Birk's Box Re-Gift

You know how my wrapping inspiration goes by now........I love this room by designer Alison Caccoma who's gorgeous work I found one day browsing the House Beautiful website. I wanted to capture the sumptuous feel of that velvet pillow and colour scheme. For Canadians, the blue store box shown below is our version of a Tiffany box, or was, we do have Tiffany here in Canada now too. It's not the exact blue, a tad less lively but the same message......something lovely inside. A friend gave me a gorgeous sterling double photo frame for photos of my two "boys" and I thought I should try a re-gift on our Canadian blue box.


The silver Birks box logo is quite small so a 2" wide double face satin taped to the lid underside covers it nicely. I layered it with a turquoise grosgrain ribbon just to give this monochromatic colour scheme a bit of dimension. If a store box has a extended lid as seen here, it can be awkward wrapping in gift wrap paper. You just aren't going to get nice crisp corners, best to bypass the paper and just work with the box colour. If the box is a good colour, you don't always need gift wrap too. PS. I don't know why lately I am getting this peach tint on my photo background, but working on upgrading my skills. It's on the list.

There is actually two layers of thin velvet ribbon at the bow. Because velvet ribbon is one-sided, it sometimes needs a bit more to better show it's colour and texture. There is one bottom bow, then a length knotted over the bow to give it some extra presence. This re-gift shows a very simple gift wrap technique that even the ribbon-impaired (not that there is anything wrong with that!) can do. It's also a nice way to use any lengths of satin that might not be long enough to wrap a whole box.

I order ribbon spools in 50 or 100 yards rolls as I go through it quite quickly. Right now I am working on selecting and coordinating my gift wrap papers and coordinating ribbon to be available in the new Wrap room section of my website along with a collection of my embellishments. Though I use 100 yards rolls, I am going to offer the ribbon spools in smaller spools (10 yards) so you can build up a nice gift wrap signature look of your own. I am also going to be running custom gift wrap papers with a distinct designer look. I think some of them will surprise you!

One more try............just wanted to see what happened if I added a pattern in the way of a small

turquoise taffeta check beside the velvet.

Top photo from House Beautiful/Middle and Bottom photo by Sande Chase ~ Oooh la la Cadeau

Glam Monday ~ Juicy Cantaloupe & Sweet Peaches

I would consider this youthful glam, someone has a juicy vibe going on here in this little desk corner photo I found at Domino on Flickr. No source but whoever it is, they have a really good eye for combining vibrant and luscious colour. I think I adore this cosy spot. I must....... I keep staring at it.

Sweet peaches, is there anything more summertime juicy? As soon as peach season starts, I get out my mom's pie crust recipe. It was always one of the easiest pies to make. I used to sit in the driveway while my son was playing and peel quarts of peaches for pie-making while keeping an eye on his antics. My neighbor would come over and keep me company. Those were the good old days for a lot of reasons, mostly because I could bake a pie and actually enjoy a couple guilt-free slices. Slightly warm with vanilla ice cream.....OMG. Image from Foodland Ontario.

These Louboutoin Dillian Flower Pumps were what started me on this melon and peach colour post. Look at the colour of this leather with his signature red soles! Melon, what some would also call peach or apricot looks fabulous with touches of coral or red. It's not an easy colour to find in fashion or interiors. Why is that? It is certainly a most luscious colour. It should make a comeback. Photo by Daniel Farmer at Flickr.

Cantaloupe , also generally referred to as musk melon (not to go into the botany of it all) has only 53 calories per cup and your full daily requirement of vitamin C. It's also an excellent source of Vitamin A and beta carotene. I grew up eating musk melon every summer. Truthfully, I ignore the winter imports, bland and tasteless by the time they get here to us. But in the summer season, I love thick juicy slices wrapped in proscuitto, that delicious combination of musk and salt. Can't wait.

I found this melon coloured bedroom over at Style Redux where she always captures the best interiors. Note the coral accent (again), nature has a way of telling us what will work when it comes to design. The colbalt blue gives it a unexpected and sassy jolt.

A gorgeous petal image from Flickr

A pink or peach tint gives all women a lovely glow, it's an old designer trick. I always use pink lightbulbs in my vanity area, I like to think it makes me look younger, at least while I'm putting on my makeup. Some day soon I will tell you about Pink Glow, my pink lightbulb charity idea for Women's Mental Health that got stopped in it's well-intentioned tracks. It was a great idea until the Canadian goverment banned incandescent bulbs. I still have the pink light bulbs and their very pretty box covers I spent a fortune designing and printing. An idea just sitting there. And it's driving me crazy. Photo from My Vintage Paris via Paris Atelier.

