Part II: Christmas Gift Wrap with Origami Details

The more gifts I wrap, the more ideas I come up with.  Here are a few new ideas for my "origami theme" gift wrap.  In case you missed it, you can see the first part of Christmas Gift Wrap here.

 O Little Town of Bethlehem

A medallion made from Motif Pattern of Origami.

Chrismas Gift Wrap with Origami Details

 Origami Dove

Each year I like to choose a theme for my Christmas gift wrap.  This year I decided to incorporate origami pieces into the wrapping as a picture.  The gifts were wrapped with basic brown craft paper.  Once the gift was wrapped, I  drew directly onto the package with a white paint pen.  And for the final touch, I added an origami piece made from metallic paper.  The gifts came out fairly close to my vision.  If I had more time, I would have changed a few things but it is just wrapping after all.  I know this will all be ripped away in a matter of weeks so I can't be too picky.  Plus, I still have more gifts to wrap. 

 Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse

Origami Angel Tree Topper

Part 3: Knit Wrapping

To be honest, there wasn't supposed to be a "Part 3 Knit Wrapping" but when I stumbled upon these Ugly Sweater Christmas tags, I had to share.  They fit perfectly with my Christmas wrapping theme this year.  Love VS Design created these not so ugly gift tags for all to enjoy.  You can get the free download on the Love VS Design blog.  The ugly Christmas sweater gift tags come in two other cute designs.

Closeup of the not so ugly "Ugly Christmas Sweater"

Part 2: Knit Wrapping

As I shared last Monday, my Christmas gift wrap theme this year is knits.  Last week I posted about the herringbone paper and today it's all about mittens.  This little knit mitten topper is a pattern by My Mom Knits.  It's actually a pattern for an American Girl doll, but I thought it would make a cute gift topper/ornament too. The wrapping paper was purchased from Hallmark.

 

Bonus, the mitten also doubles as a gift tag holder!

Knit Wrapping

The first gift of the season is wrapped!  One down and way too many more to go. Not all of them will be topped with these cute snowman but they will all have the same theme, "knits". You see, each Christmas I like to have a theme for my gift wrap.   This year's theme was inspired by this herringbone wrapping paper created by Mara Mi   purchased at Target.

Topping the gift is a snowman standing at only 1 1/4 inches tall. The knitting pattern for this little guy is by Anna Hrachovec.  You can purchase the pattern at her site, Mochimochi Land.

Do you like to choose a theme for your Holiday gift wrap?  If so, what are you doing this year?  Please share.

One Cute Cookie

Today I want to share a little trick I use with cupcake liners to make my cookies look cute.  I don't know if anyone else does this.  I can't recall seeing this before.  Although, who knows, maybe there are hundreds of posts out there about it. But just in case, I thought I would share.

One of my favorite ways to display cookies is with cupcake liners.  I like that it makes them all uniform, perfect for a dessert table.  Plus, when someone goes to grab a cookie, they don't touch the rest of them. With little hands, that can be a very very good thing.

To wrap up a cookie, fold a cupcake liner in half.  Place cookie in center.  Fold left and right flaps back.  Super 

easy.

I made the cookies pictured above for a school fundraiser.  I know more and more schools are not allowing home baked goods for school events. I understand why but it seems such a shame.  I remember when I was in elementary school and there would be a cupcake fundraiser.  All the cupcakes would be displayed on a cart and rolled into each classroom. One would get to choose which cupcake they wanted.  I always liked the cupcakes with the fancy toppings (a.k.a candy). 

Curious, does your school allow home baked goods?

Origami + Ribbon = Oribbon

Photo credit: Kamigu

Sometimes a craft product comes along that's so unique, so inspiring, it stops me in my tracks. Today that craft is Oribbon.  Oribbon is a strip of sticker ribbon that's scored so you can easily fold it into geometric shaped ribbons.  The ribbons can then be applied to gifts and such.  Below is video so you can see the craft in action.  Tell me what you think.

Craft: Decorative Wax Paper for Packaging

One of my favorite crafts as a child was sandwiching leaves between wax paper to hang on the windows. It's one of those crafts that has been around forever and for good reason. It's easy, fun to make and only requires a few supplies. Well, this wax packaging paper "how-to" is made the same way. Simple directions below.

Supplies:
Paper - any color
Small hole punch - any shape
Wax paper

Punch out some shapes.

Place a tea towel down over ironing board. Place shapes between two pieces of wax paper. Don't place them too close or the wax paper will not seal well. Place another tea towel on top.

Iron on medium to high heat until wax paper seals together. This is what it will look like once it's done. Sometimes it comes out a little bumpy, that's okay.

Wrap up your gift. Done. The wax paper wrinkles up quick so do your best to wrap the item in one try.

We gave this little package of cookies along with this card to the kids' teachers for Teacher Appreciation Day.

I told my son about the card which reads "thanks a latte" with a coffee gift card included. Here's the conversation that followed:

Evan: Why is there a joke on the card?

Me: Because there's a coffee gift card with it. Get it?

Evan: Oh, I get it. How much is the gift card for?

Me: $5

Evan: Why so cheap?

