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Category Archives: Gift Packaging

Recycled Bottle Sleeve

Recycled Bottle Sleeve

I hope you are all having a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We’re getting ready to visit my cousin, and I’m bringing her a little bottle of something all wrapped up in a “sleeve” bottle wrap.  I just sliced the sleeve off an old, unused shirt and stitched the bottom closed.  The cuff can button around the bottle, but I kind of liked it turned down.

And oh yes, that’s a bottle of Bailey’s Irish Cream.  Perfect for sipping while you decorate a Christmas tree or sit with your sweetie in front of a toasty fire.  Bring on the holidays!

 
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Posted by on November 24, 2011 in Gift Packaging

 

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Cinnamon Ornaments

This one is for my sister in law who wanted to learn to make cinnamon ornaments — it’s so easy and is a great project to do with kids!

First, you can find a lot of different recipes, but it’s pretty basic.  Mix equal parts of cinnamon and apple sauce, maybe a cup of each.  You can add in a tablespoon each of ground cloves and nutmeg and also a couple tablespoons of regular white school glue if you like.  (This is the recipe I used.)  Mix the ingredients together until they form a smooth dough.  If it’s too sticky, add a bit more cinnamon.  If it crumbles apart, blend in a little more applesauce.  After a little stirring and kneading, it should look like this:

Cinnamon Ornaments

Sprinkle a little cinnamon on a rolling pin and roll out the dough.  You’ll want to keep it at least a quarter inch thick so your ornaments won’t be too fragile after they dry.  Then use cookie cutters or freehand cut out shapes.  (I used a wine glass and a smaller glass to shape simple wreaths.)

Cinnamon Ornaments

Cinnamon Ornaments

Use a pencil/chopstick/dowel/straw/whatever to make a little hole in each ornament for hanging.  Knead the scraps back together and roll it back out again to use as much of it as possible.  Keep dusting cinnamon on your rolling pin as needed to avoid sticking.

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Transfer them to an ungreased cookie sheet.  You can either leave them out for a couple days until they dry, or bake them at very low heat (200F) for several hours.  When they’re completely dry, they’re ready to use.

Cinnamon Ornament Tie Ons

You’ll end up with wonderfully scented ornaments for your tree or package tie-ons!

 

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Pass-It-On Gift Wrapping

We’ve already had one Christmas with out of state family, and (along with other great gifts), my sister in law gave me a craft book and all the supplies needed to make one of the crafts.  I loved that!  Some of the supplies were in a pretty red gift bag.

Gift Bag

It’s a Wrapsack, and when I opened it I saw this tag:

Wrapsack

What a cute idea!  I love how it encourages recycling and also lets you track your bag’s travels.  If you start a bag on its way, you can set a goal for it.  Maybe it wants to hold an engagement ring someday, or make its way from coast to coast.

Now to think of who should have it next … I might need a few more!

 
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Posted by on December 7, 2010 in Gift Packaging

 

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Moo Stickers as Gift Tags

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I had an idea for our Christmas packaging this year, and ordered a book of Moo stickers made with photos of our family.  (They’re not available in Moo’s USA shop, so plan ahead for longer ship time and order from their European store.)

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We’ll use the stickers in place of To/From labels.  If you see your photo on a present, that gift is for you!  The younger kids, not yet reading, may really have fun with this.

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Hopefully the photo stickers will bring back fun memories and cause a lot of smiles.  And that’s kind of the point in getting together in the first place, isn’t it?

 
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Posted by on September 8, 2010 in Gift Packaging, Personalized Crafts

 

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Chinese Takeout Gift Box

Looking for a different way to package a small gift? You can make a cute gift box with a Chinese takeout box, some fabric and heat and bond material.

Start with a new Chinese takeout box. Remove the handle and flatten it out.

Takeout Box

Cut the fabric and iron on heat and bond just a little larger than the opened box. Follow the directions on the heat and bond to iron it onto the fabric. Let it cool, then slowly peel off the backing paper. Put the backing paper down on your ironing board, then iron the fabric to the outside of the takeout box. Be careful to iron against the backing paper so you don’t attach the fabric to your ironing board.

Cut, the Fray Check the Edges

Trim the excess fabric away, then use Fray Check around the edges to keep the fabric looking clean and neat. Using sharp embroidery scissors or an exacto knife, cut through the slit in the top fold of the box and carefully poke the holes for the handles through the fabric. Fray check these as well.

Then refold your box and reattach the handle. You may want to use pliers to help close up the ends of the handles again. ( Reattaching the handle can be a bit fiddly. I said a few bad words, got another cup of coffee and then went back to it. The second try went much smoother.)

The finished product:

Takeout Gift Box

For the perfect little gift to put inside, stay tuned!

 
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Posted by on August 23, 2010 in Gift Packaging

 

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