Rethink Shipping Gifts

I have the misfortune that two of my best friends live 5+ hours away from me. For that reason, any gifts I want to give either of them, I have to ship. Generally I wrap the gift, put it in a box to send, and drop it in the mail, but this year I thought, why not wrap the box I'm shipping so they receive a pretty present, rather than some boring 'ol brown box. I knew if I used a thick paper such as recycled shopping bags, the wrapping would withstand the heavy handling by the post office—genius!

After securely packaging the gift in a sturdy box, I selected a silver shopping bag from my stash of used bags. (I knew they'd come in handy one day!)

Then I cut open the bag and laid it flat as if it was a sheet of wrapping paper.

I removed the handles with some gentle peeling and scissor snips.

And in no time, had a wrapped box in pretty silver paper!

But a wrapped box isn't a gift without a bow or ribbon, so I pulled out another pretty-paper shopping bag with a high-contrast yet complimentary color. I sure do love CB2!

To ensure the decor wouldn't be ruined during shipping, I had to create something that would lay flat against the surface of the box and completely cover it with tape, securing any corners or loose sides. When wrapping the gift, I also went over each edge with tape, sealing it from tears or water damage. Anything that is raised has the potential to be ripped off as the package is sent through the post office's mailing machine, so make sure you use a whole roll of tape on that sucker!

Although this particular package was going to my friend Heidi for her birthday, which was yesterday, and Christmas, I decided to stay in the holiday spirit, cutting a few snowflakes from the bright orange bag. I also trimmed out the white circles and added some dimension by layering the two elements. Pretty cute, yes?

I'm also pleased with how the gift for Dawn (the friend I went to London with) turned out as well.

Of course I wouldn't be posting this rethink if I wasn't positive it would run through the mail nicely. In fact, when I was standing in line I got tons of compliments and was even asked if it was my "original design." So, cheers Heidi and Dawn, keep your eyes peeled for these little babies in your mail boxes soon!

Pink is Powerful

If you have stepped outside your home this month, you probably have seen a lot more pink around than any other time of year. Well, welcome to October, also known as Breast Cancer awareness month. Not only will you see more people wearing the self-proclaimed color of support in various shades from mauve to bubblegum, you will notice store shelves flooded with pink items that when bought, send part of their profit to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. However, in lieu of buying a new pink spatula or umbrella adorned with a giant pink ribbon, some vendors on the awesomely homemade site, Etsy, are selling "Breast Cancer Awareness Month" goods and also donating some (or all) of their profits to the Foundation as well. Here are some of my favs.

Little Vintage Hearts by sarahandbendrix

Pink Glory Ring by thepinklocket

Keep Calm and Carry On Poster by posterpop

Pink Peruvian Opal Earrings by maribellecampa

Think Pink Cookies by chrisgalli

Pink Cloche with Fat Flower by niseylee

Pretty in Pink Headband by daintybutton

Glass Pearl Earrings by larababot

Pink Ribbon Long Strand of Pearls by larababot

Ballet Slipper Glass Crystal Necklace by brideblu

Whether you are looking to give to the foundation through some personal retail relief, or looking for a gift for a fabulous female who is/has endured breast cancer, turn to the not-so-typical Etsy shop and do a little monetary damage in support of breast cancer research.

Shop Flight 001

In preparation for a quickly approaching trip abroad, I visited a little shop called Flight 001 last week in search of some items that might make my trip more comfortable and efficient.

I was looking for disposable pillow cases and collapsible, flexible water bottles, which they were sold out of (go figure!), but as I was perusing, saw some other nicely designed items that would be helpful traveling and could be cool gifts.

The first product that caught my eye was this Pantone swatch wallet. My photo makes it look huge, but in actuality it is a normal size for a men's wallet.

Then I saw these nylon bags that supposedly you buy many of and use them to organize the items in your suitcase. Although I love the colors and the design, I don't see how these would be any better than reusing plastic shopping bags.

These navy and cream striped cases, most likely for makeup or other small toiletries, had a sailor-ish feel but also reminded me of something Kate Spade might have in store.

Of course this shop had plenty of makeup and suitcases of which I also liked these that had vintage international graphics.

The one item that had me reconsider leaving the store empty-handed was this Grid-it Organizer, which I call a gadget and cord wrangler. This thing might actually be a functioning product, but for $22 I decided to pass it up.

I was surprised to see the shop selling flasks, but I guess it is a travel shop and you can put more than just liquor in a flask...right? Anyways, I couldn't help but like this flask in particular.

So, although Flight 001 did not have the items which drove me to visit the store, I still got to look at some good eye candy and will probably check out more of their inventory in their online shop. Cheers! (Yes, that is a hint at where I'm traveling to!)

Rain Rain Go Away

Even though the rainy season should almost be over (fingers crossed), I finally received my long-awaited birthday present, Hunter rain boots. The problem is that I can't seem to decide which color I want: pillar box red or the classic Hunter green?

Fortunately, I ordered my boots from Zappos, where they allow returns up to 365 days from your purchase date, and they pay for the shipping both ways. That convinced me to order both pairs and debate the colors in person, but I'm still undecided.

The red pair have a gloss finish compared to the Hunter original which is matte and they are striking, no one can miss me walking down the street in these babies.

But, who can go wrong with a classic? (And did I mention they're green?!)

So, I ask you all, which color should I keep?

The glossy lipstick red or the classic Hunter green?

Great Grad Gift

It's that time of year again, when kids will be flying their coops, as their parents watch with anticipation, fear, and pride. Although I don't personally know anyone graduating this year, hearing my coworkers excitement about attending grad parties made me think of my graduation and all the sweet gifts I got.

