokyo. i’d love to take my husband back to one of our favorite ramen shops in tokyo, japan. i dream of surprising him one day with our luggage already packed in the trunk of the car.

a copy of favorite family recipes. i made a binder of traditional recipes from our family along with magazine cut outs and online recipes and empty page protectors for new recipes too. it’s a perfect bridal shower gift, a great way to welcome a new member into the family.

a book of adjectives. i created a mini accordion book for my cousin’s 25th birthday featuring 25 words that describe her.

a jar of homemade bath salts. i love making martha stewart’s bath salt recipe with eucalyptus + mint oils and tying a string around it with a small scoop attached. it is a perfect hostess gift, get well soon gift, new mama gift, going away to college gift, etc. i should start making that recipe in bulk. it would be fabulous in mini jars for favors at a girls night out party!

a visit from the whole family. this last september, the entire cast (meaning all seven kids and spouses) surprised my mom for her 60th birthday. since we are spread all over the country, it is near impossible to get together often, but we pulled off the task of being together again for the special occasion. the look on my mom’s face was truly priceless. our reunion was better than any material gift we could’ve given her.

anything wrapped in bakers twine looks so charming to me.
-st.nick

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PACKAGING for GOODIES

10.20.09

For those of you following along with me on the holiday countdown, here is some inspiration as you head out in search of packaging for your goodies this year.

TO GET MORE IDEAS visit my gift wrap index. Or visit here for my printable labels for the holidays this year.

Yes, this is a letterpressed cupcake box