What to do with the Paper Carnage, Part 2...

From http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/leftover-gift-wrap-ideas#slide_1

Shred leftover paper & use it as packing material.  Brilliant idea!

Make party hats

Easy & pretty napkin rings

Thanks Martha & Team!

What to do with the paper carnage...

Thanks to www.organicsoul.org, here's some great ideas:

Every year, people end up with tons of extra wrapping paper. I am always amazed with the mountains of trash that build up over the course of Christmas morning. Wrapping paper of all designs, colors, and sizes is used for wrapping, just to be crumbled up and thrown away. Clearly, this isn’t very eco-friendly. This got me asking, “Is there anything we can do so we aren’t as wasteful?”

After a little Q&A with family, we’ve come up with a few quick ideas for that extra, recycle-bin destined wrapping paper and Christmas waste.

Crafts for Kids

First, instead of just tossing away the extra paper and bows, use the supplies for arts and crafts. This is best if you have a big family Christmas every year with lots of children. While the parents are enjoying coffee and talking, set up the children with glue sticks, safe scissors, glitter, and anything else you can find. Have them make ornaments, Christmas cards, pictures, snowflakes, or whatever they can think of!

Shipping Protection

Still have presents to mail out? Instead of peanuts, use excess wrapping paper. It works as a great insulator and protective barrier for presents of all sizes. Don’t worry about what types of paper are going in the package or if they match. Just be sure your items are snuggly in place to avoid any damage. The best part is it’s fun to open!

Use it for the New Year’s Party

With all the extra ribbons, bows, and decorations, you have a great stock pile for a festive New Year’s eve. Fold the extra paper into designs of stars or snowflakes, and string them up across the house or in the party room. You can also wrap party favors in old gift wrap too. I suggest cutting up the worst paper for confetti you can let down or sprinkle everywhere.

Save the Best

Finally, you can always keep all the best wrapping paper for next year. The less you have to buy means the smaller your footprint is when it comes to next Christmas. You can use the worthy remains for presents, decorations, or anything you can think of!

Recycle!

Okay, so this isn’t as ‘fun’ as the others, but it can still be an adventure. I like to get a huge sack, stuff it full of wrapping paper, and head over to the local recycling center looking like Santa. Before you do that, however, be sure to call or Earth911.com your local recycler to make sure they take wrapping paper, which can vary in ingredients and styles. If they don’t, then consider sticking to the tips above!

The link to their article is here:  http://www.organicsoul.org/what-to-do-with-wrapping-paper-five-fun-ideas/

Rethinking Gift Wrapping..

Here are some fabulous, inspirational ideas for wrapping & recycling from www.homelife.com.au...

So sweet!

Look how  they made the torn newspaper into a lovely ribbon.  Brilliant idea!

I love this!  Plain wrapping with a vintage looking postcard tied with a jeweled garland.  Simple, elegant and beautiful!

click here for more photos:  http://www.homelife.com.au/home+ideas/galleries/christmas+wrapping,10256?pos=0#top

Some Etsy Offerings...

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtisanGiftWrapping

Etsy Shop now open!!!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtisanGiftWrapping

Sustainable Gift Adornments

These are fabulous.  Living, sustainable ornaments that are available in three sizes - including a set of 3 small ones that would be perfect as gift package adornments.


They can be found here:

http://floragrubb.com/shop/detailWrapper.php?id=33&type=g

Time Flies...

It's been a month since my last post!  Yikes.  I've been busy in the studio so there's lots to come shortly...

Admit One or Two...?

Here's a great idea on how to wrap tickets whether they be for a concert/theater/sports/movie/whatever.  This would also be great for a ticketmaster or movie theater gift card.

I found this great idea here: 

http://papercrave.com/weekly-wrap-20-admit-one/

and credit for the idea goes to the fabulous Danny Seo @ http://www.dannyseo.com/

Ribbon Rose Tutorial

Here's a great tutorial on how to make ribbon roses from wired ribbon.  They're elegant and easy to make.   Follow the link below to save-on-crafts for the instructions!

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/howtomakribr.html

Embellishing Envelopes

Here's how to turn an ordinary card's envelope into something extraordinary with just a little ribbon and faux flowers.  I used a hot glue gun to attach the ribbon and placed the flowers over the glue spot.

The Courage to Follow Your Dreams....

This article is from:  dailyom.com and is a great reminder, especailly for me - to follow your dreams.  I've always wanted to start a gift wrapping business...

August 20, 2010

Without a Net

Living Life with Trust

Living life without a net can be just what we need to step outside of ourselves and make the choices we need most.

As we create the life of our dreams, we often reach a crossroads where the choices seem to involve the risk of facing the unknown versus the safety and comfort of all that we have come to trust. We may feel like a tightrope walker, carefully teetering along the narrow path to our goals, sometimes feeling that we are doing so without a net. Knowing we have some backup may help us work up the courage to take those first steps, until we are secure in knowing that we have the skills to work without one. But when we live our lives from a place of balance and trust in the universe, we may not see our source of support, but we can know that it is there.

If we refuse to act only if we can see the safety net, we may be allowing the net to become a trap as it creates a barrier between us and the freedom to pursue our goals. Change is inherent in life, so even what we have learned to trust can surprise us at any moment. Remove fear from the equation and then, without even wondering what is going on below, we can devote our full attention to the dream that awaits us.

We attract support into our lives when we are willing to make those first tentative steps, trusting that the universe will provide exactly what we need. In that process we can decide that whatever comes from our actions is only for our highest and best experience of growth. It may come in the form of a soft This article is from :  anding, an unexpected rescue or an eye-opening experience gleaned only from the process of falling. So rather than allowing our lives to be dictated by fear of the unknown, or trying to avoid falling, we can appreciate that sometimes we experience life fully when we are willing to trust and fall. And in doing so, we may just find that we have the wings to fly.

When we believe that there is a reason for everything, we are stepping out with the safety net of the universe, and we know we will make the best from whatever comes our way. 

Bollywood Wrap

So here's another take on the Hollywood wrapping style.  This is a much smaller box which would be perfect for a gift card.  The style of this wrap feels a little exotic.  The paper I used is actually a sheet of scrapbooking cardstock that was spray-glued onto the repurposed box.  The ribbon and embellishments were applied with a hot glue gun.

Hollywood Wrapping!

I've always loved how gifts are wrapped for television and movies with the box top and bottom separate. It's a quick gift open and it's reusable.  You could keep the box for treasures/trickets or use it for a gift you're giving someone else.
I was at the Getty Center in Los Angeles last year and found a couple of lovely posters in their gift shop.  I repurposed one of the posters as gift wrap and used it to wrap a box 'hollywood style'.
The poster was a replica of an old french postcard so I went with that feeling and added pastel ribbons, a paper rose, some wooden foliage and faux green berry-type things.  Poking around the floral department of craft stores is always a good idea!

Martha Stewart's team does it again!!!

Great economical idea!!!  This  could be done for any kind of gift message.  click here for the instructions:  http://thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com/2010/07/paper-gift-topper.html

Hello World!

You may wonder why I have a picture of dogs peeking under a door as a blog header for a gift wrapping blog. The answer is quite simple really - I have dogs, 3 currently and they love to 'help' do anything, even gift wrapping and usually it's best if they are just spectators ;)