So, today, I am sharing with you one of my all-time greatest graduation gifts. However, I am kind of cheating when I call this a grad gift, because I didn't receive it until moving into my first off-campus apartment my sophomore year of college, but it was one of the practical things my parents bought me when I moved into my first off-campus apartment and it would have been extremely useful from day one my freshman year.

That said, I present to you the Rubbermaid Tough Tools Portable Kit.

This baby has it all: an adjustable wrench, needle-nose pliers, measuring tape, groove joint pliers, ratcheting screwdriver, level, hammer, and small selection of nails and screws. Since receiving it over five years ago, I have added a couple box cutters, a teeney-tiny level, a few allen wrenches, and some additional bits for the screw driver.

And speaking of the screwdriver, Rubbermaid really maximized the space because the end comes off, revealing a handy storage compartment for all the extra bits. There is even more storage in the divided container and is great for stashing extra screws, nails, and other odds-and-ends you collect over time.

But, the best part of all, is that you can zip it shut, around all three sides, and stow it in a small space. It's perfect for a dorm room or 400-square-foot apartment that doesn't even have a kitchen.

We keep ours in our coat closet on the first floor and it is the first thing we grab when needing a tool for a fix. Some people have a drawer where they keep a couple tools handy, but this works just fine for us. The final kicker (if I haven't sold you on it yet) is that it can be purchased for about $35 and in our opinion, is worth every penny. I highly recommend it as a gift for a fresh graduate, but also for anyone moving out on their own.

Happy Birthday to Me

If you didn't know, now you know—it's my birthday today! Here are some birthday related items I found on Etsy that I would be more than pleased to receive.

Happy birthday gift tag by seasonaldelights.

Sasquatch birthday card from OrangeTwist.

Happy birthday cupcake stand from vesselsandwares.

Cheers!

Rethink Tulips

The Friday before Valentine's Day, I got home and found two bouquets of tulips from my loving husband. He beamed at me from the kitchen island and wished me an early Happy Valentine's Day and bragged about how he got a deal because the roses were way overpriced because of the holiday. He even bragged about being able to fill two vases with one bunch, which made me beam right back at him.

Arrangement 1

Arrangement 2

A few days later, when I saw two vibrant red flowers blooming, I flexed my creative muscle and created this stunner (my third arrangement).

I love the bloom's tropical and exotic look and think they look simply modern paired in this asymmetrical vase filled with black river rocks. It only took me a couple minutes and, best of all, was completely gratis thanks to my dashing hubby.

If you want to copy this trick, it's super simple. To invert a tulip bloom, all you do is hold both sides of one petal and gently push the middle out until it "pops".

The petals on a tulip naturally have two layers that barely overlap on the edges, so flip the petals that are on the outside layer first and then flip the inside layer.

Special note: Make sure you pop the petals gently otherwise the petal could rip or you could pull the petal off the bloom altogether.

Once you've flipped each petal, you'll have a completely reinvented tulip.

For those of you who have stealth eyes and noticed the freshly painted chocolate brown wall by our stairs, yes, that means the paint fairies struck again! So make sure you stay tuned! And anyone else who has a cool trick they do to their flowers to give them a inventive look please share, I'm always looking for new ways to spruce up my blooms.

DIY Wedding Gift

This past weekend Justin and I had the pleasure of attending my cousin's wedding in a little town west of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While the weather was cooperative, it was a fabulous affair with an autumn inspired color palette and chock full of family and friends. The men wore dark chocolate brown tuxes with a bronze vest and tie and the bridesmaids wore milk chocolate strapless dresses with custom made jewelry. Rust and burgundy flowers made up the bouquets and boutonnieres and white flowers filled the church.

Leading up to the wedding, my schedule was crazy-busy, so when it dawned on me that it was less than a week away, I became frantic to figure out what to give them. On a whim, a couple years ago, Justin decided he was going to be a vintner and whipped up a couple batches of wine that yielded about four dozen bottles. If he would have known at the time that we would still be drinking it two years later, he probably would have stopped after the first batch, but surprisingly it has aged beautifully and inspired this DIY wedding gift. My cousin and her husband have anything and everything needed for a full home and unlike most newlyweds (who scramble to find a matching spoon, fork, and knife), they are charged with consolidating two homes into one. Armed with the knowledge that they love anything wine related I grabbed a bottle from our cellar (a.k.a. cardboard boxes filled with wine bottles in our basement), an empty basket, a pair of wine glasses, and got to work.

In addition to joining in their celebration, I was recruited for the job of invitation designer. I abused this privilege and swiped the custom logo and leaf motif I created to design labels for the naked wine bottle. I stuck one on the front with their motif prominently displayed for all to see...

one on the back crediting us for the creation of the wine and the year it was made...

and one striped over the top of the cork. This took all of an hour or two and my materials consisted of a page of Avery full-sheet crack-and-peel label paper, printer, x-acto knife, and my design wits.

For those of you who don't have access to a cellar box full of homemade wine, you could easily remove the labels from a store bought bottle and relabel it with your own (crediting the original maker, of course).

After I branded the bottle, I washed the store bought wine glasses and wrapped the wine bottle stopper that I included in the basket as well. When it came to assembling the basket, I realized too late that I didn't have any filler to prop up the items. However, I did have white and silver wrapping paper and a paper shredder. Yup, I shredded the paper to create coordinating filler for the basket.

So, in anticipation that my cousin and her hubby have already opened up their gift and are on a plane to Jamaica at the moment, I hope my quick and easy DIY wedding gift gave you an idea of how to customize the next gift you give.

Congratulations Jacky and Kurt!