Decorative Packaging

Package for the Pooch

 I love this idea.  The unique way of using non-traditional colors of satin ribbon to accent these simple boxed gifts is so exciting. A majority of your friends these days have pets that are a part of the family, not just a fixture around the house.  Don’t forget to remember these special family members with a gift too.  You can plan ahead and order a name tag for their collar that can also be used for a gift tag.  When going for a special visit with a friend, why not wrap up some treats in a little box for their pet too.  They will really appreciate the gesture.

Many of the items you may need to create your own version of this idea can be found on our website by clicking on the link in my post.  

Tropical Holiday Cottage

The tropical theme is carried on through out the house with simple yet elegant decorations through out this beach house.  With the natural wood work on the walls and floor only being accented by the white trim wood work, your color pallet is wide open.  The tropical coral wide ribbon that is used to hang the stockings on the stair way is also decoratively splashed onto the front door by the wreath being hung by the same color.  The bow on the wreath is also the beautiful Coral Tropicana color. Using lemons again on the front door along with other tropical fruit is very inviting to the eye.  Traditional red and white colors of Christmas are introduced by adding tropical flowers in a simple vase.  I Love the sea green stockings too that finish off the warm feel of the room. Can’t you almost hear the ukulele playing softly in the back ground?

Many of the items you may need to create your own version of this idea can be found on our website by clicking on the link in my post.  

When Life Give’s you Lemons…

This tropical room displays a hint of yellow with the lemons that are wired on the wreath.  Whether you decide on fresh or artificial, this is a unique approach to hanging a wreath.  It keeps the theme of the room Tropicana and still has the festive holiday feel.  The wreath is beautifully hung with brilliant, wide, gold ribbon to add another accent color.  I love the 4 tails hanging down from the bow. It’s just a two part bow.  Two ends are left long from tying a knot in the loop that hangs the wreath, long tails are also left over from tying a simple but huge bow at the top. 3M makes these great hangers for anywhere you don’t want to make a hole in the woodwork or wall.  They have an adhesive double stick gel pad that attaches to a plastic backing with a hook on the front.  They are incredibly strong too. 

Many of the items you may need to create your own version of this idea can be found on our website by clicking on the link in my post.  

A tassel is a finishing feature in fabric decoration. The tassel is a universal ornament that is seen in varying versions in many cultures around the globe. They are used in many different ways from home decor,equine formal tack, and ceremonial uses and can vary from delicately simple to intricately elaborate.

The word “tassel” comes from the Latin “tassau” which meant a clasp (as for the neck of a garment).

Ceremonial wear

Tassels are also found on mortarboards and at the end of honor cords during university graduation ceremonies and possibly upon the shoes of the graduates at the ceremony. Near the conclusion of the graduation ceremony the tassel that hangs from the graduate’s mortarboard is moved from the right to the left. Typically the entire graduating class does this in unison.

History and use 

In the Western World tassels were originally a series of windings of thread or string around a suspending string until the desired curvature was attained. Decades later, turned wooden moulds, which were either covered in simple wrappings or much more elaborate coverings called “satinings”, were used. This involved an intricate binding of bands of filament silk vertically around the mould by means of an internal “lacing” in the bore of the mould.

The French exported their very artistic work, and at such low prices that no other nation developed a mature “trimmings” industry. Tassels and their associated forms changed style throughout the years, from the small and casual of Renaissance designs, through the medium sizes and more staid designs of the Empire period, and to the Victorian Era with the largest and most elaborate. Some antique designs are returning today from the European and American artisans who may charge a thousand dollars for a single hand-made tassel.

Tassels (also called tufts) were traditionally worn by Oxford and Cambridge University undergraduates on their caps (hence a slang word – tassel for an undergraduate), those wearing gold tassels were titled sons of the peers who had a right of vote in the House of Lords.

Creation

A tassel is made by binding plaited or otherwise gathered threads from which at one end protrudes a cord on which the tassel is hung, and which may have loose, dangling threads at the other end. Tassels are normally decorative elements, and as such one often finds them attached, usually along the bottom hem, to garments, curtains, or other hangings.

A tassel is primarily an ornament, and was at first the casual termination of a cord to prevent unraveling with a knot. Tassels, pompons, and rosettes are point ornaments; the others are linear ornaments. The parts of a tassel are basically, from top to bottom:

Making a tassel from yarn

• Suspending cord;
• Its body, which is usually made up of one or more moulds;
• A skirt of fringe or other ornaments.

