My husband recently received a gift and although the bag was pretty, the gift giver wrote his name and birthday wishes directly on the bag, making it impossible to reuse. I really do hate wasting items and try to reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible. My husband tossed the bag in recycling, but the glittery back caught my eye and I just had to rescue it! I love the way this gift came together by combining 3 rescued items: a gift bag, a previously used ribbon and a broach! Check-out my latest tutorial to see the variations I came up with and perhaps you might rethink some of your own castaways!
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Stay Tuned for the Big Reveal:
We have been super busy this past week….tune in to see pictures of our latest and perhaps most spectacular DIY reno and upcycling project yet. I am honestly speechless…my hubby really out did himself this time! I hope to have the finishing touches done and the post up by next week!
I absolutely love this paper! Whenever possible, I try to use scrapbooking paper for wrapping gifts. Why? Because there are so many incredible papers to choose from. A great way to get started using scrapbooking paper for gift wrapping is by purchasing a 12″ X 12″ scrapbooking paper pad. There are many great collections and they often follow a specific theme, colour scheme or a certain look. Some examples might include: Christmas, pastel colours, shades of blue, vintage, travel, floral, chalkboard designs, etc. Once you find a book you like, be sure to watch for coupons or a good sale price. I only buy paper when it is 40% off or greater. Some books come with coordinating solids and others only contain patterned papers. If your book does not come with solids, purchase some matching single sheets of paper to go with your patterned papers. Often the colours in a book follow a set scheme and a handful of solid colours will match with most of the patterned designs.
Regardless of whether you are using scrapbooking paper or regular wrapping paper, you can create interest in your finished projects by focussing on the edges of your paper. In this video tutorial, you will learn how to:
Use a folded edgeto compensate for a piece of wrapping paper that is too small
Incorporate a folded edge as a design element
Enhance your gift wrapping with torn paper edges
You will be amazed to see how a variety of looks can be created with the same elements being used in slightly different applications. I hope you enjoy today’s tutorial.
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Today’s gift wrapping tutorial introduces you to one of my secret weapons. I wouldn’t consider myself a hoarder by any means, but when it comes to gift wrapping, I keep and re-use the same ribbon and embellishments over and over again. When I host a birthday or when we open gifts on Christmas morning, the paper gets recycled, but I collect anything and everything that is re-usable. This is my secret weapon because it saves me both time and money! This is especially true at Christmas when there are so many gifts to wrap!
In my latest BOWhemian WRAPsody tutorial, you will see how I take one of my old embellishments and with a tweak here and there, create a beautiful gift. With such a great finished look, you don’t need to feel the least bit guilty about taking this shortcut! Watch the video to see how you can start saving time and money by purchasing the correct types of embellishments and creating simple looks that can easily be stored and re-used in the future.
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Anyone who knows me well would attest to the fact that “less is more” might actually be my design mantra (or at least one of them). I’m not sure if I come by this desire for simplicity naturally or if it has developed over time. As a kindergarten teacher, I have seen more cringe worthy projects than you can shake a stick at. It often has nothing to do with a student’s artistic ability or inability, but rather, they just don’t know when to stop! I find the same can be said of adults who perceive that they aren’t very “artistic” or don’t have a “good eye” for design. The best rule of thumb for those that feel they aren’t gifted in this realm….KEEP IT SIMPLE…LESS IS MORE! The more elements you add, the worse it looks…generally speaking of course.
This is the second video tutorial in which I used this white/silver swirl paper. The paper has a simple elegant pattern and I wanted to share a few ideas for possible embellishments. In my last video, I used a thrift store silver broach to dress up the gift. If you want to check it out, you can catch the video on my youtube channel or in my previous post: Gift Wrapping “Beyond Re-Broach”.
In today’s video tutorial, you will see how I use two simple dollar store elements to create a beautiful, yet simple look.
Recently, while out thrifting, I made a huge score in the jewellery department! I picked-up several pieces of jewellery to use in some of my gift wrapping designs. You may recall the Thrifting Challenge that I presented a few weeks ago. The task was to go thrifting with an open mind and ample time. I specifically wanted to challenge you to use your imagination to envision how every day items might be incorporated into a gift wrapping project. Think “WRAP, RIBBON, EMBELLISH” and see what creative ideas are born from simply putting the thought out there. It’s like a treasure hunt and you really can’t ever be sure what you’ll discover.
In today’s gift wrapping tutorial, I used a more classy style of gift wrap with a white base colour and silver swirls scattered throughout. I added 1 1/4″ wired silver ribbon in a classic cross format. To embellish the gift, I incorporated some glittery silver curly ribbon and a simple, but beautiful silver piece of jewellery for the focal point. The thrifted piece was picked up for $1 and definitely adds a touch of elegance. I love this simple, yet sophisticated look! Although this design could work for many different gift giving occasions, I immediately think bridal shower or wedding gift!
