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Fevvers
Garden Girl
PeaNut 83,420
April 2003
Posts: 8,413
Layouts: 720
Loc: Hawaii
 |  Posted: 11/25/2012 3:51:22 PM
This weekend I have been trying to come up with crafty and creative ways to wrap gifts this holiday season. I have pins galore, and a long list of ideas. You'd think scrappers, being crafty folk, would be an at advantage for this kind of thing, but that save-everything-treasure-everything tendency that we have is holding me back.
There are so many amazing ideas out there to wrap gifts beautifully and meaningfully, but all I keep thinking is, what if the person who opens the gifts just throws the packaging/handcrafted tag/specially selected accent away? I ache just looking at all of the pretty packaging destined for the dumpster.
I can see myself now, hovering over each person opening my gifts on Christmas, and snatching the gift wrapping away from them as they set it aside.
So how do you all cope with gift-wrapping anxiety? How do you make it meaningful without making yourself worry about what will become of the pretty packaging? |
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sdt
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 36,898
April 2002
Posts: 7,072
Layouts: 56
Loc: MI
 |  Posted: 11/25/2012 3:53:47 PM
Would love to see some of your ideals as I want to do something special with the wrapping this year |
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biochemipea
likes shiny things
PeaNut 114,614
November 2003
Posts: 19,365
Layouts: 444
Loc: Ontario, Canada
 | Posted: 11/25/2012 3:56:53 PM
My MIL is very upfront in letting everyone know she expects her bows, bags, ribbons, accents, and fancy tags back. So, you could go that route. 
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revirdsuba
Wise~old Pea
PeaNut 17,460
June 2001
Posts: 22,123
Layouts: 94
Loc: Central NJ
| Posted: 11/25/2012 4:00:40 PM
Last year I got out the roll of kraft paper and used my foam stamps, red paint and stamped the names all over the paper for each person. Turned out pretty good if I do say so myself! No tags needed. | |
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Fevvers
Garden Girl
PeaNut 83,420
April 2003
Posts: 8,413
Layouts: 720
Loc: Hawaii
| Posted: 11/25/2012 4:03:23 PM
sdt, I was just looking at some amazing ones on the "Older and Wisor" blog. I would jump on making many of those toppers, but it's unnerving to think of my family members just trashing them eventually.
I like the idea of repurposing objects that I might otherwise discard -- like Christmas bulbs.
I don't want to ask for the items back -- LOL. Well, maybe I kind of do.  Maybe I'll just be very selective about who gets the cool stuff and who gets presents in ziploc bags.  |
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tiffanyo
BucketHead
PeaNut 556,456
June 2012
Posts: 919
Layouts: 2
| Posted: 11/25/2012 5:08:59 PM
What about doing some of that for decorative boxes to sit on a side table or as a centerpiece you will use again next year? Or wrap gifts for your SO who won't be surprised when you snatch it out of his hand! Lol
I think it depends on why you want to do it. For yourself? For the fun of the creating? So it looks gorgeous sitting under your tree until you bring it to the recipient? It can fulfill all of that even if the person tosses it. But if it is stressful, I say skip it. No reason to add anxiety to the season!
Eta: I am doing white paper, red bakers twine and washi for mine. Unique and kinda crafty but nothing I can't stand to see hit the garbage. I might do some pretty tags if it feels like something I want to do for fun and I have time. | |
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JannyGirl
BucketHead
PeaNut 58,996
December 2002
Posts: 688
Layouts: 11
Loc: The City That Never Sleeps
| Posted: 11/25/2012 10:43:12 PM
I used to be a gift wrapper at Kate's Paperie in SoHo, NYC; so I guess I got used to the idea that packages that I put a lot of time and effort into wrapping would be ripped apart. (But I got paid for doing those.  ) Sometimes I still put some extra effort into wrapping a few presents; but for the most part, I do simple wrapping for Christmas. It's not because I dread the ripping and tearing of all my hard work; it's just that I have so much wrapping to do that I don't have the time to do anything too fancy. If you want to do something fancy, you could do a few that way for people who will appreciate the extra effort. The rest you could wrap more simply. |
Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right. - Henry Ford
My Crafty Life
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Fevvers
Garden Girl
PeaNut 83,420
April 2003
Posts: 8,413
Layouts: 720
Loc: Hawaii
| Posted: 11/25/2012 11:40:47 PM
I used to be a gift wrapper at Kate's Paperie in SoHo, NYC
How cool is that?
I've decided to use items that I won't miss once they're gone. I think I'll delve into my older supplies that are being neglected anyway, and put them to good use. Thanks for the feedback, all! |
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PinkIsMyFavColor
Loving Life
PeaNut 227,373
October 2005
Posts: 8,644
Layouts: 71
Loc: Utah
 | Posted: 11/25/2012 11:42:58 PM
Oh, I'm sorry, Jill. That takes all the fun out of wrapping for you! Is it the cost that bothers you, or tossing the wrappings into the garbage?
