Decorative Packaging

These cute little flowers will put a smile on grandma’s face!  These work well with the flower pot in yesterday’s post. Kids love to finger paint.  They can help with this craft too but you should do the cutting so that the flowers look ok.   You can just cut out several flowers ahead of time and then let them paint.

You will need: Construction paper, Finger paint, Green chenille stems or (,Popsicle sticks and bendy straws) Scissors, craft glue, Green satin ribbon.

1. Cut out simple flower shapes from construction paper. If you cut five  petals then they can put each finger on it.
2. Dip kids fingers into the paint and let them press their finger print on each petal.
3. Cut green chenille stem in half so they wont be too long and fall over.
4. Glue or tape fuzzy stems to the back of the flowers.
5. Tie green satin ribbon bows on the stem to look like leaves.
6. Place your little flowers into a homemade flower pot like yesterday’s post.

You can also use colorful contact paper. Or scrap booking sheets.

Here is a fun craft to do with the kids.  This is a fun gift to give to grandmas for grandparent’s day, teachers of elementary school kids, or moms for mother’s day. This can be for an Easter activity or just rainy day in the spring the kids can not go outside, it can be sunny on the inside with this fun yellow flower pot. It is very simple to make and you probably have most of the items already so it is not an expensive gift.

I have a fun idea for flowers to put in the pot that you will see in tomorrow’s post.  You can also add dirt to this pot and plant seeds for a spring craft and science project to watch the flowers grow.

You will need: Styrofoam cup, Small chunk of floral foam or play-do, Colorful buttons, White craft glue, Yellow acrylic paint, Paintbrush, Scissors, Grosgrain ribbon, Soil and seeds.

Step 1: Paint cup yellow inside at least half way down, and outside too. Let dry.

Step 2: Glue a decorative ribbon around the top edge of the cup.  Let dry.

Step 3: Glue colorful buttons on the ribbon in random order.  Let dry.

Step 4: Add potting soil if you wish to make this a live plant flower pot

Step 4: alternatives, Place some play dough or floral foam in the bottom of the pot to stick artificial flowers in, you can add decorative shreds, shredded tissue paper, or even cut up construction paper to look like grass.

Winter has officially arrived in my neck of the woods.  It has finally started snowing, and temperatures are frigid.  As much as we try to stay warm, it seems to chill to the bone on those days when we have to be out in it.  Most of us have to go out in the cold every day for work, or to take the kids to school.

Some of us are able to stay home most of the time or part time with the kids.  This is a great idea to surprise a friend, bus driver, or mail man with. Any jar will work but these types of jars are available at hobby stores for very inexpensive prices.  You can be a blessing to several people with one recipe.  When they come in from the cold they can mix up a cup of hot chocolate and unthaw from the inside out!

Here is a recipe for hot chocolate mix that would be wonderful to mix up and put into jars.  Include the recipe on a gift tag. The gingham checked ribbon around the top adds a touch of country home made love.

HOMEMADE HOT CHOCOLATE MIX

1 box powdered milk (8 qt. size)
1 lb. powdered sugar
11 oz. Coffee Mate (store brand is fine) If you like mint, try using peppermint mocha…
1 lb. Nestle Quick mix

Mix well in large bowl and store in canister. Use 5 heaping teaspoons per cup of hot water.

If you like mint, try using peppermint mocha creamer, I have also used French vanilla creamer for a richer taste.  Another way to add a yummy twist is to make the original hot cocoa mix but include some individual wrapped white chocolate mint candies to melt into each cup.  This way you can please the whole family.

Here is a fun idea for packaging.  Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and we all know someone that could use a little love by remembering them on this day.  The red and white theme can be for Christmas or Valentine’s Day.

Coordinate your candies and the basic ribbon color you have chosen to embellish the gift.  I have seen this type of candy in just about any color.  Cotton candy would also be cute in little baggies.  Your college student will be a big hit on campus when they open the box and see all the goodies to share.

These yummy melt-away mints are light and provide the same protection as the Styrofoam peanuts without all the static mess and recycle mess.  The packing material is useful and no need to dispose of it, just share them with friends.

Perhaps you don’t need to protect a glass item from breaking, but simply to stop an object from clunking around in the box while shipping, these candies are perfect.

Floral ribbon or plaid ribbon can dress up any plain paper, even this brown mailing paper.  This beautiful green plaid ribbon could easily be used for St. Patrick’s Day surprises or any occasion at all.  Stocking up on a wide variety of decorative ribbon will insure that you are prepared to wrap anything for any occasion.