I hope you enjoyed the video! To see my latest gift wrapping design ideas, subscribe to my Youtube channel at BOWhemian WRAPsody. Remember to LIKE and SHARE!
I’m loving the Chinese skipping ropes I picked-up at the dollar store. They seriously might be the best wrapping hack yet. I love how easy they are to use and how they can be wrapped in a variety of ways because of the elasticity. In this particular post, I used a plain yellow ribbon as a base, an orange skipping rope and a sheer orange ribbon to finish off the look. Check out the video to see how it’s all pulled together!
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Junk or gems? Think outside the box…could these items possibly be used to enhance a gift?
Do you ever wonder what goes through other people’s minds? I’m a total visionary type of a person. I can envision the potential of an old piece of furniture, can predict how great a room would look with fresh paint and a few minor changes, can see how an idea could be modified to work in a different situation and one of my favourite things to do is imagine how I might use an item for a completely different purpose than it was originally intended…“re-purposing”. This is just how my mind works…constantly planning, reflecting and coming up with new ideas! I’m not saying I don’t appreciate a well-made item and will definitely pay whatever it takes to find a comfy and yet fashionable pair of shoes, but my happy place is not the mall, it’s definitely thrifting! (Can’t help it… my mind is automatically wandering to Macklemore’s Thrift Shop song ….although the clean version was rarely played on the radio, I would sing my own clean version and it became a bit of family joke ….”We are TEAM awesome!” ~ great memory. Sorry, how quickly I digress.)
I often wonder what a trip to a thrift store or a dollar store is like for others because when time allows… for me it is like a treasure hunt! I never know what I’m going to find! Although I often go with a list in mind, browsing the aisles without a clear agenda is what the fun is all about. For me thrifting is more of an experience, as it is impossible to anticipate what items will catch my eye and how I might use it in the future. This is seriously so much fun for me!
Dollar/Thrift Store Challenge
Although my creative thinking is not limited to gift wrapping, it is the theme of this post, so I want to challenge you to literally think “outside the box”. What are the basics you need to consider when creating a fabulous looking gift! What are the essentials elements you need to dress-up the outside of the box?
WRAP ~ The material you choose to wrap the gift with is going to become the foundation for your finished look, but why limit yourself to wrapping paper? In previous posts, I’ve already tried to expand your thinking by introducing basic brown packaging paper and scrapbooking paper as great alternatives, but why stop there? What other materials could be used to wrap presents? When you’re out and about, be on the look out for other possibilities.
RIBBON ~ I use the term “ribbon” loosely here because the whole purpose of this challenge is to think beyond ribbon. I want you to look at cord, string, rope, etc…anything that could be used as a substitute for ribbon.
EMBELLISH ~ Do not discount anything! This element is by far the most fun to shop for. Obviously, you do need to consider price as this element is probably not part of the gift (although it could be). Otherwise, just open your mind and try to imagine how an item might be used to add impact and/or interest to a gift. In previous posts, I demonstrated how scrapbooking embellishments (flowers, felt shapes, paper cut-outs, etc.) can be incorporated to create the beautiful finishing touches on a present. I’ve also highlighted glass beads and plastic netting, as well as both real and artificial flowers, but let’s face it, the options are endless! So unleash your creativity and see what you can come up with.
THE CHALLENGE:
Think WRAP, RIBBON, EMBELLISH! Just try it! The next time you go to a garage sale, thrift store or dollar store…designate some extra time just to browse and let your creative juices flow. I can’t wait to see what you come up with! Remember your entire gift doesn’t need to reflect your creative thinking, but what a statement it makes when you draw in unexpected elements. Please comment below and let me know what kinds of items you come up with as you embark on this journey to “Think Outside the Box”.
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In today’s post, I wanted to share with you how to successfully patch exposed ends when using wrapping paper that is too small. I love wrapping with scrapbooking paper whenever I can, simply because the options are endless. There are so many beautiful designs to choose from, but you are limited by the 12 X 12 standard size paper. Obviously, you can join multiple pages together, but it isn’t always easy to get the finished look you desire. In this video, I demonstrate two tips for patching. In this particular scenario, the paper fits nicely around gift, but is not long enough, so the ends are left exposed. Watch the video to see how I rectify this problem.
How To Create Interest By Moving Your Focal Point
The second part of the video demonstrates how you can change the look of a gift by simply changing the placement of your focal point. Clearly, the centre of the gift is often where the bows and embellishments are mounted, but you can add interest just by sliding the key elements closer to one end or by flipping the gift and creating a vertical look.
Check out my latest video tutorial from BOWhemian WRAPsody to see how to patch effectively and create interest by moving the focal point of your wrapped gift.
Here is the final episode in my 3 part tutorial on how to create impact when you are wrapping multiple gifts. Check out this video from BOWhemian WRAPsody to see yet another version of this concept.
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