Many of the items you may need to create your own version of this idea can be found on our website by clicking on the link in my post.

The charm of pew bows can be created simply with several ribbons in bow combinations, or made more elaborate with the addition of strings of pearls and graceful lengths of tulle flowing from pew to pew.

MATERIALS FOR ONE BOW

4 1/2 yds (4.5m) of
2 5/8-inch wide (6.5cm) brocade merrow-edge wire ribbon in ivory
4 1/2 yds (4.5m) of
1 1/2-inch-wide (4cm) wire-edge sheer ribbon in ivory
1 yd (1m) of 2 5/8-inch wide (6.5cm) wire-edge sheer ribbon in ivory.
2 to 3 branches of ivy
Tacky glue or hot glue

DIRECTIONS

Cut three 1 1/2-yard (1.5m) lengths from the 2 5/8-inch (6.5cm) ivory brocade ribbon. With right sides out, make a 6-inch (15cm) loop at one end of each. Wire all three lengths together and notch ends.
Following the instructions below, make a twelve-loop bow with 16-inch (40.5cm) tails from the 1 1/2-inch (4cm) ivory sheer ribbon. Wire this bow to the loops from step 1.
Following the instructions below, make a fancy pulled rose from the 2 5/8-inch (6.5cm) ivory sheer ribbon. Glue the rose to the center of the ribbon bow.

Glue the ivy to the pew bow.

GENERAL BOW TECHNIQUES

To fasten a bow with wire, fold an 18-inch (50cm) length of wire in half. Place the folded wire underneath the chosen ribbon and wrap the wire around the center, inserting the wire ends through the loop to tighten. Pull the wire ends to secure, bringing one end around center again at back. To tighten, twist the bow — not the wire — a few times.

TWO-LOOP BOW AND VARIATIONS

Cut a length of ribbon as specified in the project instructions. Wrap the ribbon back and forth, forming two loops with tails. Glue a small strip of ribbon around the ribbon loops to hold it in place. Ease the ribbon tail to the back of the bow.
For four-, six-, eight-, ten-, and twelve-loop bows, simply increase the number of loops before securing the center strip.
Note: When using ombre~ ribbon, results will differ depending on which side of the ribbon you work. Experiment with this for interesting color variations.

PULLED OR GATHERED ROSE

Cut ribbon to desired length. Knot one end, and pull knot firmly toward end to secure. From opposite side, gently pull one wire, slowly gathering ribbon along that edge. Continue gathering until entire side is completely ruffled and curling naturally. Wrap gathered ribbon around knotted end, forming a bud. Continue wrapping lightly so ribbon flares out and acquires an open rose effect. Tie wires together and trim. Adjust shape by fluffing or crumpling.

 ADD TULLE TO THE BACK OF THE BOW

First you need to determine how long you want the tails so you can figure out how much tulle you will need.  Play around with the tulle to make sure you end up with a tulle puff bow that is slightly larger than the ribbon bow and the tails are slightly longer than the ribbon tails.  Start in the center of the tulle, pull up loops and hold like a bouquet until you have reached the desired size, at least 10 loops can be secured with wire like a bouquet leaving the two long tails hanging free.  Once you have the loops secured, pull them out to each side to make a circle.  Do not flatten, it should resemble a flower with out a center, the ribbon bow can be attached to the center of the tulle circle by feeding the wire you used to fasten the ribbon together through the center of the flower.  Just play with it so that it lies right with the ribbon.  It can be as large and full as you desire.

 HINT

Allow plenty of time to play with the tulle because it can be difficult to arrange and it slips and slides but once you have it secure, it will stay.  Hang the bows from a hanger, don’t lay them flat or it will be hard to fluff them back.

Gifts wrapped in the traditional Japanese wrapping called Furoshiki.

Gift wrapping refers to the act of enclosing a gift in some sort of material.

 Wrapping paper is a kind of paper designed for gift wrapping. Gifts may also be wrapped in a box. They may be held closed with ribbon and topped with a decorative bow (an ornamental knot made of ribbon).

In Western culture, gifts are often wrapped in wrapping paper and accompanied by a gift note which may note the occasion, the receiver’s name and the giver’s name. In the United States, an additional 5 million tons of waste are generated over the Christmas gift-giving period; four million tons of this is wrapping paper and shopping bags. Some people attempt to avoid this by unwrapping gifts with care to hopefully allow the paper to be reused, while others use decorated cloth gift sacks that can be easily reused many times.

In Chinese culture, red wrapping connotes luck.