Look how melon just makes this room so warm and inviting. Now, picture this room with ivory or white slouchy sofas. Which do you prefer? Sometimes a fabulous colour will make all the difference. Image from Domino Files on Flickr.

Doesn't this just take your breath away? This densely packed bouquet by Rosenow is one of the loveliest I have ever seen. Beautiful Things To Share opened my eyes to this talented floral designer and I can't get enough of her incredible style. Or Charamine's beautiful blog.

By now you know I always borrow a dress or two from Judith at Paris Atelier for Glam Mondays. It's a habit I just can't break. It's like having a hip sister with really good taste and the coolest clothes. And she lets me borrow them every weekend.

A Chevron gilded gift wrap paper in a gorgeous melon tone that I found over at Carolyne Roehm. One of the few papers left on her website. When I tried to order what was left, the shopping cart kept closing. I know she is gone on to bigger and better things and is closing her website, but boy will I miss her presentation style. She is the "wrap goddess" and the only reason I haven't posted about her in-depth is that I knew there was a transition going on and not sure where it was leading. I would like to find out what she is up to these days. That level of creativity just can't quit, so she must have something very clever up her stylish sleeve. I should call her and catch up. Dare me?

Remember this Carolyne Roehm giftwrap image? The first time I saw this years ago in her book Presentations, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. My heaven is obviously filled with ribbons, boxes, and bows. And couture, lots and lots of it, everywhere I look. I bet there is lots of gift-giving up there. Or at least I hope so.

If I was being really picky, I would call this gorgeous wall colour apricot.
The table and chairs aren't doing it for me, but look at that ceiling height and mouldings.

A table setting by Carolyn Roehme. No one does it better.

I think everyone should have an outdoor tent, especially when it has these melon coloured drapes blowing in the wind. I know everyone has already seen this Domino image, but it was too perfect not to include in this post about all things melon. Note those little touches of coral again. I really want this tent.

I would want to hang these Pom Pom somewhere in or around my outdoor tent.

They just make everybody party-mood happy, don't they?

Everyone is Pom Pom crazy these days, so pretty and fun.

~ Creamsicles made with Cantaloupe ~

I remembered "O' magazine had a melon feature a summer ago so I went online hunting. Not too often you find recipes with cantaloupe, why is that? Click here to see the recipe for these low-cal summer treats.

~ Linquine with Cantaloupe, Cherry tomatoes, and Mint ~

I really had to hunt online for a main course melon recipe, but look at the yummy dish I found for you. As soon as our local cantaloupe season starts, I will be in the kitchen making this. I have a feeling it will be an incredible taste combination.This looks so good, I might even have company over to share it. Click here for the creamy recipe.

~ Peach and Mascarpone Cheesecake with Balsamic Syrup ~

I think this might be a good one too. I found it at Bon Appetit.

Click here for the recipe and file it for peach season.

I think that Balsamic syrup will be heavenly with peaches.

All photo sources with images.

Hermes ReGift ~ No. 1 and 2

I find it fascinating that gift boxes can become so iconic. Hermes Orange, Tiffany Blue, Kate Spade Green. As you know I have this little series going where I re-gift store boxes as I think they should pass along and be enjoyed for what they are, something in which to put a special gift. So when my friend passed along her little Hermes box I wondered if I should even try....in the iconic box category, they are at the top of the box status as we all know. Then I thought....am I crazy? Of course I going to try and have a fun little time doing so. I admire refinement and understatement a great deal, but I love ribbon and the art of gift wrapping even more! And I absolutely love orange.

I think I have only used this orange striped ribbon once, but boy did it call out to me when I went hunting for the ribbon of choice for my Hermes re-gift project. The double face satin was the perfect colour, not an exact match, but a luscious pumpkin variation with the Hermes orange. I couldn't resist a length of the striped ribbon around the round base of this petite box. It happened to be the perfect width and seemed to balance the voluminous over-the-top presentation I would try first.

Why use one crystal heart when you can use two? That these had an orange tint was only a bonus. You could use silver or gold charms, anything sparkly and pretty. Just attach to a finer ribbon and tie tightly so they sit up all perky and don't get lost in the ribbon.

When leaning twoards a simpler, more casual presentation, I always go for my cotton striped ribbon. I have this ribbon in about 8 colours and love the crisp bow tie and visual appeal. There are only so many ways to cover a logo so I do need to rely on my favorite Paris stickers. I simply loop the ribbon and on goes the oval sticker. You really can do a gift this simple with the right ribbon. A fresh sprig of rosemary or lavender at the top (on the ribbon) would be lovely and if I hadn't just used my rosemary today when roasting our chicken dinner I could have shown you. Sorry about that, but I can do a sample of this idea next week.

