How I Paid it Forward in May

As promised, I'm here to report some of the ways I found to Pay it Forward this month to sustain the blogs, businesses and artists that make my life better. So excited about this project! First, I was happy to buy this automaticsweetheart purse made by my talented coworker Renée Valenzuela.

As I've mentioned before, Renée makes a beautiful line of handmade leather goods, and I had been eyeing her purses since wearing more pocket-less maternity dresses (I miss you, jeans!). Now I have a way to tote my cell phone and keys through week 40 and beyond.

Next, my sister, mom and I placed an order with Ballyhoo Bath to stock up during its May sale. The woman behind Ballyhoo, Luci, is an old blog friend. With a background in physics and a passion for creating, Luci is celebrating one year of making high quality bath and body products. Go, Luci!

At first I thought we'd save a few bucks by combining our order, but we qualified for free shipping that knocked about $20 off our purchase. Score! I had to laugh a little when all of our shampoo and conditioner choices were the same two fragrances. I guess the apples don't fall far from the tree.

Finally, I bought my mom a lotion she admired when she visited me at Common Thread Studio. I'm more a saver than a spender and generally resist the temptation to buy the many covet-able items at work. It was nice to have an occasion (Mother's Day and a trip up to the NW) to buy a gift for!

If you pay it forward to sustain someone's creative work, leave a comment, email me at giftedmailbox[at]gmail.com, or give me the link to where you've blogged about it. Would love to hear from you!

Pay it Forward Idea #2: Replace just one thing
Supporting creative businesses doesn't mean you have to go and buy artisianally-made everything. Try replacing one mass-produced product you use with something handmade. Then see how it goes! I was thrilled to find that my Ballyhoo Bath shampoo worked better than anything else I'd tried, and in the end I'm happy to be supporting the friend who made it.

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Engagement Rings, Proposals, and Seventy Seven Diamonds

My own engagement didn't include any fancy gift wrapping, but of course it's still special to me. G and I road-tripped to Santa Barbara to celebrate our 1-year dating anniversary. The morning of our anniversary, G took me to a park with a gorgeous view of the coast. Little did we know: it was a dog park! Happy dogs ran freely off-leash, a golden retriever splashed through a puddle from recent rainfall.

We sat on a fallen log overlooking the ocean, where G told me he'd taken a trip to Seattle to ask for my parents' marriage blessing. I had no idea! Then he read me a poem he wrote, which ended with the big question: will you marry me? It was a wonderful proposal.

(Funny thing is, I'd seen G take the engagement ring box from his backpack and put it in his pocket as we got out of the car. His trip to see my parents was a true surprise, though!)

I hadn't given much thought to how to gift wrap an engagement ring, but when UK-based jeweler Seventy Seven Diamonds reached out to partner with my blog, the wheels started turning. Seventy Seven Diamonds offers many kinds of jewelry, but the company takes its name from the year 1477, when the Archduke of Austria gave a diamond engagement ring to his beloved and the western practice of giving engagement rings began.

As I researched proposal stories for this post, I found a guy who popped the question by putting the engagement ring into a cut out space in a Harry Potter book (note the chapter title!). A friend shared how her boyfriend washed her feet before asking her to marry him. My cousin got on one knee saying he had "a rock in his shoe" he needed to get out - little did his girlfriend know what kind of rock it was!

One unique way to present an engagement ring is inside a Pixie box (above) by husband and wife team Oh Dier. Handmade from reclaimed wood, the Pixie was designed especially for an engagement ring or other keepsake jewelry. Love it.

In the end, as cheesy as it may sound, I think the best gift wrapping for an engagement ring isn't necessarily ribbons or tulle or gift tags (though the rep I emailed with confirmed Seventy Seven Diamonds does offer gift wrap!), it's the experience and love with which it's presented.

Post brought to you by Seventy Seven Diamonds, premier sellers of diamond rings and jewelry.

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{Photobooth image via youwannatalkjive, Pixie ring box image via Oh Dier}

Beet Dyed Gift Wrap | Tutorial

Would you have ever guessed these were dyed with beets? Give plain tissue paper a little zip by using natural dye to color it!

Materials:
- 2-4 beets
- White tissue paper
- Paintbrush (optional)

We've been using a wonderful service to get a box of organic produce a couple times a month.

Each box is a surprise, and we've learned to cook with several unfamiliar veggies because of it. That learning curve resulted in this happy accident of a tutorial!

Cook beets with this recipe. It's not hard - put the beets in a covered baking dish with a little water and bake until tender. When they are done, they will be sitting in the most gorgeous pool of jewel-colored liquid. Pour liquid into small container.

Chop stems off and reserve.

