The Gifted Blog

Easter Gift Wrapping Roundup

2013-03-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

We are still in the thick of transitioning to Seattle but I wanted to put together a roundup of Easter-inspired gift wrapping ideas for you! These painted baskets from Oh Happy Day are my favorites of the bunch. (And what gorgeous ribbon choices! The bows complete the look.)

Painted egg cartons by Design Mom
Paper calla lilies at Oh Happy Day
Grocery bag Easter basket at The Elli Blog
Candy-filled linen bunnies at House of Earnest
Colorblocked Easter baskets at Oh Happy Day (shown above)

I have missed having time to blog, but my priorities these days include finding a preschool for Big N, reconnecting with community and friends, and carving out a little home-within-a-home as we live with my parents. If you celebrate I hope you have a very blessed Easter!

A year ago: Free Printable Easter Goodies
2 years ago: Free Printable Easter Gift Tags

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{Image by Aubrey Trinnaman for Oh Happy Day}

Calendar Gift Boxes | Gift Wrap Everywhere

2013-03-13T05:00:00.001-07:00

Gift Wrap Everywhere highlights items I've run across in daily life that are perfect for unconventional gift wrapping. Seriously, gift wrap is everywhere!

G and my birthdays are five days apart. For our last birthdays my sister S sent our birthday gifts packaged in these super cool gift boxes.

We opened them up and saw the Gift Wrap Everywhere philosophy in action! S's childhood friend is a photographer and graphic designer and made a calendar with her images. S had held onto the calendar pages and gave them a second life as gift boxes.

When I asked my sister what instructions she used to make the boxes she nonchalantly said, "Oh, I just folded up the sides and glued them." For those of us a little less spatially intelligent, this origami gift box video might be employed the next time you want to turn a calendar page into a way to give a gift!

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Kind of Loving This

2013-03-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

Printer paper + confetti + glue = funky, textured gift wrapping. Digging it! See the full instructions at Brit + Co.

Two years ago: Confetti Gift Wrapping Roundup

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{Image via Brit + Co.}

Wardrobe Gift Wrapping Roundup

2013-03-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

This is a good one! Here are 5 gift wrapping ideas straight from the closet.

Fishnet stocking gift embellishment at House to Home
Wool sweater gift wrapping at Boxwood Clippings
Shoe box as gift box at Meeha Meeha
Miu Miu-inspired gift wrap by Ambrosia Creative
Colorful tights as gift wrap by Brit & Co. (shown above)

Pro tip: wash before wrapping. ; )

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{Image via Brit & Co.}

Toy-Topped Baby Shower Gift

2013-02-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love this rainbow-y baby gift wrapped by Abbey of Aesthetic Outburst. The gift wrap was made by her kids and she topped it with a wooden baby toy and pink flagging tape from the hardware store. Makes me happy just looking at it!

My younger sister's baby shower is this week and - wonder of wonders - I'm actually in Seattle to go to it! When she set the date we still didn't know if our family would be staying in Pasadena, moving, or what. So excited to be with her during this precious time!

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{Image via Aesthetic Outburst}

How I Paid it Forward, Dec-Feb

2013-02-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

Time for a Pay it Forward update! I realized I don't always shop often enough to merit a monthly post, but I do have some things to report today. (If you're new to the series, take a look at the kickoff here.)

For Christmas I followed my own advice (idea #4) and put a necklace by Homako on my wish list. My parents gave me the one on the left and it is my new favorite!

I also bought Michele's Juice Cap Ornament PDF tutorial (only $2!). Michele is an amazing maker and blogger. If you've ever gained inspiration from her I highly recommend dropping a little change into her cap via her shop!

Though I usually try to cut costs when dining out, my cheapskate ways were halted momentarily last month. I picked up two sandwiches to go at this cute place in Pasadena, Ginger Corner Market. I usually don't leave a tip when I get food to go, but their payment system (Square on a mini tablet!) gave me the option to tip 15, 20, or 25%. Something about those little checkboxes gave me pause and I tipped. It was only a few bucks more (if that) and it felt good to give a little extra to a family-run business.