In Japanese culture, wrapping paper and boxes are common. However, the traditional cloth wrapping called furoshiki is increasing in popularity, particularly as an ecologically friendly alternative to wrapping paper.

Snowmen Slippers

Now you can be dressed from head to toe for the holidays.  You can give the old pair of slippers a make over since you will probably get a new pair for Christmas. This pattern can easily be modified for any time of year you would wear slippers.  You could use a white print or plain fabric and make felt hearts for Valentines Day.  You could use fall colors and put a turkey or a cornucopia on the top for Thanksgiving. Snowmen will work from autumn through to spring when its time to break out the flip flops!  Be creative and Have fun!

House slippers

¼ yard red plaid flannel; 2 (71/2) pieces 3/8”-wide hunter green decorative braid; Shank buttons: 2 (7/16) round red, 4 (1/8) round black (or 6/0 black beads); Pink ink pad; Felt: black, 4”x3” pieces each plush antique white; Hunter green ribbon; Fabric adhesive; 6-strand embroidery floss: black, red; Sewing thread” red, hunter green; Sewing and embroidery needles;

Cut fabric: cut two slipper tops from red plaid flannel.  Cut two hat brims and face backings and two tops of hat from black felt. Cut two faces from antique white felt. Cut scarf  from green ribbon left slipper,  cut one  for right slipper.  Cut two patches from green felt.

Using needle and thread sew a gathering stitch along toe of each flannel piece as indicated by dash lines on pattern. 

Fold under edges of one piece of flannel to wrong side all the way around approximately 1/2” from edge to fit over actual slipper; hold felt in place along seam with pins.

Center one piece of braid along top opening edge, pinning in place. Tuck ends of braid under flannel so that braid ends are between flannel and actual slipper; pin

On outside of slipper, stitch flannel to slipper top along seam using tiny whip-stitches with needle and matching thread; stitch braid to slipper using small whip-stitches and stitching through all thicknesses of fabric.

Repeat steps 3-5 for second slipper.

Felt Snowmen

Using generous amounts of adhesive, glue fact to fit onto hat brim, Glue top of hat to overlap behind brim; glue patch to top of hat long brim.

Stitch red button to center of face for nose; stitch black buttons in place for eyes.  Using 3 strands black floss, add straight-stitch eyebrows and back stitch mouth.  Stitch patch onto hat using 3 strands red floss.

Rub your fingertip onto ink-pad and apply blush to snowman’s cheeks.

Glue snowman to flannel slipper top below braid; glue ribbon for scarf 3/4 of the way across, leaving enough to fold over for the tail, glue tail down.

Many of the items you may need to create your own version of this idea can be found on our website by clicking on the link in my post.   

Red and Gold are the colors of love!

This stunning gift basket will make some body’s day!

The shimmering gold color of the basket is continued into the basket with metallic decorative shreds, a card and candies. When the deep romantic red color is added by inserting ribbon bows, flowers and more candy, this simple gift of a card, candy and a flowers is transformed into a royal delight.

Sometimes less is more, keeping the color theme to just red and gold is very pleasing to the eye.

This would be a perfect Valentine gift, or for any occasion, even when it’s “just because”.

Many of the items you may need to create your own version of this idea can be found on our website by clicking on the link in my post.

Friendship Box

Struggling to find an idea for a special friend who has everything? This is a friendship box is a great idea. This is a gift of time and creativity.

Wrap a small jewelry box in special paper fit the occasion. Tie a white Dainty Double-Face Satin Ribbon around the entire box. Finish off with a simple bow.

The gift is your time and creativity in a poem that you can secure with double stick tape, or punch a hole in the corner and attach like a gift tag.

Personalize your poem to your friendship. Let them know that this little box is full of friendship and when they really need a friend, they can look at that little box and remember that they will always have a friend in you!

    Sweetheart Sack   

Transform any sack or bag into a Sweetheart Sack.  If you want to decorate a lunch bag, treat bag or a gift bag to surprise sweetie, you will only need a bag, ribbon, scrapbook supplies or construction paper, and imagination. Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon or other Novelty Ribbon would be great for this project.

You can decorate sacks for a school party and fill with goodies. Teens would appreciate one in trendy colors to take their lunch in. Or even a masculine version for the hubby will make him the envy of his piers when he opens his lunch and finds a little love note you have hidden between the sandwich and the chips.  These little bags would be wonderful as a weight for a bouquet of balloons when you add some candy and a stuffed critter.