Nov 29, 2012

Gift wrapping for Christmas, birthdays, wedding, love






Holiday season started and these days we are thinking more and more about the  New Year's Eve and Christmas. And, of course, gifts for our family, friends, loved ones. I am always much more excited to see if I chose the right gift, whether it brought joy to my loved ones, than looking forward to unwrap mine.

Wrapping gift is almost as important as buying/making them. If you don't have time or inspiration to make something by yourself, at least you can try to be original with wrapping. It is easy to buy, but investing our creativity, imagination and time we show that we do care for others giving them a part of ourselves.

Recycled material is something I prefer. Here are some examples (and tutorials) how to wrap gifts with the material you can easily find at home.






Newspaper bowl gift wrap

















































Furoshiki

I 've always loved book stores and at least once a week I spend some time in one of them, reviewing what is new, particularly on the shelf with crafts books. Few month ago I accidentally came across a book about furoshiki and was honestly thrilled with it. It is 
the art of Japanese cloth wrapping and has been a part of daily life in Japan for centuries.  It originated as a way to bundle clothes  for easier transport, and evolved into the art.    Official Furoshiki site     offers  comprehensive tutorials on how to wrap different items such as wine bottles, books and more.   Some of examples follow:




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Nov 14, 2012

Chalkboard everywhere













 Last few weeks I became a 'chalkboard' freak. Refurbished kitchen using chalkboard paint, then made a frame for notes (you can find this tut in  my post here) , painted inner sides of desk's doors. And found this awesome  tutorial how to make chalkboard wrapping paper . I love the possibilities chalkboard gives me - I can change the images, text, chalk colors, and get renewed interior. 
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Nov 11, 2012

DIY shabby chalkboard frame






A couple of weeks ago I got few wooden picture frames from my neighbor and decided to make chalk board. Yes, we all have mobile phones, send text messages and emails, but I recognized the advantages of the  old-fashioned chalk board near the entrance door - hubby can't have excuse now: 'I forgot my glasses, couldn't read the message.' And one of the wooden frames was ideal for that.
On the photos you can see the final result, and tutorial how I made it find after the jump.

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