Similarly, I tried tipping generously after my haircut at Salon Aguayo. I went to their 'New Talent' hours, where younger stylists give haircuts under the supervision of a teaching stylist. I enjoyed my experience and figured the cheaper cut could balance out a bigger tip to thank my stylist for her attentive service.

Pay it Forward Idea #5: Eat Cheap, Tip More
I'm typically a by-the-book, 15% tipper, but recently I've been thinking about the benefits of tipping above and beyond (especially after this Applebee's tip debacle, yikes). I really enjoy the sentiment behind this idea, which encourages New Yorkers to support local restaurants with double tips. It's not a regular habit yet, but I wonder what it would be like to have a mindset to simply tip more - and to work that into my mental budgeting when deciding where to eat, what to order, where to patronize, etc.

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{Images via Homako, Michele Made Me, Ginger Corner Market}

Imaginary Tweets: Getting in the Mood

2013-02-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some videos and links that have been getting me in the mood for Seattle.

For my fellow thrift shop lovers. (Contains profanity...not for the kiddos!)

G's excited to have space in my parents' house for woodworking.

Look forward to hitting up favorite pho spots. Also, banh mi!

Nostalgic for Seattle.

A family friend directed this. (Lyrics=Seattle neighborhoods + Sonics players.)

Fellow re-locators, what have you done to put down roots in a new city?

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{Image via The Music Video Critic}

Farewell Pasadena

2013-02-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

Going-away/belated Christmas gift from my friend M. SoCal friends and family, I will miss you!

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Something I'll Miss

2013-02-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! This morning we're on a plane to Iowa, where we'll spend some time with G's family before reaching our final destination: Seattle.

When the reality of our move to Seattle finally sunk in, I made a 'bucket list' of sorts, things I wanted to do before we left Pasadena. G and I had tea and wandered the gardens at the Huntington...

then took a trip to Lake Arrowhead and crunched through the melting snow. (We loved our rental house, by the way - let me know if you want the info!)

I'm going to miss living somewhere where a desert paradise or snowy mountains are a little drive away. Have you ever made a big move? What did you miss the most?

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Free Printable Valentine's Cards, Coupons & More | Free Printable Tuesday

2013-02-12T14:29:00.002-08:00

Valentine's card (plus four more!) by Pauline Grayson of Sweet Muffin Suite.
Free printables HERE

Customizable Valentine's Day coupons by Mandi of Thinking About Pretty.
Free printable HERE

Valentine's popcorn invitation set by Amy Moss of Eat Drink Chic.
Free printable HERE

Printable Valentine's candy toppers by Sharon Rowan of Lemon Squeezy (via).
Free printable HERE

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

The free printables are coming a little early so you have time to print them before Valentine's Day! Big N's preschool doesn't do anything special to celebrate holidays but the kids can exchange cards if they want to. We'll be on a plane that morning but he did make up some cards with his photo and a little note to let his friends know we are moving. Sniff! I realized he understands more than I thought he did about the big change.

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{All images credited to their respective owners above}

Purged & Packed

2013-02-11T14:53:00.001-08:00

And the countdown to Seattle continues...

Purged: ramen wrappers, pieces of tulle, gift box, mesh bag gift topper, wrinkly tissue paper, damaged wrapping paper.

Given away: 19 gift bags, decorative mailers, organza bags, sticker labels, gift tags.

Packed: cloth gift bags, yarn, Compliment Wrap, ribbon on spools, ribbon remnants, homemade gift tags, bits and bobs for future gift toppers.

One step at a time!

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Seattle Bound

2013-02-05T21:38:00.000-08:00

Some big news for our family...we're moving to Seattle!

G is finishing his PhD in Materials Science and has accepted a job in the Emerald City. We are counting down the days until our move with a mix of sadness, gratitude and excitement. I was born and raised in Seattle but haven't properly lived there for 13 years. We'll join lots of family (including my parents, sister, brother-in-law and soon a new niece!).