Placing a couple sheets of tissue paper onto a baking pan, use the beet tops to stamp the paper with natural dye. When finished, carefully lift off and dry undisturbed.

You can also use a paintbrush to paint patterns, or even fold and dip whole sheets into the beet dye.

After some of the sheets dried I added another layer of color (see dots below).

I think the pieces of tissue that were folded and dipped came out the best (shown with a Powder Puff Gift Topper below). I love where the paper got really saturated with color! What's funny is that these were used, crumply pieces of tissue - but the wrinkles gave it dimension.

Tip: If you find the color isn't as intense as you'd like, simmer the beet dye on the stove until reduced by one half.

What do you think? Hope you have so much fun with this one!

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Imaginary Tweets: Hint, Hint Edition

Coming this week - a tutorial! Can you take a stab at what it'll be from the picture?

G found an unopened tub of cottage cheese in his closet.

I feel lost when it comes to home decorating and appreciated this tip.

I got my first white hair...on the tip of my eyebrow.

Thinking about getting this scooter for N as a big brother gift when baby comes. Our neighbors have one and he loves it!

Honestly, he's not that excited for the baby. Anyone else go through this w/ their firstborn? Are we in for trouble?

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Proposal Stories?

If you've been a reader for long, you probably know how much I enjoy gift wrapping and encouraging others towards everyday creativity. The Gifted Blog is my labor of love, my side hustle, my creative outlet. As I slowly work toward the goal of turning the blog into an income stream, I've had different opportunities to earn money from blogging - some made total sense, some were a bad fit. I'm doing my best to follow my instincts so I can proceed with integrity.

I have the opportunity to work with a jewelry company to write an upcoming post and would love your help! The topic is engagement rings, and I thought it would be fun to come up with a list of unique ways to gift wrap (or otherwise present) an engagement ring.

Do you have any fun ideas for gift wrapping an engagement ring? Or, if you're engaged or married, did your proposal involve any interesting trappings for the ring? I would love to hear.

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{Image by Kissä}

Corinna Wraps | Sponsor Hello

There aren't many of us blogging our hearts out over gift wrapping, but Corinna vanGerwen of Corinna Wraps is one of them. She's a freelance writer, editor, and stylist in Toronto, Canada who loves making beautiful packages.

From the lush, feather-topped gift above to the vibrant color-burst gift tags below, I really appreciate Corinna's gift wrapping aesthetic. She's able to create luxe-looking gifts that maintain a modern look.

Corinna highlights gift wrapping supplies to buy and has been building an impressive collection of gift wrapping tips and tricks to learn from. (Some of these, seriously, look like they came from Real Simple or Martha Stewart.) I signed up for her newsletter to get a little creative gift wrapping goodness delivered to my inbox.

Personally, I enjoy seeing how gift wrapping is truly a personal creative expression - we blog about the same passion, but I'm always finding new things to admire and learn from in Corinna's work!

To see more, visit: 
Corinna Wraps Blog | Newsletter | Workshops

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{Images by Corinna vanGerwen of Corinna Wraps: 1, 2 + 3}

Cajas de Vlad | Why We Make

I write The Gifted Blog because I love to create. I've been reflecting on what it means to love making things. I hope this series will be a jumping-off point for thoughtful discussion among us. For the whole series, click here.

There are many different answers to the question, "Why do we create?" But one of them has got to be - we just can't help it. When reader Vlad wrote to me from Caracas, Venezuela, I couldn't help smile at his story. I think it perfectly exemplifies that I can't help it! aspect of creating. But before you read further, check out his album of gift boxes.

Wild, right? There are 150+ photos of boxes that Vlad has lovingly covered with wrapping paper. He writes:

The story of my boxes is a long one. About 15 years ago, I started collecting the used cardboard for storyboards before it got to the garbage (I was at the creative department of an advertising agency). I made the boxes from scratch... but it took me about a week to make one in my spare time after work. Why did I start making boxes? Because I didn't like all that material going to waste after so little use.

Years later I found a place where they make mdf boxes, and it hit me that I could use all the wrapping paper that I had left over the years to go back to handcrafts again, and so I did. It relaxes me a lot, and there's a lot of satisfaction from the feedback I get.

Vlad sells his boxes - last year an edition of 85(!) - and gives them as gifts, especially around Christmas. This year he wants to do even more and started making boxes in March to ramp up his production for Cajas de Vlad (Vlad's Boxes).

One thing I really enjoy about Vlad's story is how he wanted to make something beautiful with material that was about to go to waste. It reminds me of one of the lineages of Japanese packaging described in the book How to Wrap Five More Eggs. You look at what is in abundance around you, which is perhaps even waste material, as the inspiration for your wrapping.