Another sticker, another way to use these bronze crystal hearts. I was trying to get them up towards the top, but then figured they might be pretty just dangling in the front. This thin red and orange duplex ribbon would also look great on red or black gift wrap. I just have this sticker taped down (to allow more experimenting) so the edges would be neater when affixed properly.

Interesting that Hermes has two slots in the base bottom, these slots can be used two ways and keep in mind you could do this to any good-quality box. I suspect they are using these (and sadly I have never received a Hermes gift so I'm not sure) to enhance the inner presentation. If you are really, really into gift presentation, an inside ribbon securing pleated tissue is the height of gift wrapping technique and sophistication. Ribbon looping through these slots would reverse depending on whether you want your ribbon inside or outside. Getting ribbon to tie around a round box is a slippery task, so these slots could help you to secure it. Some hatboxes come with side grommets, but I think this Hermes position might be a more discreet way. Just take an exacto knife and carefully make two neat slots. There is another Hermes variation I want to try, something a little bolder and colourful, so I will post when it all comes together. And I certainly know I shouldn't talk about inside presentation, pleated tissue and ribbon, without showing you a good how-to, so that will follow as well.

All Photos by Sande Chase ~ Oooh la la Cadeau

What happens when Stylish Women put their Lovely Heads together

When two lovely bloggers put their lovely heads together and come up with a plan, we all know to listen. Janet at French Blue and Claudia at Paris Apartment are on a mission....to get women website owners or bloggers a bit more notice. Janet at French Blue always comes up with fabulous ways to promote other women, she was the one who promoted me to Goddess status not long ago and I adore her, her blog and her website business because I really did feel like a goddess when she was done (and that's a good thing once in a while). I will let French Blue explain her creative idea {click here to read post} and if you leave a comment and are a website business owner, you are entered into a 3 month free advertising giveaway on the mega star of bloggers ~ Paris Apartment. If you haven't visited Paris Apartment.........you simply must. Written by author Claudia Strasser, it is one of the top blogs for anyone who loves all things French. NY Times recently listed it as one of the Top 3 blogs to read. So advertising space on her blog could be better than a trip to Paris. Or maybe it might help you get there eventually. Either way, it a gracious offer to share on the part of both bloggers. Now, get going over to French Blue and comment for a giveaway chance.

The Paris Apartment by Claudia Strasser.

Doesn't this look like a delicious read?

Top photo via French Blue/Bottom Photo from Amazon

Kate Spade ~ Regift Box

My friend and I had a great chic-day on Sunday at Somerset in Troy, Michigan checking out the merchandise at Kate Spade. Before I regift a Kate Spade box, I should make a couple of things known, one I spend enough at Kate Spade to erase a guilt about regifting her store boxes and covering up the logo to do so. I would never do this if it is actually Kate Spade product in the box, I don't mess with perfection. The other thing is I admire her packaging and talent enormously, she has a marketing and creative talent that I think is simply brilliant. That being said, I did want to see how I could change the look of her signature Kelly green box if I was using the box for personal gifting. Other than using them for stylish closet display, I think good quality store boxes should be reused, it just makes "green" sense. The small rectangular box was easy as her logo is relatively small. I simply glued down a 1" Kelly green grosgrain ribbon over the logo and to the underside of the lid. I could have taken this in any colour direction at this point but had this narrow purple ribbon with a green shimmer that I thought went well with my endless supply of Paris labels. I moved the Violette label down a bit to leave room for the bow as the box was quite small. The recipient can untie the purple ribbon and the presentation will stay intact, ready for another regift of a Kate Spade box.

I absolutely adore the new Kate Spade petite boxes that came with my little purchase. I was more excited about these tiny boxes with their gilded edges than the pink crystal studs.......well almost. The one on the right is how it is received at the store with their signature cotton ribbon. I do love the simplicity of their presentation, but that doesn't mean I can't gussy it up a bit, does it? I wanted to see if I could take a very classic American look and make it look a bit more French. Give me a hatbox in any size and I think Paris. I had exactly one small piece left of this dark real mink ribbon (yes, there is such a thing!) and curled it around into a circle with a hidden hole in the center, just big enough to pull the hem ribbon coming through the grommets and make a bow. Stay tuned, I'm not nearly done playing with this petite box. My friend has a Hermes box for me to experiment with as well, do I dare to touch absolute perfection? Is that in really bad taste? Let's see if I can pull it off, you'll have to give me a few days as I think this through.