It's bittersweet for sure. God has made our time in Pasadena such a sweet season. We've married, gotten jobs, found a church, had a baby, left our jobs, started school (G), started a blog (me), got a new job (me), had another baby...and in the meantime have been blessed with an amazing community of friends, neighbors and family.

I'm trying to take things one thing at a time. These next few days will be full of packing logistics, goodbyes, and giving thanks for all God's given us these past 5+ years. I'll be checking in as we get settled in the Pacific Northwest and hope to be posting about gift wrapping as I can. Keep you posted!

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{Image via UW Digital Collections}

Deja Vu | Wrap Story

2013-01-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

This reusable gift canister is well known to my husband G by now because I've given him a few gifts in it over the years.

His last birthday was no different. He'd talked about wanting to get back into regular exercise (always a challenge, but with young kids even easier to neglect), so I found a workout shirt for him. He does have a workout shirt, but having another to swap it out with between laundry days is a luxury I thought we could afford.

For my American readers, happy MLK Jr. Day! Big N and I watched a clip of the "I Have a Dream" speech over breakfast and I tried my hand at explaining the Civil Rights movement to a 4 year old (results unclear). I also had the pleasure of introducing Big N to Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday song. Happy birthday to ya!

1 year ago: IOU Pants
3(ish) years ago: Making of the reusable gift canister + For an Extremely Attractive Iowan

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Birthday Celebrations in Germany

2013-01-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

Big N's old preschool teacher is a SoCal native, but as a young woman fell in love with a handsome French-German student studying here in Pasadena. (Fun fact for locals: they were introduced by her Francophile art school friend who met him at Vroman's.) They eventually married and moved to Germany. We were lucky to have her as N's preschool teacher when her family returned to California for a time.

When she had to go back, we had her over for a little farewell lunch. As we chatted about the life they would return to in Germany, she mentioned some interesting things about how birthdays are celebrated there.

First, she said that birthdays are a big deal in Germany - not just for children, but adults, too. An adult friend would be hurt if you didn't call to wish them a happy birthday.

Second, if you go out to celebrate someone's birthday, it's always the birthday person's treat. It won't work to try to pick up the tab.

I did a little internet search and found a couple mentions of another custom: birthdays are never celebrated before the actual date. It is considered bad luck to wish someone a happy birthday before their birthday, much less give them a present or card. (Does anyone know why? I'm curious now.)

I loved hearing these tidbits about how birthdays are celebrated in another culture. Do you have a fun fact to share about birthday customs in your (or another) country? Do tell!

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{Image by Rachel of Heart of Light}

Gift Wrapping for Kids Roundup

2013-01-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

Seeing as how my last post on gift wrapping for kids was back in 2009(!), I thought it would be nice to share some new ideas for wrapping kids' gifts with you.

Lego party bags by Catholic Crunchy Momma
Balloon bow at My Insanity
Magnet letters gift tag at d.Sharp Journal
Pirate's gift wrapping at Scrapbook Abundance
Monogrammed artist kits at The New Domestic
Comic-wrapped hostess gift by Camilla Fabbri at Family Chic (shown above)

I love the thought behind the hostess gift for kids. Who would you use these ideas for?

Four years ago: Gift Wrap Ideas for Kids
Two years ago: Treasure Box Gift Wrapping

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{Image via Family Chic}

Good Dog | Wrap Story

2012-12-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

G's parents like to say they have three kids, four grandchildren, and one granddog. Weber is a rescued greyhound who is a dear part of the family. Here he's eating a cupcake from a doggie bakery(!).

When I heard about the custom dog portraits artist Hannah Rowlands was doing for charity, I was super excited to get one done of Weber for Christmas. I'd never commissioned a portrait before!

Crane & Co. sent me a sample of their beautiful paper back in the summer and I was finally able to put it to use for this gift. The bone tag was cut spur-of-the-moment from a map from the U.S. Geological Survey (long story short - my mom and grandmother picked up several old ones for me!).

