Henri Bendel ~ Box Regift 1

I have very generous friends when it comes to giving me lovely boxes full of lovely birthday things. So I am well-supplied with some gorgeous store boxes right now which I will use to show you how to regift a store box and use "card cuts" at the same time. A few posts back I talked about using the top image of note or greeting cards to jazz up simple tissue paper, gift wrap or in this case a really good looking box.

This dramatic Henri Bendel ~ New York box has been sitting on my wrap table for a few weeks and today I was in the mood to play around and see how many directions I could take the brown and white stripes. This is the first round using colour matched cards, next week you will see the second and third rounds using the same box but taken in a totally different style and colour direction.

There really is no need to gift wrap the box when it has a pattern this graphic and eye-catching. A simple ribbon and a great "card cut" , doesn't get much easier than that. I just use double- sided tape to affix the card over the store logo. You could also use a glue stick.

Another card cut image from the same box of blank notecards.

Here is the same chocolate image but I added a few wider ribbon bands in the same colour to see if it gave the presentation more impact. It does, but I like the simple, single ribbon just as well.

The vintage typewriter "card cut" is one of my favorites. I used to write a newspaper column on a typewriter so I think it brings back some fond memories. I will use this same card image wrapped in another style in a future post. I am playing like crazy today. Anything to delay getting this sore body back on that bike today.

Welcome, welcome to new followers and readers this week.

And a big welcome to the ambitious ladies who are cycling along with me on my Cycle Challenge. I will introduce them to my sidebar on Sunday. Until then.......get going?

All photos by Sande Chase ~ A Gift Wrapped Life

Underappreciated........Tissue Paper

We sometimes forget about tissue paper as a gift wrap. In the past 20 years since gift bags were introduced we have mostly seen it as something to stuff into gift bags to make them look more gift wrapped, more coordinated. And let me state here, I have nothing against a great gift bag. I am just sorry that it has somewhat positioned tissue paper as a bag stuffer in most people's minds. As a gift wrap, sometimes there can be nothing more perfect.

Not only is tissue more economical, it often offers me a colour I can't find in a gift wrap paper. Which brings me to the second part of this subject..........using leftover cards as gift wrap embellishments. In this post I am using two card cuts as I call them to bring a bit of visual colour and pattern to tissue paper which can be colourful, but simple in nature. This card is from a boxed set of blank cards in which I made a writing error. I keep these aside and simply cut off the cover and keep the card image for this wrapping purpose.

These gorgeous peony bouquets were die cut invitations that I bought, didn't need, but just loved the image. I do hope I am not the only one who does this sort of thing. Maybe I thought I would have a tea party of some sort? When I recently ran across these in a drawer I took them right down to my studio and cut off the backs and promptly used them up as gift tags. You can use the covers of cards that were given to you, blank cards with writing errors, anything with a beautiful image that may perk up your paper or tissue gift wrapping.

This one hangs in my studio with a gorgeous and trailing length of ribbon where I gift wrap just because .........

I used one of the peony cards as a gift card on a Wrap Room box that went out last week. Just a simple hole punch, tied it in with narrow ribbon . You can see a stylish B & W card cut I have ready to use on another gift which I will show you soon. "Card cuts" can work on any type of gift wrapping, not just tissue.

Tissue paper is also sometimes the only wrapping option, some items are difficult to wrap with the heavier weight of paper and the edges look like something a guy would do (generally speaking). This is where the softer weight of tissue paper shows it real beauty. Some products have a nature that better suits tissue as shown with this linen and lavender filled drawer liner. Can you picture it wrapped in gift wrap paper? I can't. It can softly fold around awkward edges and is a bit more forgiving. It does take practise to handle well but once you are comfortable with it you will agree that it is certainly under appreciated. Doing folded tissue pleats also takes practise but not much. It is difficult to show you this technique photographically so I am looking at adding video as in YouTube for many of the gift wrap tips..........will keep you posted.

There are a few things things to know about tissue paper. It is infinitely better to try and purchase it in flat 20" x 30" reams if you would like to use it more often as a gift wrap. I would refer to this as the professional method of buying tissue. One ream is 480 sheets and runs approximately $30-$40.00 so you can see the value in it's purchase. That covers a lot of gift wrapping, especially when it comes to wrapping for shower favours or multiples. I do have an issue with how tissue paper is sold in overly-folded packages these days as it makes it only good for stuffing, not folding. The second thing to know is to be generous with it's use. The more tissue layers, the more lovely and elegant it feels. I generally use 3-4 sheets on any product as the multiple layering also accentuates the tissue colour and hides any product colours. Wrap the item in both directions to hide any edges.

