Tiny Presents

I have a crazy habit of keeping old gift wrap

especially if the designs are eye-catching.

So I guess you can picture me as I

open presents -- no tearing, creasing

and pieces of tape are slowly lifted to

preserve as much of the pattern

as possible.

blah: used gift wrap

TADA!: Tiny gift boxes for tiny treasures

I found small boxes that once contained staples,

tacks, paper clips. I wrapped them with the

good parts of the old gift wrap then

embellished with a monogram and ribbon.

I also lined the inside of the box with

green tissue paper.

TADA!, don't you think?

Holiday Tags Part 2

Hello friends!

Used gift wrapper from Christmas past

can still be useful for Christmas future.

blah: old gift wrapper

TADA!: instant gift tags

Simply cut out designs from existing gift wrap

and glue them on card stock.

A handwritten greeting is always a nice touch

to a handmade tag!

Holiday Tags Part 1

Our featured blah for the week:

A stack of used gift wrapper from last Christmas.

Let's give them a second chance, shall we?

Here's what happens with just some glue,

card stock, some punchers,

glitter stickers & string:

TADA! Cute gift tags!

Go crazy with color & print combinations

then write a cheerful message on the back.

New Uses for Old Gift Wrapper

Thank you for visiting me today!

One of the things on your holiday shopping list

would be gift wrap. Don't you just love the

festive patterns available out there and

how pretty the gifts look when they're

all wrapped?

Sadly, once the gifts are opened,

the fancy gift wrap are banished

to the trash bin.

I know it's weird, but sometimes, I like to keep the

used gift wrap. It's just blah to throw them away!

I cut them into strips of varying lengths,

glue the edges together and pile them on

top of each other. Then I staple them to

form this paper ribbon.

TADA! It's all you need to dress up a plain gift box.

It's as decadent as store bought ribbon

but no need to pay full price.

Have a happy Monday!

Eco-Christmas

Hello and Happy Friday!

I'm wrapping presents but I'm trying to

avoid using traditional wrapping paper.

I'm trying to save money and the

environment at the same time.

Thank goodness for these paper bags with

a holiday theme printed on them.

Throwing them away would be blah.

So I've turned them into small gift packets.

TADA!

It's all about looking for a design on the bag

that you want to highlight, and then simply

cutting, folding & securing the

edges with glue.

Add a homemade ribbon to spruce it up.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Red Envelopes

In Chinese culture, there is a tradition of giving away red envelopes on special occasions like weddings and the New Year. Inside the envelope, you'll find money. The red color of the envelope represents luck & protection from evil spirits, while the money symbolizes prosperity.

With this tradition in mind and this project at hand:

Transforming a blah paper bag into

something TADA!

I came up with this idea:

More gift envelopes but in a

raging red & a cheerful wish.

I cut this part of the bag into a

rectangle, folded it to make an

envelope and glued the edges

together, leaving one edge as

the opening.

Here's what the back looks like.

So whether or not I put money inside,

I hope my friends receiving these

red envelopes will find 2012 filled

with luck, protection & prosperity!

Brown Paper Packages Tied up with String

All this week, you'll see how many things I

can do with a brown paper bag:

Okay, let's limit the the "things"

to holiday gift wrap. In the past

two days, I made a few envelopes.

Today, this blah...

...becomes this TADA!

I cut out the most festive word on the bag,

attached it to cardboard

{from an empty cereal box},

punched a hole &

threaded some string.

TADA! Easy, breezy gift tag!

And how else to mark this season

but through celebration!