Ever receive a gift that was package so beautifully that you didn't really care what was inside because you're so smitten by the gorgeous exterior? Packaging is half the gift, well... to some people anyway =) I love pretty packaging and something about it just give it the special feel.
Whenever I travel, I like to bring back gifts for my friends and family. Sometimes, finding the perfect gift is frustrating, and I end up getting very inexpensive little treats, so I like to make it extra special even though I spent very little. For Spring Break, my friends and family vacationed in
Oahu, Hawaii so I brought back a box of macadamia chocolate and a cute little jar of pineapple jam for my friend Lora. It cost $2 for the chocolate and $1.50 for jam, only $3.50 for both.
I love writing letters. I have not seen my friend in a long time because we live 350+ miles away from each other, so we write and e-mail as much as we can. Gifts are not the only thing I give special attention to, dressing up a plain white envelop brightens the day of whomever you send it to. A few pieces from the scrap pile.
My favorite thing, hand-made cards. My friend and I love to talk about anything and everything. I made her this card because we literally have not talked in what feels like forever.
I used green pattern card stock from my scrap pile, a piece of doily, little pieces of scraps, and stamps. Because I was afraid that the card stocks might fall off because my paper glue is not very good (any suggestion on strong paper glue that won't wrinkle, please do share), I decided to sew the papers right down the middle where the white boarder is. At the same time I think it gives the card a very sweet delicate detail.
One of our favorite things to do is to grab a drink or ice cream at our favorite ice cream shop and walk around our favorite park while we talk about absolutely anything. To get the two-toned, I used a stamp to stamp the image on two different color pattern paper and hand cut with a pair of scissor. Then glued the lighter-tone sleeve over the darker, and added little hearts for a pop of color.
One thing left to do. String, twine, yarn, ribbon... whatever you have on hand.
Because I already have all the supplies in my stash, this gift only cost $3.50 but I think it really packs a punch. For the cute little jar of pineapple jam I mentioned earlier, I just ties a simple tag around the neck with the same string I used for the package. As for the chocolate, I just used left over paint paper craft roll that I had when I first moved into my new home, if I had brown paper bags, I would have used those too.
Sometimes, happiness is receiving pretty packages. Get creative.
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