Friday, December 13, 2013

It's A Wrap



One of my favorite parts of Christmas is wrapping presents.


When I was a child, the signal for me that Christmas was coming was a box of wrapping paper, tags, tissue and ribbon arriving in the mail.


When I was older, my mother let me wrap all of the Christmas presents and I was in heaven getting to play with all the paper, ribbons, etc.


For the last 10 years, we have been away at Christmas and I had to be minimal with the wrapping of packages because ski equipment, clothes and people took precedence over Christmas presents.


This year we are home for the holidays and I am once again in heaven wrapping, decorating and embellishing each gift.


I was going to my volleyball team banquet tonight and Steve asked me to get supplies out for him to wrap presents while I was gone.


I put a bunch of supplies on the table, but I knew it would be overwhelming so I took the time to organize everything for Steve.


I arranged the ribbon by colors, set out the tape dispenser and scissors, and made a few tags.


 I had enough time to wrap a few more presents.


I love the whole process - wrapping the present, choosing the ribbon and embellishments, tying on a tag and placing it under the tree.


I don't know if my family really cares about the appearance of the package, but it is important to me.


I don't spend too much money on the wrapping because I am "cheap" and recycle - each of the boxes above has been used multiple times.


I buy cloth ribbon and reuse it over and over again.


Each year I buy a few new embellishments, but even those I use from year to year.


I'm not finished wrapping and Steve didn't end up wrapping anything tonight.


That's okay with me because to me, wrapping paper and ribbon are just another part of the decorations of Christmas and they will be on hand until Christmas Eve for that last minute gift.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Join me at these parties

Rooted in Thyme - Simple & Sweet Fridays

Shabby Art Boutique - Shabbilicious Friday

My Romantic Home - Show and Tell Friday

French Country Cottage - Christmas Extravaganza

The Thrifty Groove - Thrifty Things Friday

The Shabby Nest - Frugal Friday

46 comments:

  1. I love the "art of the wrap" !
    Your gifts are beautiful, my friend!
    w/L

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  2. Carol, your beautifully wrapped presents, with handmade tags and cloth ribbons, adorably illustrated paper and cute little trinkets, are, themselves, Christmas decorations, and for me, they'd be enough to say my home was all decked out for the season!

    Poppy

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  3. Looks like fun to me. We have a big stack just waiting for us too. :)

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  4. Good morning my friend. I am reminded here of the joy I had as a kid, wrapping all the presents. My favorite back in those days was the shiny gold or silver paper! I enjoyed putting LOTS of tape so the recipient would have to work hard to open the gift....sheesh, I had a teacher mentality even back then..teeeheee

    I LOVE YOUR STYLE! You're having fun, aren't ya? Enjoy every day. LOve, Anita

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  5. Fab wrapping! Adds to the anticipation of what lies beneath!!

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  6. GORGEOUS! My packages always look as though someone (DL) didn't give a crap.

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  7. Love the pic of the packages wrapped and arranged on the table - wish one had my name on it :) I agree, having wrapping paper, ribbon, tags and all is part of the happy holiday scene.
    Mart

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  8. All your gifts look so nice, and I like to wrap a pretty gift to when I have more time..........unfortunately, Christmas is not one of them, but I do my best. One of the things I remember from Christmas as a child.............was that my aunt (our Martha Stewart of the family. lol) used to always wrap our present so beautifully and I loved that, and almost didn't want to open it. Nothing like
    a beautiful presentation, it is like a gift within a gift.
    It is funny how there are things that each of us tend to really enjoy so much in preparation for Christmas, my fav thing is
    setting a pretty table, and my next fav is wrapping, I enjoy that too, but my least fav thing is decorating the tree.............lol
    We got a new one this year with LED lights that can either be white or colored, and it rotates, how fun! Think it might just
    get a dousing of plastic snow and that might be it.........lol Simple yet elegant with the white lights, course, yesterday I found
    out that our lil 10 mo. old granddaughter got very excited about the colored lights. Nice that I can have them white and then
    change them to colored when she comes over!!
    Hope you have a Wonderful Christmas and Glad you are having so much fun with the wrapping, I am sure your family loves it.
    Blessings, nellie

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  9. Love all the wrappings! It is a very magical time!!

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  10. Carol,
    All the gifts looks so festive and fun. It will be hard for everyone to open they look so pretty.
    Kris

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  11. I love wrapping too. It would take me just as much time wrapping gifts than it would be putting up decorations. My first job was working in the wrapping station at a department store at christmas when I was a teenager. Loved it.

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  12. Your packages are all so pretty and I know just what you mean about the wrapping. It is right up there on the list with setting the holiday table. I love the presentation part! The adults don't exchange gifts any longer in our family so I miss the wrapping. It is a little lost on the Granddaughter since she is most interested in what is inside the package and pretty oblivious to the wrapping. My husband and I still exchange and I exchange with some friends so I still get to wrap a few pretty ones!

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  13. Wow! Your packages are so artistic and they go with your decor! XOXO

    I recycle boxes year to year too!

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  14. Hi There! Thanks for stopping by my blot and leaving a nice comment! Out Thanksgiving tablecloth is so precious to us...I am so glad that I started that years ago!
    I have been looking around here a bit and I love the idea of using a quilt for a tablecloth!
    (plan on looking more later) and I am jealous...I haven't wrapped a single gift yet...nor am I done shopping yet! lol!
    Thanks again for stopping by and I am your newest follower!
    Sharon

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  15. Your gifts all look so lovely. I especially like the Josh tag. Also the red and green color choice, that screams old fashion Christmas to me, and I like old fashioned Christmases :)

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  16. Wrapping gifts is a very creative process and I agree, so much fun! Your gifts look wonderful!

