Inspired By: Lupin of Bugs and Fishes

This Inspired By post is part of a mini-series on the things and people that inspire my gift wrapping. Inspiration can strike at any time!



In one of my first rounds of internet research in starting The Gifted Blog, I stumbled upon these amazing gift wrapping ideas by Lupin of Bugs and Fishes and Lupin Handmade. I was stunned.



It's a pleasure to find a fellow gift wrapping enthusiast, even if their gift wrapping ideas totally kick the butt of my gift wrapping ideas. Above are some images from gifts she wrapped using second-hand wallpaper. I almost gasped!

Here are some more using metallic cake-decorating ribbon contrasting with kraft paper.





And finally, some ridiculously cool-looking gifts using names and typeface for decoration. I really love these.



For all of Lupin's gift wrapping ideas to date, click here. She has definitely inspired me to take things up a notch with these labors of love. I'm sure it won't be long before some of her ideas sneak into a Wrap Story.

Lupin, thank you for sharing! You've elevated gift wrapping to an art.

Wrap Story: The Rose in Her Hair

This Wrap Story is part of a mini-series, documenting every present I’ve wrapped since the launch of The Gifted Blog. Click here for the whole series!

A friend, E., was married this summer, and I had the privilege of attending her bridal shower in the weeks leading up to the big day. It was a gray morning, but we enjoyed good company and funny games at a neighborhood park.

Images courtesy Jessica Jew

By this time I had started work on Gifted, a line of reusable gift wrap. I was in the process of sewing several cloth gift bags, but what next? Knowing the gift bags couldn't accommodate every size gift, I wanted to make something that could be used with a larger present.

With the goal of making another beautiful, user-friendly product, I made a rose that could be used in place of a bow. I had great material on hand - a cashmere top that never fit right. It felt luxurious, perfect for a bridal shower gift. I was pleased that its deep red matched one of the bride and groom's wedding colors.

I sewed the rose and attached it to an unbleached elastic band. I got excited about the thought that E. could use it again. I glued two paper leaves to the box (wrapped, as you see, with kraft paper) and used one as the "to/from" tag.

Present-opening time! Here's the happy bride-to-be.



She opened the gift and something spontaneous happened. Some of the shower guests said, "Oh! You could use it as a headband!" E. obliged and put the rose on. Doesn't she look cute? I felt so happy that this gift wrapping turned into a small experience of its own, contributing to the fun, festive atmosphere.



It's probably too lofty a goal to have every gift I wrap turn into a dress-up experience, but it was pretty fun to have it turn out this way this time.

Tutorial Tryout: Bagelope

Tutorial Tryouts are my reviews of DIY gift wrapping ideas from the internet and other sources. Click here for the whole series!



A gift bag from an envelope?

I saw this tutorial on the Craft magazine blog and had to try it to believe it! Exhibit A, below: pretty card and envelope from SFMOMA, announcing our year-long membership (thanks, Mom and Dad!).



Exhibit B: several creases, two pieces of ribbon, and some scotch tape later...voila!



I added the three colored dots to cover my name and address.

As you can imagine, this bag can only be used for tiny gifts, but it definitely has some 'gee-whiz!' appeal. I found forming the bottom of the bag to be tricky, so you might want to try on an envelope you don't care about first. Finally, a standard business-size envelope is going to leave you with an impractically skinny bag, so look for an envelope with more height for this project.

What do you think? Let me know if you give it a shot!

Gift Wrapping Arsenal: Gift Tags

Gift Wrapping Arsenal is a mini-series on the items I personally find essential for gift wrapping. As you'll see throughout my blog, there is an emphasis on versatility, thrift, and style! Click here for the full series!




If you've been following this blog for long, you are well aware by now that I am a fan of kraft paper. It's neutral, sturdy, and a great foundation for all kinds of variations.

However, the downside of its versatility is that it doesn't exactly scream "Merry Christmas!", "Happy V-Day!", or "Happy Birthday!". It's just brown, you know?

One nice thing to have on hand is a variety of gift tags to go with your plain wrapping paper. On some occasions it's appropriate to write out a card, but for big gift-giving occasions like Christmas, a simple "to" and "from" is all that's needed. And that's what tags are for! I keep my tags in an envelope and store it with my ribbons and miscellaneous gift boxes.



