Festively Topped Wedding Gift

A quick pair of shots from our friends' Bangkok wedding. First, the radiant bride with her father. The wedding was held in a lush public park (unheard of in Thai culture - weddings are usually at hotels).

And second, one of the wedding gifts brought to celebrate the day. I've never seen a bow like this! I'm guessing it's a store-bought bow with tiny cuts in each loop, but - who knows - maybe it's all handmade.

Either way, very cool (and reminds me of this special touch at a Thai restaurant!). If anyone has experience with gift wrapping in Thai culture, we want to hear!

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Free Printable Money Envelope | Free Printable Friday

True confessions: I am sending my nephew's birthday gift to him late. Two weeks late.

Hopefully all will be forgiven once he sees this adorable money envelope designed by Shoko Sugiyama. Okay, just kidding - he's only two. But if you're in a pinch like me and want a quick gift wrapping idea for a gift card, cash, or dollar coins, this free printable could be just the thing. Quite mail-able, too!

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{Image via Canon}

A Year Ago on The Gifted Blog

2010
Farm Fresh Gift Wrap: Fruit and vegetable gift wrap for my nephew.

The Best Years: Can being young and struggling and short on money = 'the best years'? Reflections on making a living through blogging.

Rachel of Heart of Light: Inspiring felt gift pouches.

4 Seasons Gift Tags: Free printable gift tags to match the season.

2011
Luxe Hand-Stamped Gift Wrap: Luxurious results from a little paint and an old spool.

Makoto Fujimura & The Four Holy Gospels: Creativity and faith, together.

Recycled Gift Wrap from Paper Tiger Shanghai: A creative entrepreneur celebrating Chinese culture through gift wrap!

A Tale of Three Knives (pictured above): Last year's Valentine's gift.

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Bangkok Bloomers | Wrap Story

Some of you heard back in the fall that our dear friends were getting married, and we were travelling to Bangkok for the celebration! Here they are, newly wed, about to lead a procession of dancing, clapping guests through the streets:

Some weddings, you barely get to see the bride and groom. So I felt super blessed that L made plenty of time the week of the wedding to spend time with her friends, some local and some in town for her big day. We had a leisurely lunch together (that was supposed to be ladies-only until G and N crashed it), had our nails done, and ended with a bachelorette party!

I sewed a pair of Madeleine Mini-Bloomers to give as a bachelorette gift. I found a cloth gift bag in my stash that coordinated nicely. Yay for gift wrapping that travels well!

I realized later that I never got a good shot of the gift bag closed because this was happening at the site of my photo shoot:

All in a day's work for a glamorous, globe-trotting blogger! (You can see that one of the pillows in the second shot is blurry because of this romping.) Do you have any go-to gifts for the bachelorettes in your life?

This Wrap Story is part of a series documenting every present I’ve wrapped since the launch of The Gifted Blog. Click here to see them all!

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Bead + Washi Tape | 5 Minute Upgrade

This series was born when a friend requested quick ways to make a gift look nice before running out the door. Find more fast gift wrapping ideas here. 

If you're new here, you should know that I started this blog to encourage you towards everyday creativity. And what better blank slate than a gift? Gift wrapping is informal and fun, a perfect opportunity to use your hands and imagination.

Case in point: this pretty package incorporates a wooden bead as a gift topper and washi tape instead of a ribbon. Let's examine these two gift wrapping ideas: maybe you don't have a wooden bead, but I like the idea of using an unexpected bauble on top of a gift (a button? abandoned plastic toy? old brooch?). And the washi-tape-as-ribbon idea could be used anywhere! It would be especially appropriate on a gift that needs to be mailed or traveled with - no bows to get squished.

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{Image via Nice Package Blog}

Paper Play

Today, two images of a gift wrapped for me by my younger sister:

Tissue, printer paper, and a bit of playful scissor work yield a beautifully wrapped birthday gift. Thanks, sis!

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Imaginary Tweets: Chocolate Sandwich Taco Edition

Ooh! A surprise package came from LuLu Wraps. Thanks, ladies, it's so pretty.

3 cheers for husbands who bring home leftovers from catered meetings!

Although he did tell me that he dropped some sandwiches on the ground.

After we'd eaten them.

I put tartar sauce on my Senor Fish tacos. Please don't judge!

N and I found a tangerines and lemons to pick on campus. Love living where we do.

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Free Printable Valentines Goodies | Free Printable Friday

Printable Valentine treat bags by Kathleen of Twig & Thistle.
Free printable HERE

Sweet Valentine's tags, cards and stickers by Traci Yau of 45Wall Design.
Free printable HERE

Printable Valentine's card and coupons (awesome!) by Love vs. Design (via).
Free printable HERE

Coffee cup holders by Amy Moss of Eat Drink Chic.
Free printable HERE

A year ago: Free Printable Valentines
Two years ago: Printable Valentine's Cards

Ah, Valentine's Day. I grew up enjoying this holiday, but now that I'm married we don't really have any traditions. Do we give gifts? Sometimes. Do we go on a date? Rarely. In the past we've babysat for friends or had people over for dessert. Actually, I think having friends over has been our best kind of celebration. The day is not a nice one for some, so it's nice to eat something sweet with people you love.

I hope you enjoy using these - and that the money you save gets invested in some yummy chocolate (last day to order for delivery by V-Day)! And as always, many thanks to the designers who have shared their work.

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{All images credited above to their respective owners}

LuLu Wraps and Missionary Chocolate

Valentine's alert! My sponsor LuLu Wraps is teaming up with Missionary Chocolates to offer three beautiful gift sets. Each set features artisanal chocolate truffles wrapped in a LuLu Wrap. The furoshiki above is made from a recycled silk sari - gorgeous!

Standard shipping is free (and I do love free shipping). Deb says most sets take two days to arrive, so order by Friday for delivery by Valentine's Day.

I can see this being a decadent gift for your better half, a girlfriend in need of cheer (ooh, send it to her work!), or a newlyweds celebrating their first Valentine's as a married couple. And of course, no one said you can't order for yourself! Get these and make it a chocolate-tasting party.

To see all three sets of truffles, please visit LuLu Wraps.

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Free Printable Thank You Cards | Free Printable Friday

Did you grow up writing thank you cards?

It's a definite part of my family culture - after birthdays, after Christmas, we always wrote thank yous. I've grown to appreciate the tradition. It's a nice way to stay in touch with friends and family...it carries the 'conversation' beyond just getting a nice gift!

Today I have a collection of printable thank you cards for you to download:
Quirky green 'Thanks' card by Jennifer Ferguson of Squirrel in the Attic
Chevron stripes thank you card by Melanie M. Burk of Fifth & Hazel
Calligraphic thank you freebie by Melissa Esplin of ISLY
Assortment of free thank you cards at Do-it-yourself Invitations (via)
Elegant orange thank you card also by Melanie M. Burk of Fifth & Hazel (above)

As always, I encourage you to leave a comment for anyone whose free download you end up using! I'm sure they'd love to hear about who you sent your thank you card to.

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{Image via Fifth & Hazel}