Beautiful Wrapping Paper

I had a really nice experience at the post office last Saturday.  It was jammed with people who had shopped till they dropped, wrapped their presents, found the addresses and organized themselves to the point where they had one final step to take...mailing the gifts.

Dan and I walked in and made our way to the display of shipping boxes.  He was  carrying a stack of our packages that was so high he could barely see over his armful and I was negotiating box construction, taping, addressing and arranging them in the shipping box.  We completed our task in front of the 25 people in line.  They were waiting patiently, but boredom made our process entertaining.

We thought we could mail the box from the automated mail station, but a kind woman saw our error and pointed out that we couldn't buy the box we were using from the automated teller.  I'm so glad she said something, because I did not need to camp out in the wrong line when I had lots of other errands to get to.

Anyhoo, when she finally checked out and was leaving (at least 20 minutes later), I caught her eye to say thanks again, and she walked over to us and said, "We're all really jealous of your beautiful packages.  Have a great holiday." and went on her way through the crowd.

Isn't that nice! Her comment made my day.  This year I chose a variety of red, raspberry and gold papers and I must admit, they do look beautiful together and really help to highlight the red and raspberry ornaments on the tree.  

Wrapping in coordinating papers does not take a lot of effort (it is really more of a plan), but the effect can be beautiful. Although they look expensive, I found these papers at Homegoods. If you see some pretty wrapping paper on sale after the holidays, pick up a few coordinating rolls and plan to make a statement under your tree next year.  You never know who will compliment your efforts.  

Christmas in Vienna

That's what my Christmas wrapping theme feels like to me: Christmas in Vienna.  The gilding, the classical music, the fine china - can you see what I mean?

I accomplished it by choosing wrapping papers in cream and gold, photo-coping vintage sheet music to wrap extra special packages and by placing fancy pipe cleaner snowflakes under the tree to add depth and interest. 

The china?  In this photo, you can see one of two new tin plates that are reproductions of famous British china patterns.  I bought them to add to my collection while I was in Houston and stuck them under the tree as soon as I arrived home.  It is just the kind of thing Santa would bring me.  He knows good design when he sees it.  Merry Christmas!   

Map Wrap

My use of maps as wrapping paper is driven purely by its visual impact (rather than environmental) but nevertheless, "being green" is relevant and this counts!

Stacks of old AAA maps from our travel adventures have given us the most beautiful packages. I even think that they look best without any ribbons at all. Isn't it neat how all maps "relate" to each other in color, scale and print? Fabulous.

Back in 2007 (when I first used maps as wrapping paper) I used an adhesive crystal to denote a spot that was meaningful to the recipient. My family & friends just loved it - touches like that are so simple, but they have an emotional impact.

Then I switched gears last year and played up my love of sewing by wrapping packages in sewing patterns! So pretty and unexpected.

What inventive wrapping will 2010 bring? Time will tell.

Sew Pretty

I think that anticipation is an underrated concept for grown-ups. When I put presents under the tree, I want everyone to:

A) Be excited
B) Think they are too pretty to open
C) Imagine what could be inside
D) All of the Above

I also like giving people something to talk about. Hence, my raspberry & cream sewing theme! I have wrapped all of our gifts in tissue patterns, sewing instructions and a classic raspberry print. By finishing some packages with tape measure ribbon or a homemade belt, the concept is complete.

I absolutely love how this looks and it was sew simple!

Visual, Edible, Givable

My mantra for holiday preparations has always been Visual. Edible. Givable. In that order.

Visual:
I start with decorating. I find that once I have taken care of the "visual" joy of the holidays (decorating the Christmas trees, making a gingerbread house, putting holiday touches in each room) I enjoy myself much more. Friends can drop by and the house looks "ready" (even though I'm not!).

Edible:
Then comes baking. Once I've made a batch of gingerbread men (super easy - see my secret here), I always have something to offer my friends and family. The house smells delicious and they taste great any time of day with a cup of coffee. I also bake Nama's Sugar Cookies (stay tuned) several times each December - yum!

Givable:
It is only when the house looks festive and the cookies are in the tin, that I start to shop for gifts. Coming home with bags & boxes is much more fun when the visual and edible has been taken care of. Then comes the wrapping! I always choose signature colors and try be creative with my choice of papers. This year I will be wrapping in cream and raspberry - the cream gift wrap will actually be sewing patterns and for raspberry, I'll use some beautiful double pink wrapping paper that I found at the hardware store!

May you enjoy every minute of the holidays!

Rachel Ashwell

A few years ago, Country Home magazine hosted a "Be Creative" event in New York City's Central Park. The day revolved around presentations from design icons, knitting classes, cooking demonstrations, live music and and design seminars. Rachel Ashwell (founder and creator of the design style Shabby Chic) gave a personal lesson on how to bring Shabby Chic style to your gift wrapping. Her suggestions and displays were beautiful - pastel wallpaper used as gift wrap, vintage images reproduced as gift tags, pink tissue paper shredded to become stylish "fluff" to nestle around treasures.

And most importantly, she stressed that gifts should be thoughtful. That price, labels and trends should not factor into gift giving. She emphasized that by considering the person - her style, her family, her interests - and finding some sweet object that you think she would love (a vintage ornament wrapped in a Chinese take-out box or a family photo preserved under glass) would be the greatest gift of all. Thank you, Rachel!

Gift Wrap

Now is the time to let Spring take center stage in everything you do. To achieve this pretty package, take a tuft of Bradford Pear blossoms and wrap the stem with floral tape. Then attach it to the package with clear tape - voila! It will be the prettiest gift at the party and you'll have Mother Nature to thank.

Flower Power

I wanted to give my friend a stack of super cute Martha Stewart dishtowels from Kmart as part of her bridal shower gift. Big bright cotton check towels with rick-rack trim - totally adorable. 

 But they looked like a stack of dishtowels, not a glorious topper to her gift ...until I shaped them into a rose! I like to make people say "Ohhhhh....."