Halloween Candy Bar Wrapper | Free Printable Friday

In a former life, I worked as a home office assistant for an elderly, blind author. Though most of my duties centered on submitting his work for publication, I was given a special task come Halloween: go buy 100 pounds of candy. And I'll be darned, he gave out the whole lot in an improvised haunted house made from his front entrance. The kids loved it.*

This free printable is a neat way to gift wrap a bar of candy for the special person in your life who resents that they've outgrown trick-or-treating. Made by Shauna of Shauna Younge Dessert Tables (what, you can just design dessert tables?!) and found over at Twig & Thistle.

*He dressed in devil's horns and his guide dog wore angel wings. Seriously. I've had some funny adventures in employment.

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Stitched Gift Bags | Tutorial Tryout

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

As you may have read, I was given the challenge of coming up with creative gift wrapping for Kathrin's handmade change purses. She sews these pretty purses as gifts but expressed they are not easy to wrap.

With all the time and care that goes into making these, I wanted a simple idea that would hint at the contents within. Enter The Art of Gift Wrapping, a luscious book full of creative gift wrapping ideas! I have been soaking up all of Wanda Wen's wisdom and was so happy I could try one of her gift wrap solutions out.

Start with a simple paper bag cut in half. This one is a wine bag (3.75"x11.5") from Trader Joe's, but you can find your own at a craft store or any store that sells beverages. (I've even seen these behind the checkout stands at Target!)

I decorated each half to make two gift bags.

Then I sewed the ends of the bags. I hand-stitched one bag with embroidery thread and zipped the other one through my sewing machine on a zig-zag stitch. One bag will only need to be sewn shut; the other will need to be sewn on both ends.

(Don't forget to put in the gift!)

I love how the red on the sides of the gift bag showed once the change purse was inside. This is a really convenient gift wrapping idea for items that are fairly flat but still have some dimension.

Voila!

The variations are endless. You could also make these assembly-line style if you need to wrap many gifts at once.

A warm thank you to Kathrin for doing this cross-country collaboration with me. Here's to forging new ties through DIY! And if you'd like to stitch up a coin purse of your own, you can find her tutorial here.

What do you think? Please let me know if you try this!

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Gift Wrapping Challenge for a Hard-to-Wrap Gift

As you know, I am a fan of Kathrin's blog, annekata. She has an insightful and warm writing voice. She's single-handedly rekindled my love of hand sewing. And she seems to be steadily adding to a trove of brilliant tutorials to share with the world.

I was happy when she won during my anniversary Thank You Giveaway. We exchanged a few e-mails that confirmed our mutual admiration and brainstormed a way to collaborate cross-country.

During that time she wrote:

Last week I made a tutorial on how to make coin purses. I find that they're not easy to wrap and present as a gift. Would you be up for the challenge of finding a creative way of gift wrapping or presenting this?

My answer was YES, and a week later a delightful package was at my doorstep.

Annekata readers may recognize her pop-up envelope.

It opened to reveal a gorgeously wrapped gift. My reaction: What!? I'm supposed to dismantle this piece of art and come up with a better gift wrapping idea? As if the hand-sewn flowers and textured twines weren't enough, it was wrapped in a scrap of wallpaper found in an old farmhouse. Not many of those in our Los Angeles suburb.

The contents were as beautiful as the wrapping. Can you believe this is all hand-sewn?

I meant to ask Kathrin for some fabric scraps from her coin purse, but she shipped the package before I got a chance. Turns out we were on the same page. There was a little origami package with fabric inside, in case I chose to use them for the gift wrapping. So thoughtful.

Because the original gift wrapping was so creative, I had to un-psyche myself out for this one. Sure, I admire Kathrin immensely. Sure, her "difficultly" wrapping coin purses as gifts appears totally unfounded. Sure, my gift wrapping idea will likely not benefit from vintage wallpaper from a friend's farmhouse.

But you can do it! I told myself. Gift wrapping is supposed to be fun. Just play around with it.

So I did, and I think I landed on some creative gift wrapping that is low-fuss and well-suited for Kathrin's coin purses. Stop by on Wednesday to see my gift wrap solution for annekata!

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Makoto Fujimura and God's Gift | Why We Make

I write The Gifted Blog because I love to create. I've been thinking about what it means to be a Christian and to love making things. I hope the reflections in this series will be jumping-off points for thoughtful discussion among us, no matter your spiritual background. For the whole series, click here.

A friend introduced me to the work of artist Makoto Fujimura soon after my son was born. Amidst countless rounds of nursing and diaper changes, I read his writing and was energized. Internationally recognized, Fujimura combines classical training in Nihonga with abstract expressionism. But his personal history is what moved me most.

Though American-born, Fujimura spent most of his childhood in Japan. He spoke little English when his family returned to the States at age 13. His teacher, seeing that he could draw but had difficulty understanding the lessons, let him make art projects related to what the class was learning. He writes (emphasis mine):

I distinctly remember one day working on a bulletin board image of George Washington crossing the Delaware river on a horse. My teacher, in encouragement, brought other teachers around to show them my work. That day, a lady, a substitute teacher, came by, took one look at the bulletin board, turned to me, and said, "You can't waste God's gift, can you?"