I made these from a variety of paper sources - promotional postcards, a holiday greeting card, art exhibition announcements, and a wedding invitation that was too pretty to toss. Any heavier-weight paper can work. On some I've glued a blank rectangle where the to/from will be written. I used a standard 3-hole punch to make the holes.



Instead of having lots of rolls of paper on hand, why not have a variety of gift tags that can be used for different holidays and occasions? Admittedly, I'm still figuring out the best way to attach them to gifts - I sometimes have to have to knot the ribbon a bit awkwardly. But I still like using these to add a bright and personal touch to presents!

Krank Press Giveaway Results

Hi Gifted Blog readers - thanks for your participation in our first giveaway. I am pleased to announce Sarah as the winner of the two sets of lovely Krank Press tags! Congratulations, Sarah! I will be in touch to get your address.

I was tempted to respond to all of your good comments but realized that would mess with the random number drawing. Thanks for sharing your recent wrapping experiences; I really appreciate it.

There are more giveaways in the works, so stay tuned.

Free Idea Friday: Mini Printable Boxes

These miniature boxes by Kathleen of Twig and Thistle are meant for wedding favors, but I can see them being used for jewelry or other little gifts. Follow this link to Style Me Pretty to download the printable template!



Looking for more free gift wrapping ideas? Lots more free printables to be found here!

Krank Press - Product Feature & Giveaway!

Because I like making things, many of the ideas on The Gifted Blog involve a do-it-yourself component. For example, I enjoy making gift decorations out of garbage.

However, this may not be your idea of a good time. If you're reading this blog, you likely have an interest in taking your gift wrapping up a notch, and I would love to be of assistance. As I am able, I will feature various gift-wrapping products for those of us who would rather not make them from scratch (and for those of us who just think they're cool!).

Enter Krank Press. Elinor, printer and proprietor of Krank Press, kindly sent me some letterpressed gift tags and cards when I told her I'd like to write about them. I was pretty excited to see the envelope when it came.





Aren't they cool? I was drawn to these bright, graphic designs.

A friend told me she was curious to see how I was able to embellish presents during the time I only had kraft paper on hand. If you want to go really simple with your gift wrap, tags like these would give your gifts a little punch. To see more Krank Press tag designs and goods, check out their Etsy store.

Our neighbor lent me her paper punches so I could work on a future Gifted Blog project. Being the thoughtful and artistic person she is, she dropped them off in a cute miniature gift bag. Since this loan is an act that merits thanks, but perhaps not a whole thank you card, I am giving back the bag like this:



Perfect occasion to try out a tag!

Finally, I'd like to announce The Gifted Blog's first giveaway! To enter, leave a comment before 8pm Friday (PST) telling me the last gift you gave someone and how you wrapped it.

I will pick a random number. The lucky winner with the corresponding comment will get Krank Press' exclamation mark gift tags and patterned gift tags with envelopes!



Good luck!

Inspired By: Church Potlucks

This Inspired By post is part of a mini-series on the things and people that inspire my gift wrapping. Inspiration can strike at any time!

The last "Inspired By" post was about my hunt for vintage scarves to use for gift wrapping. There's too much good stuff to say about these scarves! This post is about what else inspires their use in my life.



I grew up a part of a predominantly Japanese-American, Presbyterian church. Although I didn't always see this growing up, it is a vibrant and very nurturing spiritual community. And besides loving God, each other, and the world beyond the church, my home church throws a mean potluck!

Now, if you recall potlucks from your early adult years, chances are that three people brought chips and salsa, and maybe one other person just brought chips.

But my home church's potlucks are, no exaggeration, feasts. Chicken wings, sushi rice, a crockpot of chili, Spam musubi, fruit platters, chow mein, rice krispie treats, rainbow0-layered Jello, Auntie Julianne's famous sour cream twist cookies, etc, etc, etc... For some excellent photographs, please click here for images taken by talented family friend Jordan Nicholson.

