Free Idea Friday: 4 Seasons Gift Tags

It already feels like spring here in Pasadena, with beautiful pink blossoms opening on neighborhood plum trees. Jealous? As a consolation we'll still let you use the pink "spring" tree on this cute set of Four Seasons Gift Tags by Rachel Weber of Fog and Thistle.

Rachel, thanks for the free printable tags!

Inspired By: Rachel of Heart of Light

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! 

Last month, while blog surfing, I came across Heart of Light, a blog and Etsy shop by Rachel. Beautiful work! If the chalkboard gift tags, tranquil photography, ruffle belt tutorial aren't enough to sway you, check out these felt gift pouches.

With the goal of building up a stash for annual holiday use, Rachel folded felt around each gift, then stitched two seams up the sides after determining the proper size. She played with different variations to close the pouches. Here, a slit is cut in the flap and a ribbon is secured to the body of the pouch. Simply pull the ribbon through and tie a bow!

There are 3 reasons I like this idea:
1) It's fast - with felt, there's no need to finish off raw edges. Sew two lines and call it good!
2) It's reusable.
3) It accommodates each gift's size. I've made gift bags and pouches before, but never thought about making them to custom-fit a particular gift. This is so efficient - no spare pouches lying around without a gift to fit inside.

Rachel, thanks so much for sharing your idea! Readers, you can see her full post here. What do you think?

Wrap Story: Little Cloth Bag

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!

Sometimes I feel a little self-conscious about wrapping similar-looking gifts, knowing I will be reporting on them here. I don't want to bore you!

I was comforted recently when my pastor was talking about the amount of time a musician puts into scales. It's technical work, not impressive or even something that can be a final product in and of itself. But when we are really into something, we will put our heart into practicing it until we improve. It was a good reminder that it's not about producing a masterpiece every time.

Onto the gift! Our lovely friend C. celebrated her birthday a few days after her son was born, and we gave her some Smartwool socks to cozy up in as a new mom at home.

I wrapped them in the homemade gift bag shown above and paired the gift with a card.

We were running off to the airport that morning and ended up dropping these in a little paper bag to hang on their doorknob! How lucky to be friends and neighbors.

"The Best Years"

You may remember that I moved The Gifted Blog to this site, in part, to be able to run ads. I invest a significant amount of time to write this blog, and I was curious to see if I could turn a truly enjoyable pastime into an income stream.

When a reader clicks on an ad link, I'm credited with a percentage of money from the advertiser. For the kinds of ads that run here, a click is worth anywhere from 25 cents to a buck.

Here are the numbers:
December: $21.09
January: $10.49

February (to date): $11.11

As you can see, I'm not exactly bringing home the bacon! I won't even be cut a check until it all adds up to $100. Although the consensus about making money with a blog is that it takes a long time (if it happens at all), it can be discouraging to think I'm making 60 cents a day with a venture I am giving my best to.

I am encouraged by a passage from The Collaborative Habit by Twyla Tharp, the internationally recognized choreographer. Tharp's first dance company was formed when she was fresh out of school. They stayed together 5 years without pay, sometimes performing without an audience. She writes:

It helps to be young and struggling and short on money--in memoir after memoir, people seem to describe this period in their career as "the best years" of their life. I suspect, in most cases, that's true. But not because of the walk-up apartment and the budget meals. You are constructing your own opportunities. It's all about purpose and the clarity of ambition. (pg. 25)

I am encouraged to know that, even if I'm not rolling in dough, I am doing something I love and getting to share it with you. I need to remember that there is something sweet and good about this stage of doing it for pure enjoyment.

It is fascinating to read about Tharp's transition from dancing for herself to dancing for an audience. As her circumstances changed, the time came for her to make a living. She writes she learned how to "honor [her] art without selling out" (pg. 28), making dances that would draw an audience and thus support her financially.

I wonder, when the time comes, can I do this? Will I want to? I don't know if you can resonate. I'd love to hear any thoughts you have.

Inspired By: Kayte Terry

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!

I saw these charmingly wrapped jam jars on This is Love Forever and knew I had to share. Crafter, stylist and blogger Kayte Terry made jam with her husband as gifts, and this is the result!

