Weekly Wrap #22 : DIY Lace

April 30, 2010 // kristen // 5 replies

I love making my own gift wrap from scratch. It allows me to be as creative as I want to be, and it’s often more economical than buying premade (though I don’t think that I could ever stop buying pretty, ready to purchase wrapping paper — I’m a collector!).

This past holiday season, Eddie Ross shared a fantastic idea for creating beautiful, budget-friendly gift wrap using plain, white kraft paper, lacy fabric, and a little spray paint. I love how surprisingly crisp the spray painted patterns are. You can change the color palette to fit any holiday or special occasion, and I think a metallic paint would create a really cool result, too. Check out Eddie’s video tutorial for this project for more suggestions.

The paper also looks great as a decorative wrap for items like candles:

images from Eddie Ross

Weekly Wrap #21 : Paint Chip Packages

April 23, 2010 // kristen // 5 replies

Raise your hand if you can easily spend half an hour looking at paint chips in Home Depot (or wherever), even if you have no plans to paint anything, and you (not so) secretly wish that you could take the entire paint chip wall with you when you leave. *raises hand and waves it in the air*

One of my biggest frustrations with living in an apartment is not being able to paint the walls. Then again, this might be a good thing, as I’d probably be painting the walls a different color every month. But, even if you’re in a situation like me, you can still pick up a few paint chips to calm your color lust.

I love Real Simple’s clever idea for reusing and recycling paint chips by using them as gift tags. They add a great pop of color on a background of white or another neutral color. Write your note or “to” and “from” with a white or metallic marker or pen, and you’re good to go!

image from Real Simple

Weekly Wrap #20 : Admit One

April 16, 2010 // kristen // 4 replies

Wow, I can’t believe that this is already Weekly Wrap #20! Time sure does fly, doesn’t it? I hope that you’re enjoying this feature, because I’m certainly having a fun time finding new and interesting gift wrap ideas.

This week’s idea comes from eco-friendly lifestyle expert, Danny Seo, whose brilliant concept for turning leftover rolls of admission tickets into a fantastic wrapping paper/bow combo was a must feature. Love the subdued red and blue color palette that the tickets create! Who would’ve thought that admission tickets would make for such a sophisticated look? The idea is from Danny’s book, Simply Green Giving, and I actually think that I’m going to pick up a copy for myself over the weekend. If most of the gift wrap ideas in the book are as cool as this one, then I’m in for a real treat!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone, and I’ll see you back here on Monday!

Disclosure: I will earn a commission on purchases made through the book link in this post. Please read the full disclosure policy for more details.

image from Danny Seo

Weekly Wrap #19 : Angela Liguori + Pikku

April 09, 2010 // kristen // 3 replies

What’s that, you say? A collaboration between Angela Liguori and Pikku? I’m all about that! I spotted the new Spring/Summer collaborative line earlier this week at Angela’s blog, Edizioni, and knew immediately that I had to feature it this week as the Weekly Wrap.

The bright, bold collection features four new fantastic gift wrap designs with Pikku’s trademark modern patterns, plus luscious Italian cotton ribbon from Angela Liguori. The line is available from Angela’s shop and will be on display in her booth at the National Stationery Show this May. I can’t wait to see the collection in person!

images from Angela Liguori/Pikku

Weekly Wrap #18 : Paper Dahlias

April 02, 2010 // kristen // 0 replies

I was instantly taken with these beautiful tissue paper dahlia favors from the spring 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings. The warm, peachy pink tissue paper makes me think spring and sunny, warmer weather, and I just love how the entire favor is put together, from the “dahlia” top to the cute favor tags tied with a pretty, green ribbon. This would be a wonderful way to wrap candy for Easter, and you could also wrap small gifts in this way, too. Check out the tutorial!

Have a great weekend, everyone, and if you celebrate, a Happy Easter! I will be enjoying the (finally) dry and unseasonably warm weather. It’ll be nice to get some sun on my pale, pale skin.

image from Martha Stewart Weddings