Decorative Packaging

It seems that no matter what channel the TV is on this time of year, everyone is talking about football.  If you live in the house with sports fan, you soon learn that the 4 seasons are not winter, spring, and summer and fall, but football, basketball, baseball, racing and golf.  Not in that order, and sometimes at the same time!

Using sports themed gift bags or sports ribbon to decorate a gift for the sports enthusiast in your family will put a smile on their face.  They make clear gift bags that you can have ready for any season.  Just pick up some tissue paper in their team colors and a few decals or stickers to put in the bag.  If you are real talented, you can paint a sports scene on there.  Or just wrap the gift in plain paper and use sports ribbon.

Sports ribbon is also cute to use for girls hair bows.  They can help daddy cheer for his favorite players.

When you are planning centerpieces for holiday dinners, don’t forget the kids table.  Decorating a kids table should be fun for them not stressful like a formal adult table.

These fun dishes are mix and match and can be found at most discount stores and dollar stores as individual pieces.  You don’t have to buy complete sets of dishes, just a few pieces to accent the holiday and coordinate with what you already have.

This doesn’t have to be expensive.  Use your own dishes but pick up a holiday salt and pepper shaker, and possibly a mug to fill with candy for that season.  This table is set for Easter brunch so the mug and plate have pastel colors and spring shapes.  A fall party could have mini pumpkin mug or bowls with candy in them.

I love the jelly beans and peeps for table decorations.  They added some Easter grass and nested the peeps in them.  Add some curly pastel ribbon streamers and use the same color holiday ribbon as a napkin ring then slip the fork into it.  It looks fancy and expensive, but it isn’t.  The kids will be so happy you took the time to make them a special place to sit.  If a cup gets broken, it’s no big deal; it’s not your china, its only dollar store decorative dishes.

Homemade gift bags are so easy to make.  You can have a craft day where you make a variety of sizes and colors of these beautiful little bags.  Then you will have a gift bag for anything on the spur of the moment.  Whether you put jewelry, candy, cookies, perfume or gift cards in the bag, it will look amazing in this type of bag.

It would also be an easy craft to do with linen fabric or cotton muslin and use organic cotton ribbon as the draw string.

The picture shows a bag made from  a blend of polyester Voile.  Any sheer fabric can work, they make metallic types and some that are tighter woven and less see through.  You can actually use sheer curtains that may have snags in place and you don’t want to hang them in your window any more. The fabric can be dyed to any color you choose or even tie dyed.

Depending on the size bag you want to make, you can start with a 7×11 inch piece of fabric.  Sew a 5/8 inch seam all the way around to prevent fraying and raveling.  Then fold the long end up to meet the other, keeping seams inside. Stitch up the sides.  A pocket or pouch is the result.  You can twist the top shut and use a nylon satin ribbon to tie it shut.  You can also stitch the ribbon to the bag at the side seam buy centering the length of ribbon along the edge then sew it as you stitch up the edge.  You can also fold down inside another ½ inch seam and stitch it down except for the sides.  Then insert a length of ribbon through each side and you can pull the strings like a draw string bag.

We don’t have to wait until Valentine’s Day to be romantic and surprise our loved one with little gifts.  We should find ways to express our feelings to them every day through little things like a love note on a napkin in their coat pocket, or a heart shaped pancake for breakfast.

A simple canning jar, velvet ribbon and chocolate hearts are a wonderful surprise for Valentine’s Day and every day.  If you don’t have a glass jar, then use a small box or tin to place a favorite treat.  Wrap the gift up in velvet ribbon.  You can place some flowers or a bow on top for a more dramatic look.  But any gift given in love is never a bad idea.

I love Valentine’s Day!  Some can give expensive gifts but they aren’t required.  It’s the thought that counts and this cute little box of red-hot’s is adorable.  Mini heart shaped boxes are available in bulk at craft stores that can be easily painted.

If you are real crafty, you can make the heart shaped box.  I don’t have the patience for this craft.  I have tried it and it was very difficult to make it come out perfect.  At least it was difficult for me.  Card stock paper, craft glue and scissors are all that is required.

These little boxes would be fun for school parties, or Sunday school kids. Curling ribbon would be the perfect type of bow for a mini box.  It adds enough frills for decoration but does not consume the box.

