after the storm

after the storm
Welcome autumn!

Saturday, August 10, 2013

wrap it up...

When I was a little girl, I thought it would be so much fun to be the person in the fancy department store who did the gift wrapping. Do stores even do that anymore? I was nosy enough to want to see all the gifts. I would imagine the recipients surprise and of course, awe at the amazing wrapping job I would provide. I haven't changed much. I still love to wrap presents.

These days, I know I wouldn't make it a day as a department store gift wrapper because I am not too excited by sparkly ribbons and flashy paper. I tend toward the simple. For years, I have wrapped most packages in brown kraft paper. When my kids were small, we would decorate the paper with their drawings. One year, after a way too ambitious apple picking day, we used the very small ones (gathered by very small hands), cut in half as stamps to decorate the paper. With a sharpie, I added a few green leaves and black seeds to their stamps and we called it good.

Today, I am wrapping a gift for my daughter. She lives too far away. I miss her. She misses us and the desert. This video came out this year and it is wonderful.

I highly recommend it to anyone who loves the desert or is curious about the desert. I have already bought 3 copies and I imagine I will buy more. Take a moment to watch the trailer.

I decided to wrap her present in kraft paper stamped with images of a tortoise.

We have desert tortoises that hang out around here and I know she will like this. I stamped with more intent than I usually do.

I liked the idea of lining up the images rather than the randomness I usually use.


I should have placed the present a little differently on the paper but then it left me with the perfect place for the ribbon.
Then I switched to twine. You can't beat "brown paper packages tied up with string".

I just have to give you a peek at my roll of paper. After years of picking it up here and there, I finally committed to a huge roll. It makes me happy to have it at my disposal for everything. I can't get over how often I use it. I bought my roll and the dispenser at papermart.com.
Love their ribbon too.