Armful of Lilacs

When I think of spring I think of lilacs and their incredible fragrance. I used to pick them on my way home from school and bring them by the armful to my mom. There's a mature tree across the street that is laden with them every spring, I keep hinting but as yet none have shown up at my door. I got to thinking of this luscious colour yesterday after mentioning it as the complementary colour to chartreuse and then it showed up on another blog (see below), off I went........it's a day of luscious lilac. Actually it will be two days, tomorrow's post is the colour purple, Easter week and all that. Oprah had a chartreuse sweater on yesterday afternoon, did anyone else notice that? This gorgeous image of Lovely Lilacs is available from a Canadian Etsy seller by the name of Broomhill Pictures, see their beautiful selection of cards and photo prints {click here}. This one is a 4"x 6" glossy print mounted on a 5"x 7" card at 4.50 Can. with envelope.


The box colour would be considered lavender, the sheer ribbon more lilac toned, either way they look more interesting when combined. Sometimes I forget about my check ribbons, not because I don't like them, they are just stored in a spot where I don't notice them as much. Note to self: Move check ribbons forward and order silk lilacs. They would look gorgeous on this box.

It sometimes happens (actually more than you would think-weirdly so) that you are working away on your post and up comes a completed post about the same topic. Blogger friend Mandy from the french-themed A La Parisienne used this lovely photo and did a beautiful post yesterday titled Le Couleur Violet, sounds so much better in French don't you think? But it gets even weirder, not only did we both pick the same blog topic (or colour in this case) but I was actually writing about her French-themed blog and the new French Lesson Fridays that she just started on her blog last Friday. The former French teacher (and new mom) has put her blog students into beginners, intermediate and advanced levels and has a lovely set of rules for us to follow. I'm thinking I'll do much better this time around, Mandy is way nicer than my rigid high-school French teacher. C'est magnifique! I learnt that last Friday....go see.

Here's a lilac petite gift combined with orange.......c'est adorable! But this is definitely feminine.....so I may be wrong saying c'est in this case......may have to move down from beginner to novice level. Sometimes I add in a little extra surprise, in this case a petite spool of velvet ribbon in a strawberry pink. C'est la surprise?

Top photo from Etsy/2nd and bottom photo by Sande Chase-Oooh la la Cadeau/3rd photo from Domino via A La Parisienne.

Be Calm.....all weekend

There is something about a orange and pink colour combination that takes my breath away. When I was a designer, there wasn't too many opportunities to use this luscious scheme, but gift wrapping is a whole other story. Talk about instant gratification. When feeling stressed, I find combining patterns, ribbons, and techniques remarkably meditative for me, it calms me down. Surprising really, interior designers work in larger palettes and delayed gratification, so the soothing pleasure found in smaller creations took me by surprise. To take a career leap is not a calming proposition, so I had to reason through why this was so important to me. Then I got it....and it really isn't that much about the packaging, though that part I love. When I wrap I picture the woman who is receiving it, why it's being sent, and how it's going to make her feel. It can be a happy occasion, a birthday, a new baby, a new job, but often it is not, and this is when I lose any concern that what I do now is frivolous in any way. I have learned two things over the past year, women certainly aren't anything close to frivolous when it comes to supporting other women, when it comes to providing comfort and support during grief or sadness, they are so beautifully sensitive it too can take your breath away. Beauty in any package, even the tiniest token is healing to women at vulnerable times, I think the time when they need it most. I'm just happy to be part of it. I plan to carry on.

So beautifully composed........

A lovely note, a listening ear, a little token,
something home-baked, help someone carry on.

My many thanks to new readers who have left comments and support this past week. I veered off a bit from my blog subject of gift wrapping the past week but plan to spend a day this weekend doing some calm-inducing gift wrapping for blogs next week. I'm gearing up to start adding gift wrap papers, ribbon, and more small gifts to my website, so stay tuned and have a soothing weekend.

Top photo by Sande Chase-Oooh la la Cadeau/Middle Photo from Rosenow Florals discovered by Beautiful Things To Share/Bottom photo and poster from SF Girl By Bay via Etsy.

Orange, orange and more orange...

photo images by Sande Chase-Oooh la la Cadeau

When a customer says you pick the gift wrap, even I can be surprised with the results, and often find a new favorite combination. Orange wrap, orange double-face satin, orange hand-dyed silk ribbon, peach sheer ribbon, and a peach silk peony takes this gift to it's over-the-top status, just as the customer requested. Silk flowers can add beautiful volume to a gift wrapped box and are readily available (and often on sale) at home stores these days, so if you see a pretty one, grab a bunch for your next gift wrapping project. Clip off the stem leaving approximately 4 inches so it tucks nicely under the ribbon tie center. I can't stand paper seams showing on larger boxes so adding a length of wide ribbon around the perimeter hides it nicely. Just use double-sided tape to secure on the inside of ribbon edges. You aren't trying to gift wrap without double-sided tape are you? More on that in an upcoming post.

Multiple gifts were inside the gift box shown above and which goes to show the effect of using multiple gift wrap patterns. When stocking up on wrap papers, look to buy solids and patterns that can work together. Think the way you would for buying room accessories and you stay in a colour zone. Pick a gift wrap look (and it doesn't have to be forever) stock up and stick to it for the season anyways. Less wasteful and your gifts will have a distinctive signature look which you develop. We'll get back the seals shown on the tissue wrap at bottom, Fed Ex just delivered my new styles that I want to share. Need a few days of prep.