I tucked the stem of this die cut bouquet into the tissue folds and just let the long silk ribbon tail fall where it may. Wrapping in this style can also be more cost efficient because it requires little ribbon, a good way to use up short lengths that may be too short to tie into a bow. You can use shorter lengths as I have illustrated in the lavender one shown above, simply held in place with the card and double-sided tape.

Ready to brighten someone's day.

All photos by Sande Chase ~ A Gift Wrapped Life

The R Word........as in Regift

Touchy subject isn't it? Nobody likes a debate more than me but even I have been avoiding the R word for way too long. It is the first subject on my Blog Post list for 2010 and I figure the worse you can do if you don't like what I am saying .........is regift me with your most tacky gift? The post-holiday timing couldn't be better, everyone has something left that makes you ask yourself............what do I do with this? Not everyone does it, certainly very few admit to it, but everyone knows the R word. Let's just talk about it once and for all.

Regift Style 1
There are two types of regifting, the first type being the one we are all most familiar with, you simply do not like the gift. You don't like the style, the colour, the subliminal message you see lurking behind it, it's obvious regift vibe, whatever, but you know somehow you need to get rid of it. This is where regifting gets it's bad rap........at this point you are actually considering it as a gift choice for someone else! A gift you actually don't like, don't want, don't want to see ever again. There is some kind of karma attached to passing along a unwanted gift, I swear people can tell when it is given in that kind of spirit. Then again, it might be the slightly guilty look on your face.

Regift Style 2

There is a second type of regifting, something that can be so tempting to do. Quite simply, you are looking to borrow someone else's exquisite taste. It's last-minute, you need an impressive gift to impress somebody and there it is right there in your grateful hands and It's absolutely gorgeous, that person always gives you the most tasteful gifts and you want to leave it gift wrapped too. Too easy isn't it? Your ego is getting in the way here, so much so that you are willing to deprive yourself. Let's be real here, regifting is basically a selfish act, one where you grab someone else's time and money and pass it off as your own effort. I can't make it pretty for you.

So why do it?

We do it because it is going to save us time or money, we secretly dislike the person, it's an obligatory gift, we are overwhelmed, we are out of gift-buying time, we need a reciprocal gift quick, we can't stand waste, the credit card is maxed out, maybe we are bad people? Let's face it , there are a million reasons it makes sense at the time, and only two to stop ourselves before all is said and done.

How are they going to feel if they find out you regifted their gift?

How are you going to feel if they find out you gave them a regifted gift?

So the question should always be when regifting........how bad will I feel if this person finds out and does it matter to me? Think about it, if the answer is that it doesn't matter then maybe you shouldn't be exchanging gifts with this person in the first place. I am not saying regifting is the worse thing you can do or that it makes you a bad person. I am saying there is a probable and possible cost related to it and that isn't going to change no matter how we try to justify it. The probable and possible is this........you forget you have regifted (which gives you a blank look when the recipient brings up your gift) or you can't forget about your shameful secret (which gives you that guilty look every time that person even says the word gift). Both are dead giveaways.

The Regift Rules

Do not regift an item you hate. If you consider it ugly as sin or just plain junk, treat it as such and throw itout. Junk is junk and no amount of new gift wrapping is going to hide that fact.

Do not regift because you hate waste and then attempt to tell yourself you are being noble and working toward a greater good for the eco-world at large. If you can't use it, give it away to a worthwhile charity. That is way more noble than regifting.

Do not regift in it's original wrapped version. At least rewrap it for heavens sake. I was once at a party where the hostess was given a bottle of wine and an old gift tag was inside the bottle bag. None of us have looked at this couple the same way again to say nothing about how it made the hard-working hostess feel that lovely evening. Obviously offended, she told us about it.

Do not regift or dispose of anything that has sentimental value to the person who gave it to you. If your great-aunt gives you her treasured vintage tablecloth and she can't see the stains, take it gratefully and then store it somewhere. You will get good karma points for being gracious and your mother will be exceptionally proud of you. Effusive thanks are part of the deal. Someday you might be doing the same.