Adding embellishments like flowers or bows is always welcomed.  These flowers could have come off of a hair bow, or floral arrangement.  My mom has a purse that has a flower on it like the small gift on top.  It looks much prettier as a gift topper than it does on that purse.   Sorry mom!

Wrapping a round box isn’t difficult.  Just lay ribbon out in a cross pattern, and sit the box down on top, bring the ends up and tie in a knot, then a bow.

This gift looks as if they planned it to look like this instead of a last minute way to wrap a gift when you have no paper. A decorative package is much more fun to receive than an ugly one.  So Be creative when you are wrapping!  And Have fun!

Who doesn’t love music?  We love music and one of our favorite things is to listen to our daughter play her flute.  This is a creative way to wrap a gift for any occasion.

Another creative way is to print off a page of sheet music from their favorite song.  Many websites will let you download and print sheet music.  You can also scan songs from a book, I don’t think there would be a copy write issue since you will not be selling the pages, but simply using them to wrap with.

Adding jingle bells to the gold satin decorative ribbon bow is a musical touch that will surely make them smile.

Have you ever received a gift that was wrapped in expensive designer wrapping paper?  I have and always felt very special to think someone would wrap something for me in such expensive paper.  I cannot afford the expensive paper so I am always on the hunt for imaginative ways to wrap in a way that it looks expensive but doesn’t break the budget.

If you have a box of crayons then you can make this very artistic gift wrap yourself.  You will need six sheets of tissue paper, two pieces of wax paper the same size as the tissue paper, and your favorite Crayola colors and an iron.

Remove the paper from the crayons and use a crayon sharpener to make piles of shavings.  Let the shavings fall in separate piles so you can distribute them where you want them.  Place the crayon shavings between the tissue paper.  (Three on top and three on bottom) Then place wax paper on the bottom and the top.  Set your iron to medium heat with no steam.  Then begin ironing the paper with constant pressure until the crayons have melted.  The wax paper will preserve your iron from any seepage.

Let the paper cool off and wrap your gift. Don’t forget to include a beautiful satin ribbon and equally beautiful and creative bow to complete your artistic masterpiece.

Finding creative ways to wrap gifts is a hobby of mine.  I remember when we moved out of state, my sister in law and mom used to send us occasional packages with special items in them.  Sometimes it was home baked cookies, or gifts for our daughter.  It was always so much fun getting a decoratively packaged package in our mail box.  They always decorated the brown paper wrapping with markers, and stickers.  Sometimes they would color pictures or use the funnies from the Sunday paper.

I love this idea, you can use this idea to mail a gift or as gift wrapping.  If you plan to mail this gift, use colored tape and not ribbon to decorate the box.  Weave the colors in and out to create the pattern. Then use a mailing label to write the address on.  Who do you know that could use a care package?  A college student would love to get a box of goodies wrapped like this.

If you plan to use this idea for a hand delivered gift, then try alternating horizontal and vertical strips of various colors of ribbon.  Use coordinating curling ribbon to add a festive bow.

Do you know someone who loves coffee? Here is a creative way to wrap a gift to take to one of those friends or family members who love flavored coffee. Perhaps you have been invited over for dinner, or maybe just for coffee and a snack while fellow-shipping, you can take a gift of appreciation.

Bottles are difficult to wrap without looking like a bottle unless they come in a box. You can use linen dinner napkins or simple woven fabric that you have hemmed all four edges of. Set the bottle in the center of the fabric and gather up all sides and secure around the top with velvet cording or any type of ribbon you have. Grosgrain ribbon works wonderful for tying a bow. It doesn’t slip.

Coffee flavoring syrups are a great gift for the coffee connoisseur in your circle of friends. They can be very expensive depending on the brand, but there are very reasonably priced ones as well. They make a great gift for any occasion or no special occasion at all.

I wonder what is inside this beautifully wrapped gift.  The luxurious organza holiday ribbon bow is accessorized with a sweet angel head and wings and a fabulous gold star ornament.

It’s my experience that if someone has gone to the effort to wrap a gift so special, then the inside must be extremely important. There was one exception when I was kid; my brother wrapped a set of markers in about 15 boxes ending with a box that originally held a dish washer which was my mom’s early Christmas gift.  He must have used 5 rolls of paper and an outlandish amount of scotch tape. I guess I am telling my age because Crayola had just started packaging a brilliant assortment of markers that were scented and I just had to have them.  I could have clobbered him for making me work so hard for the markers, but it was fun and I was so happy to get those markers.

Holiday ribbon comes in all styles and colors. This could be an all occasion gift, or a special New Year gift to that special someone to start the year off in the right direction.