It's all in the details for this gift wrapping project. Specifically, I love the stitched and typed labels, pinking-sheared edges of the brown paper toppers, and the ceramic spoons. The mushrooms are adorable, but I really love the idea of a gift decoration that is perfectly functional (and so well-suited to the gift!).

If you are familiar with Kayte's work (in her books or for Anthropologie), technically this should come as no surprise. I was still a little awed to come across gifts so thoughtfully done up!

See her full post here for more beautiful photos. Kayte, thank you for sharing!

Wrap Story: Farm Fresh Gift Wrap

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!

Our new nephew is just a few weeks old and, from what we can tell from the online album, very cute! It's not easy to be a long-distance aunt and uncle, so we sent his parents a book to celebrate with them across the country.

We special-ordered a library favoritefrom our local bookstore.

This book rocks. I ended up ordering another because N. saw his cousin's copy and wanted to read it so badly. Definitely worth a place in the family library - just page after page of beautiful, rich illustrations by Lois Ehlert. When I saw my brother-in-law chopping kohlrabi over Christmas, I knew we had to get this book for them (see above)!

I wrapped the book in a sheath of bubble wrap, then plain packing paper. I revisited the bright graphics on a Fresh & Easy ad to add some colorful produce decorations.

To carry the theme further, I put some fruit and veggie stickers on a flat card and taped it to the back.

For a finishing touch, I added a red mesh produce bag that once held onions. Many thanks to Ez of Creature Comforts for this great idea! She executes her ideas so beautifully; I highly recommend a look at her post.

I had hoped to tie off one end of the produce bag with a ribbon, but the book just barely fit inside. Instead, I used a needle and red thread to secure the open end of the bag.

It was kind of fun to have it look like it was sealed on both ends!

I was proud of carrying the fruits and veggies theme throughout the gift wrapping. It was also a nice coincidence that this gift could be shipped without fear of a bow or other embellishment getting crushed.

What do you think? Do you have any other ideas for using these fun mesh bags?

Free Idea Friday: V-Day Cards

With Valentine's Day just two days away, today's post features two free cards for your last-minute downloading pleasure! Use these in conjunction with the photo corners idea for a Valentine's-themed gift.

The vintage-inspired card above is designed by Carolynn from Two Brunettes. It's available for download here at Ruffled.

And this cute card is by Janice Law of Little Miso. You can find it right here on her blog!

Have a nice Valentine's, all - see you on Monday!

A Beautiful Birthday Gift

A friend sent me images of a gift she received from her cousin for her birthday. How pretty! (The fact that it's beautifully photographed doesn't hurt, either.)

I like how she put a simple band of ribbon around the gift and made a little "badge" to seal it on top. And the card makes as much impact as the gift wrapping! I love the combination of her handwriting on the frosty vellum paper.

Though simple materials were used, the overall effect is very feminine and special. Thanks for sharing, Sora! Maybe this will inspire some readers for Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day Matchboxes

These delightful Valentine's boxes come from inchmark, a new-to-me blog by the talented Brooke Reynolds, former senior art director for Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Kids. She made these last year for her kids' classmates by taping strips of paper around emptied matchboxes. I love how her son got involved, drawing portraits of his classmates to adorn the boxes.

I've said it before, but I can't wait until my son is old enough to do projects with me! (Though I guess I should add: no pressure, son. I will understand if you don't want to draw tiny portraits for me to tape around matchboxes a few years from now.)

I love how straightforward these are - at their simplest, you're just cutting out a rectangle and securing it around the box. And as you can see from the images, there are lots of variations to play with, too. These would be fun for tiny cards, a piece of jewelry, or, as pictured, a gift of small candies.

You can read more about Brooke's project right here on her blog. You can also find instructions for making your own right here. These include a free PDF of patterned paper in case you don't have any handy.

Are you making anything for Valentine's Day?

 If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.

{Images via inchmark}

5 Minute Upgrade: Candy Card

The idea for this series was born when a friend requested quick ways to make a gift look nice before running out the door. Want more? Click here to see every 5 Minute Upgrade post to date!