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  17. I love to wrap too and my mom hated it so I was in charge every year when I was a girl. I have no wrapping to do this yaer my boys both want cash. We didn't even put up a tree inside.

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  18. Your packages look wonderful! I'm sure the recipients do appreciate the extra effort and creativity. I've always loved to wrap gifts and even though there's not a lot of opportunity at this stage of life, I still keep a couple of bins of paper and goodies - just in case!

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  19. would you please stop by my place. i could use some help with all our gifts - i love all the goodies you added to spruce them up. so pretty & fun! makes you almost not want to open them ... just enjoy them & look at them daily. ha. ha!! ( :

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  20. You've got some good looking pkg's under the tree this year! I love how creative you've gotten with all of them. I agree it's fun to jazz up the pkg's , but my kids could care a less about how they look. They're more interested with what's inside! LOL.

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  21. Your gifts look lovely. I really like the plaid wrapping paper!

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  22. I've been a stick it in a gift bag gal for many years, but just started going back to the real art of wrapping presents! It does mean so much to take the time to make the package pretty! You packages are so beautiful!

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  23. Carol,
    Your presents are so pretty, and I agree with you. First, the paper, ribbon, tags, and then the presents are part of the Christmas decorations. Next, not all of my family appreciates the presentation of the gift, but they indulge me. They know not to tear into a package, but carefully open it, saving the fabric ribbon, gift bags, boxes, and gift tags with their names on them. They may see them all again next year or maybe the next one. They laugh about it as they pass the used wrappings to me to save. So much fun and such beautiful items not to reuse them.

    Merry Christmas from my house to yours,

    Judith

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  24. Seriously some of the most gorgeous packages I have ever seen! Your picture of all of the supplies in your metal crate truly feels like Christmas! It's just fantastic what you have created on the top of those gifts! Makes me think of what I will do for my daughter...I think she will enjoy it as well and how cute would it be to have a little station set up for her!!! A merry weekend to you!!!

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  25. I agree, presents that are lovingly wrapped become part of the beautiful decorations. I loved all your embellishments on your gifts, in fact, you gave me some ideas. And don't laugh, but I really thought your 'organized' wrapping supplies on the table for Steve looked like a pretty vignette.

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  26. Carol, I love wrapping also! Adding the embellishments to a package is always so much fun! You've created some very beautiful as well as fun wrapping. I pinned a few to my board. Which I had named, "It's a Wrap". Great minds think alike. lol!
    hugs,
    Jann

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  27. The wrapping is a gift itself with your talent!

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  28. To be able ....to visit YOU overhere is magical ....each and every time .....
    How you enjoy this year being at home and having all the Christmas-fun ...
    I love to be able to look over your shoulder and see all the things you work with.
    I wish for you you can buy a maileg-mouse-friend ......
    I have FIVE NOW and you know what ......I did not buy one myself ....
    They came to me .....lucky me .......
    That's with mice....... they multiply ......hihi
    Enjoy your december JOY Carol !

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  29. What a lovely wrapping station! I love wrapping too but my little one forbid to wrap presents cute this year. You see, since she was a toddler she has loved stacking and sorting the presents and apparently my cute packaging interfered with that. She's 12 so I wonder how much longer that can go on!

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  30. WOW you REALLY wrap well and beautifully. I have not wrapped a thing yet but seeing this is certainly inspiring! :)

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  31. Your presents look so lovely they look to good to open!
    Sarah x

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  32. Your wrapping is fabulous. I love all the creativity your put into making each package special. It really means so much to give or receive such a pretty presentation. Been having some fun catching up on your posts. Your table and tree is beautiful. You just have a way of giving everything a special look.
    Oh and I love the way your organized the wrapping accessories.
    Hugs!

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  33. I think you are the only person I've actually heard say they like to wrap Christmas presents! And a beautiful job you do of it. And you're right, in your house it looks like it's part of your whole Christmas decor, not just a mess shuttled about from place to place.

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  34. These are gorgeous, and we are soul mates when it comes to wrapping. I think the presentation is as important as the gift.. Your gift wrap is WONDERFUL.

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  35. Your wrapping looks great, I bet you had lots of fun.

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  36. So beautifully done, and I love that you re-use things from year to year.

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  37. Oh your gifts are just LOVELY! I adore the plaid and the tags :)

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  38. I love to wrap too. Usually I turn on an old movie and play with all the pretty papers and ribbons. We use them over and over too. Mimi

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  39. Wow, I loved all of them, you have great craft materials...
    All packages are wonderful!!!

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  40. I also like the felt mitten and I like the stocking too. Like many comments above, I just would savor looking at the package and not want to open it right away. Your family must have a treasure chest of Christmas morning present unwrapping dancing in their heads. I have some memories of certain presents and how they were wrapped. Your post also reminds how my parent's had a big table in the basement where they made homemade ornaments when I was little.

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  41. I hope they do appreciate the gift wrapping this year, because every one is so beautifully done !

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  42. Your wrapping looks Amazing!!! Maybe you can come over and do some Wrapping for me ;) Thank you so much for sharing it with us at our Christmas Extravaganza Party!! Pinning :) xoxo

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  43. fantastic wrapping ideas! i'd better get going with mine ;)

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  44. I love to take my time and wrap gifts and add the special touches. Thank you for sharing last week at TTF. I featured this post today at TTG FB page. https://www.facebook.com/thethriftygroove

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  45. Wow. Impressive. This was the first year I got all but 3 presents wrapped before Christmas but I can't say that they looked anything close like yours.
    Wanna come wrap mine next year

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