But what does this have to do with gift wrapping? Well, often times, church ladies will put plastic wrap over their potluck dish, then wrap it in a furoshiki for transport. Originally used to hold one's personal items at the Japanese public bathhouse, these versatile square cloths came to be used to hold merchants' wares, boxed lunches, gifts, and more. It holds everything together and provides a little knotted handle, to boot!


Image courtesy Kraig Donald, CC-BY-SA-3.0

So, it was time to test out a scarf-wrapped gift, furoshiki style! I picked my scarf of choice. I liked this one for its unusual pattern and ample size.



I spread it out and placed a gift box on the diagonal. I took opposite corners and tied a square knot in the center of the box, then repeated with the remaining two corners. I tucked the ends of the first knot beneath the gathers, and, voila!



So cool! I was a bit afraid the feather pattern would be too bizarre for most people's tastes. I was pleased to see how nice it looked gathered around the box.

This idea can be used for a traditional gift - or, you could riff on the church potluck idea to present a dinner host with a plate of cookies. The scarf will gift-wrap the food as well as protect it from slipping off the plate.

Since this was just a trial run, I look forward to the next present when I can actually use this idea!

Wrap Story: Souvenirs from the Sea

This Wrap Story is part of a mini-series, documenting every present I’ve wrapped since the launch of The Gifted Blog. Click here for the whole series!

We were lucky enough to vacation in Hawaii with my family this summer. Gorgeous! The beach house where we stayed put handmade soaps in every bathroom. When I found out these luscious-smelling bars were made locally, I wanted to check it out.

We saw a flier for a factory tour and went. The tour itself was slightly underwhelming (a drying vat of soap doesn't provide much entertainment), but we got to sample more of their products and pick out omiyage for friends back home.

I got a bar of mango soap and a lip balm for my friend M.'s birthday gift. And, not knowing exactly what I would do with them, I collected some sea glass, pebbles, and shells from the beach.



At home, I found some organza bags, formerly favor packaging at my cousin's wedding. I put the sea-things in one of them, along with a business card from the shop and the lip balm.



The other bag just fit the bar of soap.



This idea - gift-wrapping with mementos from a particular destination - can work many ways. If you plan to give a gift from a certain locale (even your own town!), keep an eye out for something to wrap it with. Something that's ubiquitous one place can be novel everywhere else. Commonplace things (a take-out menu, local newspaper, tourist map, bus token, fallen leaf, etc.) can be used as wrapping paper, the gift tag, or an embellishment.

I was excited to make the gift, made in Hawaii, even MORE "Hawaii" with the things collected from the beach. M. was happy to receive the present, and said the glass, shells, and pebbles would find a place in her beach-themed bathroom. Perfect!

Inspired By: DIY Vietnamese Sandwiches

This Inspired By post is the first of a mini-series on the things and people that inspire my gift wrapping. Inspiration can strike at any time!



Ideas for gift wrapping can pop up in unexpected places. The June/July issue of ReadyMade had a feature on a "remixed" picnic. The article featured different takes on the traditional potato salad, sandwiches, fruit salad, etc. For me, more exciting than the homegrown microgreen salad was the beautiful presentation of these picnic foods.



The prop stylist laid the dishes out on a rainbow of casually-arranged scarves. Even the homemade Vietnamese sandwiches were wrapped in colorful ones (see left-hand side, below).



I was reminded of a gift I wrapped for G. for our anniversary last year. Looking for a quick way to wrap his bluetooth headset, I knotted a silk scarf from his grandma around it.



It is a beautiful and earth-friendly way to wrap smaller gifts. When we headed out to Iowa this summer, I resolved to hunt down more vintage scarves to use for gift wrapping.

When he heard I had gone thrifting on our vacation, a friend asked, "Is there something different about the Goodwills in Iowa?" Good question. I explained that when you thrift shop here in Southern California, you're basically going to find a lot more Forever 21.

Especially where G.'s grandparents live, there is a greater population of seniors. This is reflected in what ends up at the thrift stores. While I can't speak definitively, I would say that there is a higher likelihood of finding vintage stuff in Iowa than there is our immediate area.



My mother-in-law knew just where to take me, and I found some very cool scarves in Iowa City and across the state in Spencer. I can't wait to use these for gifts!

In the next Inspired By post: a trial run of a scarf-wrapped gift!