I used to not want to spend a lot of time/money wrapping gifts. But over the years, I started enjoying the process of wrapping the gift and having the presents look so lovely under the tree.
I enjoy the process, and wish I had more gifts to wrap. |
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Fevvers
Garden Girl
PeaNut 83,420
April 2003
Posts: 8,413
Layouts: 720
Loc: Hawaii
| Posted: 11/26/2012 2:06:10 AM
The cost isn't the problem. It's just sad to see something pretty thrown away, you know? For instance, I was going to use a bunch of buttons as a gift topper, but I don't want to see those buttons end up in the trash. I guess it's the principle of the thing. |
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sdt
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 36,898
April 2002
Posts: 7,072
Layouts: 56
Loc: MI
| Posted: 11/26/2012 5:34:14 AM
thanks for the blog links. would love to see everybody ideals
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Duchess of Stuff
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 449,226
December 2009
Posts: 2,410
Layouts: 0
Loc: Pea-get Sound
 | Posted: 11/26/2012 6:14:45 AM
And that is why I only 'make' a couple of cards a year. Knowing that they end up in the trash "hurts". No one I know really 'gets' it so why bother.
I love to make bows but I stopped that too. Time and money that I can spend elsewhere |
| ~ "full price is a F-word" ~ | |
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Gem Girl
PeaAddict
PeaNut 460,363
March 2010
Posts: 1,388
Layouts: 7
Loc: Lost in thought
| Posted: 11/26/2012 3:28:20 PM
I can't get too fancy with wrapping, as our gifts all get taken on the road to visit others for the holidays, so they're packed together. But, I did take loads of time to make personalized gift tags last year, using old-time photos that comically represented the recipient & trimming them up with laces, twine for the boys, etc. Nobody even looked at them. So my philosophy is, do it if you want to for the fun of it, but don't count on many compliments in the midst of the chaos (& I'm sure it was nothing personal). |
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I've been a dilettante, but I'm thinking of dabbling in something else.
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LovMelrose
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 66,686
February 2003
Posts: 5,975
Layouts: 0
Loc: Nebraska
| Posted: 11/26/2012 7:14:23 PM
I have always wanted to do this but with our family they would just end up in the trash - which I guess is the place for it since it did serve it's purpose. Some years I don't even put bows on a lot of them because they are all stacked and they fall off or get crushed anyway. Especially those we take with us to visit family out of state. Maybe wrap the special gifts up to look nice and pretty. No way would I do them all like that. |
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Emilyrsps
PeaNut
PeaNut 453,027
January 2010
Posts: 354
Layouts: 39
Loc: Kentucky Y'all!
| Posted: 11/26/2012 9:17:20 PM
I usually use white or craft color gift bags. I add a neat tag and I am done.
This year I am putting pictures of my nieces and nephews on the tag. Not sure if I will make them out of paper or felt. If I make them out of felt, they could be put on the tree as an ornament. |
Try to make at least one person happy every day, and then in ten years you may have made three thousand, six hundred and fifty persons happy, or brightened a small town by your contribution to the fund of general enjoyment.
- Sydney Smith
http://spotspaperandscissors.blogspot.com/ | |
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design girl
PeaNut
PeaNut 451,040
January 2010
Posts: 482
Layouts: 22
Loc: Idaho
| Posted: 11/26/2012 9:43:56 PM
I love the simple look of Kraft paper and baker's twine (washi is a great idea too) and they are fairly inexpensive so it's wouldn't bother me to see those tossed. If I get really crafty I might cut out some snowflakes, to put on top!
Erica |
Erica
2013 layout count: 40
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SueSume
AncestralPea
PeaNut 262,757
May 2006
Posts: 4,596
Layouts: 5
Loc: Big Bottom Valley
 | Posted: 11/26/2012 10:57:55 PM
Kelli Crowe did a blog post last year with some of her clever wrapping/bow ideas: I like big bows and I cannot lie |
Sue Who? SueASume, SueSume, who cares?
Reality is made up of words.-Ferdinando Buscema
Words are hard.-Hannah Kelly
NSBR: "We're like a big damn disfunctional family. We'll beat the crap out of each other, and it's ok, but dammit, if an outsider turns on one of ours, we circle the wagons." -Free~Bird
Used with permission & with 9% royality fee paid annually. Starting next year. Honest | |
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Fevvers
Garden Girl
PeaNut 83,420
April 2003
Posts: 8,413
Layouts: 720
Loc: Hawaii
| Posted: 11/27/2012 1:18:09 AM
Thanks, Sue! I love the jump rope idea. |
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