Makoto Fujimura, Olana - Matthew Six, 2007-2009

Fujimura would become a Christian later in life, but at the time was not religious. He continues:

I wonder if a comment like this in a public school today would get a teacher in trouble. I am amazed that I can remember her face, her tone, and her face very clearly, despite having understood very little English at the time. You can't waste God's gift. Even then, such a statement did not seem odd to me. I was given a gift, and I can't waste God's gift. (pg 13, River Grace)

These words were reflected back to me while reading The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, a spiritual guide to nurturing creativity. She writes, "Creativity is God's gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God."

Makoto Fujimura, Charis, 2008

Using our gifts is a gift back to God. As a parent, this has fresh meaning. When we give a gift to our 2-year old N, we want him to use it! That wooden drum is wasted if it sits by the toy bin. His play conveys his appreciation. His enjoyment is a gift back to us. How beautiful that God enjoys our enjoyment of the gifts He's given us. That use of our creativity is not an exercise in vanity, but an appropriate response to having received it.

Using our creative gift is not the only way to give back to God. There are other priorities that need our attention. But let's not waste God's gift. Let's play with it, develop it, refine it - as our gift back to Him.

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{Images via makotofujimura.com}

annekata Hand-Sewn Ornaments | Tutorial Tryout

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

Have you heard of annekata? Kathrin's blog captured the attention of crafters everywhere with her fabric tape tutorial, and she's kept me coming back with her passion for hand sewing, inquisitive mind, and sense of humor.

I read about her hand sewn ornaments and dropped everything to start some. They aren't a gift wrapping idea, but I had to share this since I wrote about wrapping them as gifts a little while ago.

{Image via annekata}

Just too pretty. I started mine at home and took them on the road when we visited family.

My mom took this photo while my dad and N played beside us at a park. I love how portable a hand-sewn project is!

I really liked the spare use of color on the annekata ornaments. Though I tried, I couldn't exercise the same restraint and every hand stitched circle ended up a different set of colors!

I had so much fun with the embroidery that it took a while before I made the first ornament. For me, the trick was notching the edges of the circles after they were sewn together. That made the edges much smoother when flipped right side out!

The final product, just waiting for the right gift wrapping idea!

Kathrin, thank you so much for the wonderful tutorial. Readers, if you haven't haven't already, find the full instructions for these hand-sewn ornaments here. They'd make a lovely Christmas gift!

I gift wrapped a set of these for two dear friends on their wedding day. After receiving so many generous registry items and gift certificates for our own wedding, I've had a certain idea of what a wedding gift 'should' be. But lately I've been reconsidering what makes a good gift. What do you think? Would you give something you made yourself as a wedding gift?

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Free Idea Friday: Printable Mini Notes

For the star pupil or outstanding teacher in your life, free printable mini notes are available here courtesy Creature Comforts. Sweet! Ez made these to write notes for her daughter's lunchbox (oh, to have a graphic designer mom!) but mentions they can be used for gift tags and labels, too.

They are small enough to fit in the credit card slot of a wallet. I can picture using one of these to jot a note when giving a gift card. They'd be the same size!

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Wrap Story: Double Ruffle Gift Topper

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

My friend M's birthday was this summer, but delayed by our respective travel plans, I gave her her birthday gift only recently. M and I first bonded as housemates, eager to begin post-college life in our first apartment. Talkative, vibrant, and funny, this woman is a blessing to me year after year.

[Edit: That's S on the left...two of my favorite people together on my last birthday!] In addition to all this, M has excellent taste in accessories. Her signature look includes necklaces and earrings made with semi-precious stones. On our trips to see family this summer, I scoured Seattle's Pike Place Market and its surrounding boutiques with a discerning eye - to no avail. Of all places, I found this beauty at the Iowa City Farmer's Market!

The turquoise and red made me think of the Double Ruffle Gift Topper I've been hanging onto ever since posting the tutorial.

Red and red. Turquoise and turquoise. Done and done!

To make your own recycled, reusable gift topper, hop on over to the Double Ruffle tutorial here! Having one on hand made this present's gift wrap super easy.

Has your past preparation paid off in your own gift wrapping? Are there any ways you're getting ready for the holiday season? I'd love to hear from you!

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Flat-Base Ribbon Tie | Tutorial

The oversized ribbon on this gift adds an elegant touch, and with this trick the box sits flat, not askew. Read on for a tutorial that shows you how to avoid a thick twist of ribbon at the base of your box!

We will simply be working with the two ends of your ribbon. To start, position the ribbon as shown, with 6-12 inches (15-30.5 cm) extending beyond the middle of the box.

Take care to keep the ribbon untwisted as you follow these 4 simple steps.

Hooray!!

I learned this technique from Wanda Wen's The Art of Gift Wrapping, a book so gorgeous that I parted with some of my hard-earned $108.29 to add it to my library. I wanted to make my own tutorial because I wished the original instructions included more visuals. Regardless, I would absolutely recommend Wanda's book as a resource. It is brimming with personality and fresh ideas!

Please let me know if there's anything I can clarify. And let us know if you give this a shot!

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