I also like that Vlad's inspiration came while on the job. Many of us are working jobs that help pay the bills but don't necessarily satisfy our desires as creative people. I'm inspired by the way that Vlad's specific brand of creativity found its way into the office. Do you recognize yourself in this aspect of his story? (Reminds me of this book I came across many years ago.)

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{Images by Vlad Carvajal Crespo via Cajas de Vlad}

Dressed Up Drinks Roundup

Perhaps not all of these strictly count as gift wrapping, but when I started collecting ideas for dressing up paper cups and drink bottles, I couldn't resist sharing them with you. I'd love to receive a set of the cups above and some Martinelli's as a party gift. Bottoms up!

Washi tape + wine at Scout-Holiday (via the crafts dept.)
Stamped party cups at Oh Happy Day
Letterpress wine bottle wraps by Spiffy Press
Gilded bottles at A Subtle Revelry
Painterly party cups at DesignSponge (shown above)

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{Image via DesignSponge}

Paper Tiger Shanghai | Sponsor Hello

Today I'm excited to introduce you to a new sponsor: Paper Tiger Shanghai. I reached out to the owner of this fabulous small business because I thought her recycled gift wrap would be a great fit with the blog.

Lucy Young, Paper Tiger Shanghai's owner and designer, is a Chinese-American entrepreneur who moved to Shanghai in 2005 with her family. When she looked for gift wrap in her new hometown, all she could find were designs that were very western. "The Chinese custom of gift wrapping is still fairly new," she writes, "It's more common to give money in red envelopes than to give a gift."

Wanting contemporary gift wrap that reflected China's rich art and design history, Lucy set out to fill the niche herself. Paper Tiger Shanghai was born in 2007 and Lucy's paper is now sold in several shops in Shanghai and Beijing, and on Etsy.

I really love Lucy's story and the way she is bringing a Chinese aesthetic to a practice that is seen in China as western. You can see some gifts I wrapped in Paper Tiger paper here. It's lovely.

Please give Paper Tiger Shanghai a warm welcome and check out Lucy's work!
Etsy | Website | Blog

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{Images via Creative Hunt & Paper Tiger Shanghai: 2 + 3}

Michele Made Me | Sponsor Hello

You may have noticed after my call for sponsors that a handful of pretty ads have been added to the sidebar. Yay, new sponsors! I'm grateful to the women behind these businesses and blogs for sustaining my work here and am thrilled to brag about them.

If you've never heard of Michele Made Me, I feel lucky to be the one to introduce you to my blog friend, new sponsor, and incredibly talented lady.

Michele Pacey spends her days coaxing incredible creations out of materials saved from her recycling bin. See the pretty gift box above? She made it from a juice concentrate container, vintage lace scrap, and flower crafted from a styrofoam tray. No joke.

Michele is one of the most prolific makers I know, and she is constantly challenging herself by working with new materials. See her turn an old towel, junk mail, and toilet paper rolls into things of beauty. Or peek into her basement to see her impressive stash of recyclables.

Michele has also been building an impressive collection of downloadable tutorials in her shop, such as the one for the toilet paper roll thistle pictured above. I've been eyeing the juice cap ornament tutorial  for a while. I have too many caps and no idea what to do with them!

Help me thank Michele for her support and visit the links below!
Michele Made Me blog | Michele Made Me Shop

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{Images by Michele Pacey of Michele Made Me: 1 + 2, 3}

You Wrapped it in What?

Can you guess what G used to wrap my birthday gift?

Yes, there's a bit of that fabulous silk sari ribbon. But what's that other thing?

Is that a...hand?

My hand?!?

Hee hee. I actually knew what it was, though I did have to do a double-take at first. Our wedding photographer had one of our photos blown up and printed on canvas some years back. (Funny story: He had it on the wall of his house. The first time we visited, we rounded the corner and were confronted with this LARGE, somewhat intimate, photo of us.) He offered it to us when cleaning out some of his photography supplies.

At first we were kind of pumped, then realized it was embarrassing to have a romantic, 2x4 foot  portrait of ourselves hanging in our apartment. It seemed like a waste to toss it and presumptuous to give it to either of our sets of parents. G said he would figure out something to do with it, and indeed he did!

Inside I found a big pack of cards from Fugu Fugu Press, my favorite Pasadena letterpress company.

They held an open studio event that I was super bummed to miss, but little did I know that G and N swung by to take advantage of the sale! They sell misprints (which are gorgeous) for a song.

Ever since I stopped hoarding stationery and started, you know, sending it to loved ones, I've enjoyed collecting cool cards. Great gift, honey!

What do you all think? Did G make the right decision, or should we have kept our very large portrait intact? What would you have done with it?

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{Wedding photo by the talented Daniel Chin}