Chartreuse & Tiffany

This photo has been in my file for awhile. It was a re-colourized photo I saw on a stylish blog called A Room Somewhere. Every time I looked at it it made me want to wrap..........so today I wrapped. As it turned out (as I never know where I am heading when I embark on a inspiration gift wrap) I wrapped up just about every technique I know all in one little package. I used custom gift wrap paper, a Tiffany box re-gift , decorative labels, layered ribbon, satin bows and a unique embellishment. It's a build-a-gift post and you are going to have to get all the way to the bottom to see the final result.


I started with the one work sheet I have of this custom Chartreuse damask paper that is standing by for a custom run. I love the colour chartreuse and have come to the realization that the only way I am going to get one is to print it myself. The same applies to coral, another fabulous colour to wrap.

My friend brought me over a Tiffany sun glass box for a logo box regift post and it happened to be the perfect size so I didn't have to cut my sample sheet. Even better it was the right colour. Though I do keep my blog wrapping samples intact if possible, this one will be unwrapped for a number of reasons. Too bad, I did love how this turned out.

By now you know when re-gifting a store box as I often do for personal gifts, you are sort of obligated to cover the logo. Just a reminder. Unless there is a piece of sparkly Tiffany inside, better to take the box style in another direction. I used a pale aqua decorative sticker with a simple calligraphy text which I will show you re-gifted in another post this week. But for today and because I have been somewhat remiss in my posting schedule I decided to go for a fully-embellished gift wrap. Gift wrapping can actually be quite therapeutic.

Chartreuse goes with any, and I mean any colour known to the human eye. You can click here to read my original post on Chartreuse and why it has that unique ability. As a gift wrap base colour it is deliciously adaptive to any direction you want to take it. I wanted to capture that gorgeous colour combination seen in the interior photo so I rolled out two varying widths of an imported double face satin ribbon. They are simply cut and taped to the underside with double-sided tape. This is easy, easy and a technique anyone can do. You can stop here, this understated presentation (I know my version of understated is a bit skewed) is ready to gift just as you see it.

Once you start layering and taping ribbon, sometimes it's hard to stop. The impulse is to add another width, another colour, another texture. And you should, that's the fun of this technique as anybody can do it. Imagine this with a another layer of shocking pink, a narrow black, a lovely lavender, so many colours and so many looks. It is an effective way to use up shorter ribbon lengths, especially on petite boxes. But that's not what I am doing here..........I need a ribbon knot and have a few more steps to go.

As you saw, I brought this satin ribbon under the existing layers and then tied the bow to the far left so the ribbon tails drape over the side. I always knot my first length of ribbon and then use another length for a bow. It is way too difficult to knot and bow at the same time and I have more control on the final size and position. There is nothing better than a good quality double face satin for bows, it sits wonderfully, has the most beautiful lustre and is worth every penny.

Yes, a single bow is certainly enough. So why am doubling up on this bow and adding another? And why does this package at this point look a bit lopsided? Isn't this a bit of ribbon overkill? It would be (even I can see that) but I need a bit more ribbon volume for it's final embellishment.

Isn't this just the best embellishment? I found this in my jewellery and accessory drawer and it is a muted chartreuse........no wonder I bought it! I think I wore it once years ago and think it looks much better on this package than it did hanging on me somehow. I have no memory of how I wore this. It has both a pin and clip on the back so I simply clipped it to my voluminous bow. It has been sitting on my studio desk for awhile and if I hadn't been here when my friend was wrapping (she has full access to my supplies) it would have disappeared. I don't think I slapped her hand as she reached for it......but almost. It is obviously a hair or clothing pin so keep your sale-and-clearance eyes open for these type of accessories. When used for gift wrapping, it makes for a gorgeous embellishment. Two gifts in one.

Don't forget..........You still have time to enter the Thank You Giveaway. Click here to enter. The response has been wonderful and I am so looking forward to picking the three winners sometime this week.

Top photo from blog A Room Somewhere/All other photos by Sande Chase ~ A Gift Wrapped Life