This is another simple example of not having to use Christmas gift wrap for Christmas. It's fair game to use Christmas colors as your inspiration and draw from whatever materials you'd like!

Good boy, Weber.

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Skillet-Wrapped Christmas Gift

2012-12-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

I came home last night to a small mountain of gifts from G's parents. His mom did an admirable job of wrapping and I hear credit for the packing goes to his dad. (You know you've done well when your engineer son comments on the efficiency of your packing!)

This year, my wish list included a cast iron skillet from Iowa. Our nonstick skillet is slowly dying after just 5 years of use and I wanted to replace it with something that could last a lifetime. Iowa is my husband's home state and a land of many antique shops. I thought my mother-in-law would get a kick out of hunting for the perfect pan.

I'm so excited! She generously purchased a set of two. Skillet cornbread, here I come...

I went to inspect the tag and was surprised to find Little N's name on it.

At first I thought it was a joke (skillets for a baby?) but G pointed out that it's a tag on a gift inside the cast iron skillet.

A family first and a clever use of space! Knowing what a pain it can be to ship gifts, I'm quite touched by my my in-laws' efforts for us. Thank you, D and P!

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Free Printable Christmas Gift Wrap & More | Free Printable Friday

2012-12-21T20:17:00.002-08:00

Today I'm glad to finally be spotlighting the lovely printable Christmas goodies I've been saving up to share with you! As always, I'm grateful to the talented designers behind them. Be sure to drop them a little comment to say 'thanks' if you print some up this weekend!

Graphic Christmas gift tags by Michaela & Lotta of Hey Look Blog.
Free printables HERE

Urban Holiday gift wrap by Lia of Ellinée and Elli.
Free printables HERE (and so many more HERE)

Geometric gift wrap and and gift tags by Michaela & Lotta of Hey Look Blog.
Free printables HERE

Chevron gift tags by Melanie M. Burk at Fifth & Hazel.
Free printable HERE

Earlier: Free Printable Christmas Gift Tags by kbecca
A year ago: Free Printable Christmas Roundup + Free Printable Christmas Roundup II
Two years ago: Free Printable Gift Box by Thinking About Pretty

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{All images credited to their respective owners above}

Christmas Gift Wrapping in Bulk

2012-12-20T16:28:00.002-08:00

Sometimes with Christmas gift wrapping it's best to just crank it out. Over the past month I've collected three creative gift wrapping ideas that would work well for gift wrapping in bulk. Grab your pile of gifts, stock up on a few key supplies, and get to wrapping!

1) Pastry bag + jute twine + candy cane by Katherine Marie

2) Paper bag + fabric ribbon + stamped tag at Just Make Stuff

3) Kraft paper + sticker + manila tag + baker's twine by Viva Adonis

I love that these gift wrapping ideas are simple but still feel quite special. I wonder if you could wrap gifts with these ideas production-line style...one person could wrap and the other embellish, perhaps?

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{All images credited to their respective sources above}

Extra Fancy Rice Sack Gift Wrapping | Wrap Story

2012-12-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

**CHRISTMAS GIFT SPOILER ALERT!
If you're my sister or brother-in-law, STOP READING! : )**

Last Christmas was the first one G and I spent at home here in Southern California. We're usually zig zagging the country to be with extended family in the Midwest or Pacific Northwest, but last year we stayed put. I knew it was something we'd have to do eventually, and it was good to do it, but we were actually in kind of a sad state come Christmas day.

I was fatigued and nauseated ('cause of this guy!) and G and Big N were sniffling from colds. The previous weeks had been particularly stressful with finding Christmas gifts and shipping them off to our dear family. I realized how much easier it is to not have to wrap, then send, gifts and vowed to find a way to make things easier on myself this year.

All that to say that I practically high-fived myself when I realized I could ship a gift to Seattle via Amazon, then wrap it myself when we went up to visit back in May. And yeah, it was a Christmas gift. Type A, gift wrapping nerd alert.

We'd been using these awesome glass storage containers for a while and I was excited to get a set for my sister and brother-in-law, who love food and are great in the kitchen.

