Two Tips Tuesday

Ohhhhhhh...the fun of this TTT post! I love doing these tips because often I come up with them on the fly or I am inspired by ordinary, every day things. I am like crafty Macgyver...okay, that might be a stretch. But I really like coming up with creative ways of doing things. So for today I brainstormed some fun ideas for gift wrapping and ornament giving. Here we go...

Tip #1: UNIQUE, CREATIVE, & THOUGHTFUL GIFT WRAPPING:

Book Giving: Try wrapping books like a book cover (like we did back in school with paper bags). It is not a surprise when you get a book (it's kinda obvious) so why not get playful and wrap it in newspaper (like my example) or with a paper, grocery bag? The bag would be fun because you could doodle names on it like you did in school. :)

Attach a paper bookmark as a tag or get one from me when I someday have an Etsy store and finally sell my felt bookmarks like the one in the pic! Oh, someday...focus, Jess.

Cookies In A Tin With A Little Extra: The above photo is a cookie tin but I wrapped it in a snowman towel and wrapped each side with raffia to look like a little treat itself. Attached to the left side is a cookie cutter and cookie recipe. A great way to add to some EXTRA goodies to your already yummy, holiday goodies.

Tea Stained Sheet Music Wrapping Paper: Now understand I usually stage Two Tips each week. And I, Jessica, actually tea stained sheet music for this post. Because that is how much I love you. And I am chic cheap. I just downloaded free sheet music, tea stained it and dried it in the oven for an old look. Wrapped it with a little bell to match the theme. I actually did this a few years ago as a centerpiece and I used glitter on the paper to make it sparkle. It was pretty.

Tiny Scribbles Wrap: I had my Cati color on the backside of wrapping paper to make a homemade wrap for the grandparents. Great idea throughout the year too. I bought cute little magnet frames on clearance, stocked up, and I will give them from the kids with their pics in them. This gift is wrapped in the custom decorated paper and I tied a felt pom pom I made with a pipe cleaner for some childlike playfulness.


Fabric & Measuring Tape Wrap: OK. If anyone gave me a gift like this I would heart them forever. I love, love, love anything fabric and this is one of those gifts you give when you know something about that person. Like me, I love fabric so this would be a gift within a gift because I would use the fabric too! Oh how fun. Plus, it is reusable. (That's for my green peeps). And isn't the measuring tape perfect?

Tip #2: ORNAMENT GIVING IDEAS

OK, I am weary from all that fake gift wrapping. So no more pictures. I am just too tired. But brilliance I have. Okay, no. Just ideas.

Lifetime Set of Ornaments: Obviously, a gazillion people out there do ornaments each each year for their kids. It was done for me and probably for a zillion of you. But I grew into this anal retentive woman who needs everything with a theme. It is ridiculous but it is the essence of me. So. I decided that my girls can do whatever they want with their tree but we are going to give them a silver ornament each year. It may be different but the unifying factor will be silver. There are so many other way you can do this. Some people do a hallmark ornament each year. Maybe a repetitive theme like a tree full of santas, snowmen, angels, etc. How about an annual photo ornament? I like the idea of collecting vintage numbers, cookie cutters, spelling family members names...really, the list is endless.

Ornament Set for a family: Why not buy a pretty set of ornaments and attach them to a set of gifts you are giving to a particular family or group of friends? You can use them in lieu of gift tags and in the end that family has a new set of ornaments for the tree.

Whew. This post took it out of me. I am off to bed but I promise to be a better planner next week and not wait until the last minute.

Happy Tuesday!