Does your sweetie have a sweet tooth?  Why not make special chocolate dipped candies and cookies and decoratively package them in a special way for Valentine’s Day.  If cooking isn’t your thing, then buy small portions of gourmet delicacies. They don’t have to be expensive treats, but just stuff that isn’t something they would randomly have as a treat for every day.

This tower of boxes is a beautiful way to present your sweets.  You could use plain boxes and wrap them with decorative paper or buy painted boxes.  Decorative tins come in all sizes too.  Use graduated sizes and shapes too. Stack them up and choose a decorative satin ribbon to add the dramatic finishing touch.

These pretty colors would be great for anyone.  If your Valentine is a sports fan, then why not use the team colors for the boxes and alternate the dark and light then use a sports ribbon for the bow.  The ribbon doesn’t have to be tight, you can use one length of ribbon or two so that ribbon reaches up all four sides and ends in a beautiful bow.

Don’t wait till the last minute to pick up goodies for your Valentine.  Starts making a list of all her favorite things then pick up a small taste of several of them.  This basket has several premium candies in it, but you could include her favorite lotions or perfume as well.

If you add some decorative shreds to the basket, your presentation will be as sweet as the candy inside.  And who wouldn’t love a plush little teddy bear to cuddle.  Don’t forget to add some holiday ribbon to the basket to make it “POP”.  By adding ribbon bows to the candy it accents them without covering them up.

Putting a lot of thought into your gift means more than the amount of money you spend on it.  Make a date for dinner, and give her the basket at dinner.  Smiles will definitely be on the menu for the evening.

Gingham Checked Ribbon and Gingham Shirt

Here is an original idea for wrapping!  This is like getting three gifts in one.  If your friend or family member likes plaid or gingham checked shirts they will love it, if not, I guess it can be a gag gift.  But the idea is still very creative and pretty in its own way.

This is the perfect way to wrap a gift for a friend who is a faithful recycler and only uses eco friendly items.  They will marvel at your resourcefulness.  Be sure to use a cotton shirt if this is the reason you are wrapping like this.

This idea would be patriotic if you used blue and white gingham checked ribbon to attach little bows in the corners instead of the broach.  It would also look very sloppy if you did not iron this shirt first.  You can even pick up shirts at the thrift store to save money.

Making fun things for a baby shower doesn’t have to be hard, or expensive. Many of the creative crafts you can make as decorations can also be part of the gifts you give.  They will just be in disguise.

These cute little candies look like star mints, or other hard candies we all love to enjoy.  But they are not to eat!  These will make great table decorations around centerpieces or just randomly in little bowls or however you choose to use them to decorate.

These are made from baby wash cloths.  Those come in two sizes.   Either size will work but the larger size will be easier to work with.  These can be used on diaper cakes, and are a great way to add color to your tables.

You will need:  Packages of baby wash cloths, curling ribbon, clear cellophane and a small pin.  If you hot glue these, they won’t be useable for baby.  You could also use double stick tape but pins are just as easy.

Begin by laying the wash rag on a flat surface.  Begin rolling tightly from a corner to the opposite corner.  You may need to use a small double stick square to hold the final corner down to prevent unrolling.  Use the curling ribbon to wind around the roll. If you lay the ribbon on top of the edges of the rolled rag, it will hide it.  Use contrasting colors like the picture.  When you come to the end with the ribbon, use a tape square to secure both ends of the curling ribbon.

Roll the rag into a coil then secure with a straight pin.  Cut squares of crispy cellophane to wrap them up like a Brach’s candy. Tie curling ribbon on the twisted ends and don’t forget to curl the ends of the ribbon.  These are so cute, You may have so much fun making them that you’ll keep need to buy more supplies!

Baby showers are so much fun.  The anticipation of the new bundle of joy is always something to celebrate with friends and loved ones.

With today’s technology, many expectant moms are eager to find out if they are having a boy or a girl. This is easier for those who are shopping to find specific things to encourage the new mother with.  But in other cases, the element of surprise is amazing.

These shower decorations and gifts could easily be for a boy or girl since pink and blue is kept to a minimum.  With the color theme being lavender and green, they have done a beautiful job of decorating.  You can also decorate in the mom’s favorite color and buy some things for her personally and many of the specific needs like diapers, accessories, neutral colors P.J.s and blankets.  Then once the baby arrives, you can bring an outfit to the hospital to suit the gender of the baby.

Baby shower ribbon comes in many colors and is cute to use for wrapping the gifts, decorating the gift table, napkin rings or bows, for use in party games, and wrapping the prizes for those games.