A brief rummage in my mom's studio and gift wrapping lair turned up all the materials I needed for a foodie-themed gift wrap.

Somewhere along the line my mom acquired these super-cool cotton rice sacks - the kind they used to use back in the day. (Note that 'extra fancy' is used as a rice descriptor above...love it.)

I took some remnants to wrap the containers length-wise and width-wise.

A pair of take-out chopsticks and a few kinds of ribbon completed the wrap.

It felt so good to get this checked off my list. I just had to make sure to stash the gift somewhere where my parents could easily find it to bring out on Christmas day!

Are you a planner when it comes to Christmas gifts?

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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Christmas Gift Wrapping Survival Guide

2012-12-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

I often come across posts from people who wax poetic about how much they enjoy wrapping gifts at Christmastime. Despite being able to blog continuously about my love of gift wrapping for 3+ years, this is so not me. I stress when faced with many gifts to wrap.

Let's put some of the fun back into this beast! I've drawn from the best of the blog to bring you this survival guide for Christmas gift wrapping.

Try a theme for your Christmas gift wrapping.

3 words: reusable gift bags. More time upfront but so effortless from there on out!

Make your gift wrapping squish-proof.

Wrap your gifts assembly-line style.

Put a cane on it.

If all else fails...blame it on the dog.

P.S. Discovered yesterday - Crapping Paper.

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{Awesome photo of bow-covered bag by Aunt Peaches}

My Mom's Gift Wrapping Lair

2012-12-18T20:44:00.000-08:00

You know the term 'man cave'? I think my mom has a gift wrapping lair.

Look at all these goodies. Is anyone surprised to know she was a mixed media artist when my sister and I were young? She used to wrap gifts in her studio (a converted garage) but her domain has since expanded to an unused exercise room on the same floor. Stay tuned for a gift wrap I concocted with finds from the lair...

3 years ago: Runs in the Family
2 years ago: My Mom's Creative Gift Wrap Ideas
Earlier this year: My Cool Mom

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One More

2012-12-18T10:33:00.001-08:00

Just remembered one that got left out of yesterday's funny family gift wrapping post!

Mother's Day 2011: My grandpa wraps our gifts in manila envelopes. I'm guessing inside were some of his beautiful wood carvings. A rare example of Mother's Day gift wrap that qualifies as manly gift wrapping.

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My Funny Family

2012-12-17T21:58:00.001-08:00

My family is so funny. Here are some outstanding examples of their gift wrapping skills over the years. Thanks to Ballyhoo Bath for sponsoring this post.

Christmas 2009: My younger sister turns bedsheets into a giant furoshiki for my parents' gift.

G's Birthday 2009: A box of Smartwool socks is gift wrapped as spam musubi by my mother.

Christmas 2011: My cousin wraps her little brother's gift in duct tape in honor of his love of it.

Christmas 2009 (guess this was a big year for us!): ~~My dad~~ Santa gives my mom a new cordless phone with paper cup phones on top.

Family, I love you. Here's to many more years of silly gift wrapping!

Visit Ballyhoo Bath for handmade soaps, luxury shampoo bars and solid lotions.

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Holiday Gift Wrapping Idea: Put a Letter on It

2012-12-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

Ah, the holidays. Some might assume I'm having the time of my life, cozied up by a fire with stacks of gifts and thick rolls of gift wrap, working my gift wrapping magic. Ha! Longtime readers know better. I have the most fun gift wrapping when I can take my time and do something different with each present, which is clearly not always possible during the holidays.

One idea? Put a letter on it! A simple monogram can personalize a Christmas gift with the flick of a glue stick.

Here are some monogrammed gifts from seasons past:
Urban Outfitters ad turned Christmas gift wrap
Monogrammed greens box
Collaged gift card with washi tape
Headband on monogrammed cardstock

Or go whole hog and spell out a name!

Tissue and printer paper wrap

Do you enjoy wrapping gifts for the holidays? Tell me I'm not the only one with mixed feelings!

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