Both photos by Sande Chase ~ Oooh la la Cadeau

Glam Monday ~ Shades of Gray~Grey

One of a series by British fashion illustrator David Downton for Wyndham Grand Collection Hotels.

Now.....that's a rock. If I had a John Hardy Kaya White Topaz ring like this on my hand, I would never get anything done. I would be staring at it all day. $1,495.00 at Neiman Marcus.

Something about this shoe by Herve Lager that I just adore. It's not a dressy shoe, but I just love the combination and height. Something to wear with taupe linen perhaps? Available at Neiman Marcus.

Gray is a challenging colour scheme for interiors. Too much and it's a chilly and unwelcome environment. It takes a highly-skilled designer to successfully work with gray, but designer Amanda Nisbet gets it just right with warm stone and the dose of yellow silk. Photo from Southern Accents.

Unless you are looking to achieve an industrial interior, watch the tone of gray you use. Gray can be gorgeous and wonderfully neutral but there's a fine line between cool and warm in the colour gray. It works well with ivory tones, seems to soften it's cool tendencies. Photo by Claire Richardson.

I received an email from Beth at Style Redux who sent me this exquisite gray dress after she read my post this morning. I think that meant it was alright if I borrowed it for the day. She says this is her favorite gown, period.

The tulle tiered gown with 1,000 layers is by Versace Couture and was made for Carrie in Season Six ~ Sex and The City. I don't know how I missed this gown (in the DVD or blog), but thanks to Beth who passed this frothy creation along. She notes it is actually a celadon gray, close enough for me. I would take it in any colour. Beth also has a second blog Chinoiserie Chic which focuses on all things with the classic Chinoiserie pattern.

Earrings by Lanvin with grosgrain ribbon. You had to know I would love these.

Available at Neiman Marcus.

I went hunting for the black wedding dress I heard that Vera Wang introduced at her last show. I found it but I much prefer the gray one shown above. She has this whole colour thing going for bridal dresses.

Gray is at one of it's best with yellow. This gorgeous Aviary desk set from Elum Design includes all manner of correspondence. The fabric box with magnetic lid holds 315 well-organized pieces. Gift tags, foldovers. stationery sheets, flat cards, and enclosures, for $150.00. Graciously stocked for life with no excuses that you didn't have a card on hand. Nothing is better than having a lovely little note or letter come in the mail, it's just a more heartfelt and thoughtful manner in which to thank some one sincerely. Besides that, it's just good manners......still.

A Bow Pendant by Herve Leger. Remind me to show you my Herve Lager 6" wrist band one day. I thought it was the coolest thing ever until my son asked my if I had strained my wrist and embellished a tensor band. He just doesn't get it! I still wear it all the time and I still think it is the coolest thing ever. I do kind of look at it too much when I am wearing it. I must get easily distracted by anything I find glamorous.

Looking pretty glam for a gray palette isn't it? Who would have thought? That white painted trim and mouldings adds a crisp counterpoint to the silver and gray tones. Looks like even the rotary-style telephone is a platinum gray. Photo by Polly Wreford.

A portrait of Catherine Deneuve by British fashion illustrator David Downton.

I'm cheating just a tad as the room isn't totally gray, but enough to fit my gray criteria today. All I know is this luxurious bathroom is where I would love to start and end my day. Nothing more glam than mirrored cabinets or furniture, especially when they are slightly aged. Photography by Pieter Estersohn. No design source given. Photo from Southern Accents.

The softest shimmer of ice gray. Isn't this Nicole Miller Satin Bust Metal Gown simply gorgeous?

Leave it to Charlotte Moss to offer her trademark gray Pagoda pattern on travel and ziploc bags. She must have been packing one day and filling regular ziplocs with travel-sized cosmetics and knew that certainly wasn't a civilized way to travel. The set of white cotton bags are 4 for $40.00 and the set of zilplocs are 25 for $25.00. These would keep your travel friend packed in style and I would love to see the expression on the face of the customs inspector.

A simple little bouquet just for you.

Photo by Andrea McClain ~ Flickr

A illustration of celebrity strip tease artist Dita Von Teese by David Downton.

No blushing , we're all big girls here.

The lovely girls over at the blog Frou-Frou Fashionista would love this drawing.

The queens of intimate apparel have a website Faire Frou Frou to keep you stylishly covered (or uncovered).

Either way, they do it beautifully and elegantly. Come on ladies, don't be shy......go take a peek.