Do not regift anything original. The lopsided pottery mug your friend made? The handknit scarf in all the wrong colours? If there is one thing we should all know, when someone expresses their creativity, the offense of regifting goes way up on the sensitivity scale. When it is handmade, it not just a gift, it is now a piece of their artistic soul and you should know how artists can be when it comes to that. Doesn't matter if you don't like it, doesn't matter if she made 200 of them for her closest friends, hold on to it and do not regift........ ever.

Do not think you can save it for your next garage sale. Garage sales are visited by bargain hunters and then your friends and family who stop in for moral support. Do you see what can happen here? And yes they will remember that they gave you that planter two years ago.

Do keep track of who gave you what gift. This prevents you from the obvious, bringing your secretary's gift to the office regift party. If you are going to regift, do so responsibly and kindly. This is the ultimate regift rule.

Do regift in an upfront manner. If you were given a pricey bottle of perfume that makes you sneeze then bring it along to the office or your next bookclub and ask who would enjoy a lovely gift that day. Than hand it over graciously. This is more sharing than regifting but you know what I mean.

Do keep a tasteful supply of gifts on hand for last minute repicorcal gift-giving. I order and wrap in advance an extra supply of my signature gift for every season. I always make sure my signature gift is in a style that can be given any time of year. This eliminates the need or desire to hunt through regift possibilities and potentially lose your normal good sense.

Do have a regift date at home or work. Set a date with like-minded people then bring it all in and let everyone take a pick. This does not include the junk, remember that has already gone in the garbage.

Do organize a regift day for your church or organization, attach a nominal price just like you would with a garage sale and then donate the funds.

Do regift anonymously. Wrap up the regift items and start dropping them off at doorsteps as a little treat. Only for the good stuff, nice body lotion, bath salts, gourmet tea, something that truly would make anyone's day a little bit nicer. Attach a little handwritten card saying " A special regift just for you. Enjoy or pass it along". No name needed and done in the right spirit it really is good gift karma.

Do eliminate the need to regift. Be a big girl and just tell them their gift needs to be returned or exchanged. No one expects their gift choices to be perfect every time and most would appreciate the opportunity to make the gift more perfect. Better to request than regift.

Do edit your gift giving list. If you are annually exchanging gifts with people who never get it right and never will, then maybe there is a better way. Sometimes the gifting has just gotten out of hand and you are expected to give to co-workers or relatives you really don't know very well. Be the clever one and suggest a better way for the whole group. Have everyone bring books (wine, cologne, or gift cards) and then let everyone exchange to their heart's content.

Do acknowledge some people in your life are never going to have good gift giving taste. Their gift choice is always going to disappoint you and there is nothing you can do about it (you need a few of these to appreciate the really good ones). Do not let this challenge make you revert to petty behavior and compromise your own tasteful gift giving. Be the one that still puts thought and beauty into your reciprocal gift. Not everyone has good taste, but they may have the best sense of humour and that is why you are friends. And they probably love your great taste and style.

Do know that you may get busted so be ready with your explanation. Let me know how that goes for you.

Now, if someone just happened to regift me with this Hermes bag I found over at the beauty blog Beautiful Things to Share .............ignore my above post. My loss of street cred would totally be worth it.

Photo 1, 2, and 4 via Flickr/3rd photo from Carolyne Roehm/5th photo from the blog Beautiful Things to Share

Relaxing........and civilized

I would like to think I could enjoy a lovely New Year's Eve dinner all bundled up on our covered veranda as it does look romantic, but after flying into the Oklahoma blizzard on Christmas Eve and cancelled flights on the return home to Canada via Detroit, I think we are really in the mood for a quiet fireside dinner. Something relaxing and civilized........ something air travel is not these days. It sets the mood for New Year's Day, my "reflection" day as my husband does his annual and uninterupted sportsfest on TV and I make lists for the year ahead. This year I am going to approach it in a more organized fashion with a flow chart of what I personally and professionally want to accomplish this year, blog included. Sounds daunting doesn't it? It's not as serious as it sounds, I will be wearing my pajamas all day long. I love that part.

Holiday clean-up is ahead for most of you and I hope you saved all of your gift ribbon because you have a bit of ironing to do. Ribbon, tissue paper, and most gift wrap can be ironed on low settings and re-used. For gift wrap cut out the gift wrap sections that aren't covered in tape (the center) and re-use for smaller gifts throughout the year. One of the reasons I believe in all season gift wrap. I was so taken with this holiday wreath from the blog My Notting Hill, I asked Michele if I could share her beautiful Beacon Hill photo with you as an idea for using a varied collection of leftover ribbon lengths. I love the simple but festive look of this fresh boxwood wreath, especially the bright ribbons adding colour and movement on a gray winter day.

