Not the Same 'Ole Thing! (but from some 'ole thing...)

I recently bought a set of nesting measuring spoons, each in the shape of a gardening shovel with birds on the handles, as a thank you gift for my mom. I wanted to wrap it in a unique way and was inspired to try my hand at making paper bows after coming across an article in the spring 2011 issue of GreenCraft Magazine, published by Stampington & Company. (Tracie Lampie of www.radicalrecycks.com was the contributing designer.)

What I especially love about this idea is how each and every bow is unique and you can easily create any “theme” you want just by choosing a page from a related publication that has whatever images you like or need. In the image above I found a feature on homemade chutney in a 2009 Country Living.

So, for my mom’s present I selected a page that featured garden images. Some other ideas I’ve come up with include using typeface for a book or stationary present, pages from a tool or golf catalog for a guy's gift, fashion images for a clothing item… can you see the possibilities? I like how clean the look can be, too.

One year at Christmas I used fresh flowers from the garden (it was southern California and there were roses, bougainvillea, pansies and a few other things I can’t remember now) with various satin ribbons. Each person’s “bow” was one of a kind and they loved them!

What unique ideas have you come across or devised for embellishing presents? Feel free to share in the comments below!

Small Gestures

It's the holidays... :) I'm definitely someone who likes to fantasize about all the fantastic things I will do for the holiday season - the decorating, gift-giving, baking, entertainments, all the beautiful, personal gifts and decorations I'll make... and the list goes on! But the reality is that most years I barely make it through with getting the gifts on time! I really do think it's a matter of planning months in advance - and I think the end result would be rewarding, but, I worry I'd be so sick of seeing and thinking about Christmas things for so long that it would lose it's magic by the time Christmas really did arrive.

I "whipped" up these cute little gift tags (and coordinating table place cards not pictured) one evening after visiting a craft supply store and being inspired by a couple of punches. I didn't plan out what I'd do in advance, but I was tickled with the end result.

I gave the set to a friend as a hostess gift one afternoon when she had me over for a lovely little lunch of handmade pasta featuring butternut squash that her daughter had prepared. (yum!) It felt good to have something on hand to give her - something also handmade, to boot! It was a small gesture, but seeing her smile and appreciation was warming and made me realize I'd like to do more of those small types of gestures more often.

Happy Holidays!

Grace

It’s time, right? Halloween is all wrapped up. The craft stores have had their holiday wares out since August, and now all of RETAILTROPOLIS is following suite. The kids have been working on letters to Santa and their Christmas wish lists. Families have been making their travel reservations. Lots of office parties, holiday fairs, food drives and fund-raising events are ramping up.

 

Some of us love this time of year. We look forward to the planning and decorating, the baking and visiting, and we like to take time to find just the right things for our loved ones. Maybe it’s something bought or maybe it’s something made from the heart.

But for others, this is the time of year some of us start to fret about whether or not we have enough – enough time? Enough energy? Enough patience? Enough money? Will what we buy, make, do, plan, or give, all be enough???

Some of us long for simpler times. Reduced workloads, reduced schedules, reduced “stuff” from our homes, or just our lives in general! (Some of us would just like to hibernate until mid-January, or later if you can’t swing a winter-bird vacay to the Southern Hemisphere. ("Wake me when it’s over and all the bills are paid!")

But we don’t have to fall into the trap of all the hustle and bustle. The truth is life is always going to be busy and fraught with all kinds of stressors. But we can choose where to put our mindset and our energy. We don’t have to go with the flow and get swamped by a tidal wave of doubt and worry, or anxiety over the simple act of giving a gift. We can choose to be thoughtful and purposeful about this process.

The idea behind giving a gift is to express appreciation toward another person, or acknowledge a significant happening in their life. It’s an opportunity to show that person how important they are to us, and perhaps how well we understand them. It doesn’t have to be much and it doesn’t have to be complicated – just sincere.

When it’s done for the right reasons, and in the right way, giving a gift is an extraordinary experience that brings happiness to both parties. We each learn to receive, too. We learn how to be gracious in this process, a true gift in itself.