Looking for a unique gift wrapping idea for Valentine’s Day?
In my new craft video, “Parcel Gift Wrap,” I repurposed household items, like a brown bag, natural twine (gardening twine), and a magazine page to create a post office parcel-style package, with a “handle with care” tag. The package has a front pocket where you can insert a little cut-out heart. I used a magazine page with a raspberry picture to create the heart, but you can use any scrap paper , or even photos (and also write any messages you like!) to make your own special package.
After eliminating 5 other candidates for Valentine’s craft design, I chose this one to create a how-to video. We shot the video over the weekend and hopefully will be able to release it soon! (I know it’s already too close to Valentine’s Day!!)
Using all recycled materials, this gift wrapping idea is very easy to follow. Come back to check it out
Happy belated New Year 2010! I can’t believe that it’s already end of January…!
January is a pretty busy month for me as we start planning for the next holiday season (yes, believe or not, we start preparing for Christmas 12 months in advance!!) It’s also a time to visit many gift & trade shows to see the trends of the following season and purchase the right materials for the designs.
One of my favorite place to visit is Katherine’s Collection at the Dallas Market Center. The company’s designer, Wayne Kleski and his team create highly-collectible dolls, ornaments and other decorative artworks. Their showroom is absolutely magical. Every time I visit there, I’m completely drawn into the beautiful world of their creations.
Katherine’s beautiful dolls
I can’t wait to create my own magical world using their beautiful dolls & ornaments. Cheers to the New Year! Hope everyone is getting great inspirations…
What better way to share your photos this holiday season than with a handmade envelope? In my latest video , I demonstrate how to make a customized gift envelope in four easy steps.
I chose a street map of Paris as my theme since I’m sending photos of my recent trip to Paris, which I copied to letter-size paper (cutting out the actual map would have worked just as well, but I kind of wanted to keep it as a souvenir). I used 4″ x 6″ photos, but the great thing about this technique is that you can use it for any size photo or card.
(A variation of this idea, using sheet music for a couple of concert tickets)
A little thought goes a long way towards making a great gift! I hope this inspires you guys to come up with your own variations (please send me photos).
I recently gave a class at the Nippon Club on basic gift wrapping/bow-tying techniques and wanted to share some of the designs I came up with for my students:
To create the wraps with ornament windows, we used some holiday-themed templates that I created, and drew shapes at the center of the paper. We then cut out the shapes half way with exacto knives, and folded them out at the center (as shown above). Finally, we placed a small sheet of (inner) paper underneath to show through the window. I recommend using a fun holiday-themed pattern for the inner part, and a simple solid-colored paper for the outer part (or vice versa), so that it doesn’t get too busy.
Finally, we accessorized the wrapping paper with ribbons and star stickers.
Thanks to the Nippon Club and all my students for making this possible! Though this class was in Japanese, I plan to teach more classes in English as well. Please come back to check my website for updated class info.
I am proud to present a new series of eco-friendly gift wrapping videos, in which I demonstrate three basic techniques using furoshiki and tenugui.
Furoshiki are traditional Japanese square cloths that can be used to wrap or bundle just about anything (the word literally means ”bath spreads,” since they were originally used to bundle people’s clothing at public bath houses). Their versatility and reusableness make them the ultimate eco-friendly wrapping material!
Tenugui are rectangular, and are traditionally used as headbands or washcloths.
So where can you buy these wonderful fabrics? I usually get mine at Kinokuniya Bookstore in Manhattan (by Bryant Park), but for those of you who are not lucky enough to live near a Japanese gift shop, there are many online stores that sell beautiful furoshiki fabrics: Wahooya.comJun-gifts.comRakuten-usa Of course, if you want to be truly eco-friendly, I suggest simply re-using any old handkerchief or bandana (as long as the measurements work).
If you are interested in learning more techniques, there is a great book (available in English translation) by Chizuko Morita called “Furoshiki Wrapping.”
Here are my videos! Any comments and ratings are very much appreciated!
Not too long ago I was asked to design a wedding ceremony at Belvedere Castle in Central Park. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful, and the location made the whole experience somewhat magical.
Since Belvedere Castle has strict rules against too much decorating (“no hanging, nailing, or fresh flowers”), I decided to create some silk flower arrangements using yellow/orange Gerbera daisies, accented with satin and organza ribbons, and paper butterflies. Check out the pictures of the wedding at the end of the post
Belvedere Castle was designed in 1865 by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould as a “Victorian Folly” (it’s only real purpose was to to look beautiful and enhance the romantic landscape). It has a magnificent view of the Delacorte Theater (where the popular Shakespeare in the Park festival is performed), the 55-acre Great Lawn, and the mysterious, algae-green surface of Turtle Pond. Today, aside from being a major tourist attraction. the castle serves a practical purpose as well — as a weather station for local TV and radio stations.
Armed with all this great information, I remember excitedly hiking up the path to the castle with my camera in hand (this was my first visit!). Half way up, I stopped to sit on a wooden bench quietly placed along the path. I was surrounded by trees and could hear nothing but the sound of birds. It’s hard to believe this was in the middle of New York City! I continued walking and saw a little sign that said “Forever WILD,” which made me smile.
Eco Bench
Nice Sign!
Almost there!
Castle at the top of these steps??
Ah! Belvedere Castle
The View!
The wedding was absolutely beautiful! Here are some pictures:
Gerbera Daisy arrangement with butterfly decoration
View of the naturally beautiful Turtle Pond, with skyscrapers looming in the background
Beautiful bride standing in front of the Castle…
“1-2-3 JUMP!” what a fun picture! Kneeling in the foreground is Taka, a talented and versatile photographer who shoots everything from weddings and fashion, to architecture and landscapes. Taka Photo
Special thanks and congratulations to Ayana & Anthony
I’m proud to present two creative designs sent in by my readers:
The first is a beautiful variation of the 3-d origami star sent in by Christina, using leftover wrapping paper and cardstock.
The orange and baby pink are gorgeous against the yellow leaves in the background (thanks to Christina’s boyfriend for the great photo!). I also like how she used natural thread to hang the ornament. Very eco-chic!
This wonderful gift package was created by Henry using double-sided origami paper and sheer ribbon:
The origami pattern shows well against the solid white (great use of negative space!), and the deep purple ribbon becomes a nice accent, and because it’s sheer it doesn’t feel heavy at all. Great job!
For instructions on how to create the origami decoration, see: Origami Gift Wrapping
Special thanks to Christina and Henry for sending me their artwork!
My interview with Chopsticks NY just came out! Check it out here: “Upgrade your gift giving.” In it, I demonstrate how to use traditional Japanese wrapping materials such as origami, tenugui, furoshiki, washi and mizuhiki. Using these materials is not only chic but eco friendly, since the wrapping itself becomes a gift that can be reused.
Chopsticks NYis one of the most resourceful English-language magazines about Japanese culture. Its information varies from food and drink, and art and lifestyle, to beauty and fashion. I have been a fan of the magazine for a long time so I am THRILLED to be a part of its November issue.
If you’re in the city, you can pick up the chopsticks NY magazine at the following distributors. Distribution List
Thanks to the editor-in-chief, Ms. Komura for making this interview enjoyable and writing a great article!