Gift Wrapping Arsenal: Raffia

Gift Wrapping Arsenal is a mini-series on the items I personally find essential for gift wrapping. As you'll see throughout my blog, there is an emphasis on versatility, thrift, and style! Click here for the full series!


My mom has been using raffia to wrap presents for as long as I can remember. When we took a trip to Southeast Asia in my teen years, she saw some weavers using a similar-looking material to make baskets. Thinking of future gifts, she bought several bunches of the long, brightly-dyed fibers to take home (yes, it took a while to convey she wanted to buy the raw materials, not the final products!). Unfortunately, the material was not raffia, and when we came home to a much less humid climate, the strands broke when bent.

All that to demonstrate our affinity for this wrapping material - my mom was willing to cart those strands through the countryside, through customs, and back to the States to adorn her gifts!

True raffia is made from the fibers of the raffia palm. It is flexible and straw-like, and looks great on presents!



Raffia is extremely versatile. Its natural color goes with anything. Decoratively, it is gender-neutral (male readers, feel free to chime in on this one). Similar to fabric ribbon, it is very forgiving. You could probably tie and re-tie it a dozen times and it wouldn't be worse for wear - very low-stress.

Raffia can be found dyed different colors if you prefer something brighter. There are also plastic and paper look-alikes, but I like the original best.

Here is a bar of soap my mom wrapped with a paper band and raffia. I think the rustic look of the raffia complements the hand-cut soap very nicely! As a bonus, raffia takes very kindly to travel (or shipping, if you're planning on mailing a present). This gift survived being packed in a suitcase and taken on a plane trip. Doesn't it still look great?



{First image via Little Window Shoppe}

Free Idea Friday: Fresh & Easy

Who doesn't like a free idea? Here's a wrapping idea using materials that are free and plentiful!



A Fresh & Easy market just opened near our house and they've been sending store fliers every week. Noticing the bright colors and modern-looking design, I got excited to use it as gift wrap.



I wrapped the box on the diagonal for added interest, which turned out to be a bit tricky. A corner of the ad got chopped in the process of trying to make a clean fold.



In keeping with the grocery store theme, I took out some produce bags from the Armenian market. These ones are undecorated and fairly heavy-duty. Instead of following the cutting instructions from the tutorial I used for my last pom-pom, I cut the bag in one, continuous line starting from the top.





I made the pom-pom. Next, I used a wide band of bag in place of a ribbon, and tied the pom-pom around it to cinch the band.



A handmade tag made out of junk mail paper provides the finishing touch. It was spontaneously decorated with an image of Fresh & Easy popcorn chicken from that corner of paper that had to be cut off. Fun!



So, there you have it, free gift wrap! Of course, you can use any variation of grocery store flier and plastic bag that you like. Is this something you can see yourself giving someone? What are your free ideas for gift wrapping?

Tutorial Tryout: Celery-Printed Gift Wrap

Tutorial Tryouts are my reviews of DIY gift wrapping ideas from the internet and other sources. Click here for the whole series!



After making the grocery bag pom-pom from the Creature Comforts site I was ready for more! I was most intrigued by this charming tutorial on printing creative gift wrap with celery. So clever.



When I saw we had celery, I remembered the tutorial and excitedly went to get some acrylic paint. I happened to cut up a carrot and saved the end for printing, too.



I bought silver and white paint and used an old yogurt lid to put the paint in. It was most effective to start with just a few drops of paint and tap the celery around until it was evenly coated. Unfortunately, this meant putting drops in the lid frequently. It would likely be faster to use a brush to apply the paint.

As you can see, I am using my trusty kraft paper. This is actually the end of the roll, meaning it has lasted me over a year!



I went for dense rows of celery prints so there will be lots of decoration on the gift, even if the box is small. Above, you can see variation in the thickness of the paint. This was a good project to loosen up a perfectionist like me. Not every print will come out alike, and that's okay!

To add dimension, I used white paint to stamp with the carrot end. The next time I would leave a little more of the carrot to hold on to!



This photo shows the opacity of the white paint in contrast to the silver prints:



All in all, an extremely satisfying gift wrapping idea. I'm already brainstorming whose gift will get wrapped in this!



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{First image via Creature Comforts}