Another idea for leftover ribbon? Save it for upcoming occasions where you can ribbon embellish the chair for the guest of honour. A bridal shower, a wedding or birthday party, any time you want someone to feel special. Lovely isn't it?

Have a safe and sound New Year's Eve and wishing each of you the most fabulous 2010.

May your next year be beautifully wrapped in love, happiness and good health.

A most special Thank You to all my readers, followers and fellow bloggers.

You are truly the most talented and inspiring group of women

and I am honoured to be heard and included in this

amazing community of support and creativity.

Meeting each and every one of you has made 2009 one of my best years yet.

I can't wait to meet more of you in 2010.

Top photo by Laurence Pasquier ~ Sarah Kaye/2nd photo by blog My Notting Hill/3rd photo by Mario Villa via blog A Room Somewhere/Bottom photo by Chris Everard ~ Sarah Kaye

Hermes Box Re-gift ~ Part Two

Two things happened this week that led to this second Hermes re-gift post. First, the storage room. With a few days left before he leaves for the next year, my son had promised to lend me his muscle in cleaning and purging my out-of-control storage room. It is busting out with gift inventory, remnants of my 20 yr. designer career, and way more personal things than we should have at this point in our lives. We walk in all ready to start, we survey the overwhelming task, then look at each other, laugh out loud, and then go find something else to do. For me that is this blog post, for him it's anything but starting this intense project. We have been doing this for weeks. The second thing that happened was that a lovely friend gave me a generous stack of Hermes boxes.........taking a second shot at re-gifting or re-cycling Hermes gift boxes is way more fun than purging my storage room.


You may remember my first Hermes re-gift post last spring (click here to read). I stayed quite close to the original colour scheme, just happened to have a stripe ribbon that worked. Note the difference in photography since I upgraded to my new camera, the Hermes orange is so much better in the new shots. For this 2nd try I knew I was looking to heighten the colour combination and as any interior designer knows, that means a complementary colour scheme.



While I was playing around with ribbon colours to do justice to the signature Hermes orange, my eye kept going to this fabulous card on my work table sent to me from another blogger in France. She did something incredibly special for me and I simply adore her so I wanted to do something with her elegant and tasteful note card. It just seemed to fit perfectly on this square and flat Hermes box. I layered and crossed two fabulous lengths of a hand-dyed chocolate silk and then did the same with sheer organza ribbon (moved slightly over)to the underside of the box lid, then secured the card. I can open and read the message anytime I want. I will use the box to store something special in my dressing room. I may even have a narrow filigree frame made to surround the card. These flat, shallow gift boxes meant for ties or scarves would be a great used in this fashion for a gift presentation. Perfectly shallow for a special poem or photograph..............or a great scarf. Maybe even homemade Christmas treats. I would love to open this box and find rows of those yummy walnut crescent cookies all wrapped in vellum.







I love the effect of the teal ribbon with the Hermes orange. My new orange velvet poinsettas have a faded, vintage quality and I think they are going to look fabulous with red gift wrap and ribbon for the holiday gift season ahead.



This vivid teal ribbon has a sheer edge has just enough of a brown tint that it worked with the distinctive Hermes brown edging and gave a brilliant contrast. I used a sheer organza ribbon in chocolate brown behind the oversized poinsetta. Sheer organza, especially in wider 3" widths has the unique ability of giving volume to your main ribbon. It can literally lift the heavier-weight ribbon so it pops up behind a larger flower that could easily take all the attention. I used a narrow duplex ribbon (a color on each side) in teal and brown to bring the vivid colour forward on the poinsetta. I am beginning to think that this colour scheme could work for a Holiday Wrap Room collection as well.

This teal ribbon is a new one for me and I am quite taken with this colour. I also have it in a platinum gray and magenta. It handles beautifully and as you can see has enough beauty that it can be used very simply as I have shown on the smaller box to the left. Ok, if you look really, really close I did tie in a amber crystal heart.

Do you think Hermes would send me a variety of their iconic

boxes to try out a few more ideas?

Have a wonderful weekend bundled up nice and cosy.

A big welcome to the all the new followers and

many thanks to all my readers for the lovely comments.

You inspire me.

All photos by Sande Chase ~ A Gift Wrapped Life

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