Disclaimer: this may or may not take you a literal 5 minutes - but! - once you have a box of candy it should be quick little project.

As you can see, this upgrade is straightforward. Use a box of candies as the card for your gift! Though the one above is styled with ribbon and a small tag, you could do a very simple version with a blank mailing label for the "to/from". The candy card can be attached to your gift with tape or a firmly tied ribbon.

Thanks to Real Simple's Solutions for the idea, and the Pasadena Public Library for loan of the book!

Inspired By: How to Wrap Five More Eggs, part 3

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!


Plate 211, How to Wrap Five More Eggs

As you may have seen in previous posts, I found a book called How to Wrap Five More Eggs: Traditional Japanese Packaging at the library. There were too many things I liked in the introduction, so here is the final post of this set.

Hideyuki Oka notes the following about traditional Japanese packaging:

Another characteristic common to many forms of traditional Japanese packaging is the aesthetic consciousness of propriety. This is a result of considering wrapping and packaging as a sort of sacred ritual...[An] ancient concept that still remains in our racial memory is that of cleanliness and uncleanliness. The act of packaging an object becomes, then, a ritual of purification, of distinguishing the contents of the package from all similar objects that have not been purified. Traditional packaging is thus a reflection of Japanese psychology, which doubtless accounts or much of its orderliness and tidiness. (pg 12)

I had another ah-ha! moment when reading this paragraph. I knew gift wrapping was important in Japanese culture, but I had no idea why. I resonate with the description of packaging (or, in our case, gift wrapping) as distinguishing the contents of the package from all other similar objects.

Isn't that what a gift really is? An object distinguished from all other similar objects because it is from you, to someone else?

I also found pleasure in this description:

A third characteristic of our packaging is that of handwork...[A] feeling of love and consideration for others...motivates [us] to do this handwork. Even in the case of a small cake, say, whether you are giving it as a gift or selling it to a customer, you take the trouble to wrap or package it prettily, no matter how troublesome or inefficient the act may be, simply because you hope that whoever receives it will enjoy opening the package and eating the cake. (pg 12)

Some people feel gift wrapping is a waste because all it does is temporarily hide the present. In a moment, it is torn off - why even bother? Oka highlights the essence of gift wrapping: it is motivated by love for others. That the wrapping may be inefficient or time-consuming is secondary, and the enjoyment of the person receiving your gift takes top priority!

I really appreciate and relate to what I've read. What do you think? What from these posts on How to Wrap Five More Eggs stands out to you?

New Year's Resolutions: January Update

Here's a quick check-in on my 2010 resolutions for The Gifted Blog.

1) Write a gift wrap tutorial. - Check!
It's a short one, to be sure, but I provided instructions for an easy paper-covered gift basket in this post. And I'm not sure if this counts as a tutorial, but I tried to write about this gift from an instructional (vs. solely personal) point of view. This is a resolution I plan to continue to work on.

2) Write a guest post for a blog I admire. - Pending
I received a kind initial offer to guest post, but nothing has been finalized yet. In the meantime, I'm keeping my eyes peeled for potential collaborators and some great material to pour into a guest post.

3) Teach another workshop. - Pending
For some reason I haven't been very motivated to put legs on this one. At this point, waiting for inspiration.

4) Learn from better bloggers. - In process
My resolution was to apply some teaching points from "31 Days to Build a Better Blog" (31DBBB) by Problogger. It took a while to get started because the first lesson, Day 1: Write an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog, gets at one of my weaknesses: summarizing succinctly. (Yes, I did have to rewrite that to whittle it down to two words!)

But the result is the new tagline for The Gifted Blog: "Fresh, thoughtful, and green gift wrapping ideas"! With help from Hanna and my husband, I think it much better describes what the blog is all about.

The Day 1 lesson also led to the creation of a new About page. Many thanks to Shannon of Make It, whose post about race and the craft world encouraged me to add my photo to the sidebar. The 31DBBB lessons have been informative and challenging. I will continue tackling them, one at a time.

What about you? Any gift-wrapping goals you are working on?