You know, sometimes I appreciate the honesty that comes from my children. This time, not so much. And I should add, there were some homemade cookies that came with the gift card, sheesh! Please tell me it's the thought that counts. But, it did get me thinking about what other people give for Teacher Appreciation day. Do you give your teachers something? If so, what? Would love to hear your ideas and thoughts.

How To Make a Sweetheart Cookie Box

Who doesn't like conversation hearts? They come in pretty pastel colors, they have cute sayings (Tweet Me) printed on them, and did I mention they're made of sugar! So, as a tribute to the conversation heart, I've made an oversized box to fill with conversation heart cookies. Enjoy.

Supplies:
Template printed out
Box - I used a Barilla pasta box but you can use any kind you want
exacto knife
Paint
Hot glue

Click on image to make it larger, right click, copy, save, and print on cardstock. I made the borders extra large on this template so it can fit different size boxes. You can also scale the image if need be.

If you can, find a box with a window like the one in the picture.

Carefully take apart, re-glue inside out (refer to picture).

Paint the sides and back of box pink. You can also cover it with pink paper. I tried both ways and here's the verdict: painting is quick and easy, paper looks better but takes longer.

If your box has a window, cut out heart with exacto knife (refer to picture). If not, skip this step.

Line up printed template how you want it to show on the box. Trace front of box + top flap onto the back of template. Cut out and glue on front of box. Done!

I paid the model in cookies.

Comment Challenge - write your comments using conversation heart sayings.

For the Love of Japanese Packaging

My husband surprised me with this cute maneki neko (lucky cat) box filled with Japanese sweets, last night. The packaging is just exquisite so I had to share. Below are the sweets that were inside the cat box. I hope you find this packaging as inspiring as I do. Personally, it challenges me to rethink the way I wrap and present gifts.

This one kind of reminds me of a kimono. I have no idea if that's what it's supposed to look like but that's what it reminds me of.

This sweet is wrapped in a paper similar to rice paper. It has a lovely texture to it.

There was one other dessert in the box but it was gone before the photo shoot. Frankly, it's amazing that I didn't eat all of them last night.

Craft Project: Paper Cup Gift Boxes

Anyone else have a random assortment of paper cups in their cupboards? It seems every time we host a party there's just a few left over cups. Which always begs the question, what to do with them? The answer, turn them into cute little gift boxes. These boxes are easy to make and only take minutes to do, promise.

Supplies:
Paper Cups
Scissors
Tape or Glue
Label or Sticker

First you will need a standard paper cup like this one. Any size will do.

Cut off the lip of the cup, refer to picture.

Cut one inch strips all around the cup. The strips should be a little longer than half the diameter of the top of the cup. Make sure all the cuts are the same length.

Fill cup with cookies, candy, etc. Fold the strips down, one at a time.

Once all the strips are down, tape them down to seal the box.

Tape or glue a label to the top to hide the tape. Done

* Heart print cups would make cute boxes for Valentine Day treats.

Deck The Halls with Japanese Masking Tape

Everywhere I look I'm seeing Japanese masking tape and more creative uses for it. I blogged about it a while back but I figure it's worth a revisit. Especially now, since it's so easy to find and buy online. Below you'll find a few projects to make with the tape. Also included our directions on how to create the package above.

Supplies:
Decorative Edge Scissors
Japanese Masking Tape
Cellophane Bag
Ornament ( optional)

Cut out two strips of masking tape the length of the opening of the bag. Trim the edges with decorative scissors. Place the tape on the bottom of the bag so half of it's hanging off. Fold the tape that's hanging off over to the other side. Fill bag with contents. Tape ornament to the top. Place the other strip of masking tape on top of the bag just like you did for the bottom. Done.

Here are a few more ideas to get you inspired.

Masking Tape Christmas Tree by MT

Masking Tape Picture Frame by Decor8

Masking Tape Clothespins by Whisker Graphics

Gift Wrap by Country Living

Craft Scraps in The Kitchen

If you like to craft, chances are you've got die-cuts, ribbon, buttons, and yarn scraps stored away. I like to use all these little craft leftovers for food packaging and presentation. Here's just a few ideas of what I like to do with them.

1. Wrap single serving baked goods in waxed paper. Cut out a strip from a brown paper bag with some decorative scissors. Next add a ribbon. Last use a die cut as a label for the package. You could substitute the ribbon with yarn or embroidery floss. Lots of possibilities with this one.

2. When I go to any kind of potluck I like to label what I brought. I think it's helpful to guests and most people are more likely to try your dish if it's labeled. I also will do this for parties on occasion. Once again, I used a die cut and taped it to the back of a toothpick. Nothing fancy, but it looks nice and it's practical. If you don't have die cuts, you can use any kind of paper.

3. Sometimes my husband will bring cookies and such to share with co-workers. Instead of throwing the food in a giant plastic bag or tupperware container, I place it in cookie tins or clear plastic take-out shells. I actually save plastic take-out shells just for this purpose. I always place a doily on the bottom and tape a label to the top of the lid. Besides die-cuts, I also like to use these gift tags for the labels.