July marks the onset of birthday season in our family. From January to July it’s rather sparse on the birthday front, and then bam! July alone has nine names on the calendar. From there it’s a slippery slope to Christmas. October is particularly confusing, I’ve considered making up a rhyme to remember it… “Chloe on the 8th, Natasha on the 10th, Violet on the 11th, Emma on the 14th, Scott on the 18th, Madeleine on the 27th…”
I like to be organised with the gift giving, especially when it comes to our nieces and nephews and the select few of our friends’ children that we give gifts to. Throughout the year I have a list going on my iPhone, I add gift ideas next to names as an idea floats through my head. It’s super handy because when all of a sudden it’s Ava’s birthday next week I’ve got a few ideas punched into my phone already. Plus I always seem to think of birthday gift ideas for different aged children to whose birthday is coming up, so I’ll jot it down and next time it’s a two year old not a six year old having a birthday I’m sorted.
Wrapping gifts is quite possibly my favourite part of gift giving (other than the actual giving part). Once upon a time I thought about being one of those people at the Christmas wrapping stations outside Myer during uni holidays. I love to wrap. My Christmas wrapping each year is always co-ordinated, people can pick out which gifts under the tree are from Emma without reading the tag. No Disney paper or cartoon Santa’s either thank-you very much. Last year was all about kraft paper, jute twine, wooden letter tags, red and linen ribbon. The year before was a bright apple green, crisp white and silver baubles.
With the abundance of girls in my family (we have seven nieces, only one nephew, and most of our friends seem to have girls) my wrapping supplies tend to lean to pink. Deep magenta is one of my favourite colours, paired with a softer pink, contrasting white and some textural details like feathers, glittery mermaid scales or tissue paper flowers – voila! Beautiful wrapping. Paper doilies are always a favourite with me, striped grosgrain ribbon too. I hoard cards with interesting patterns or illustrations on them, simply cut out to fit and glue to the lid of a gift box and it’s done. Easy peasy lemon squeezey.
Happy wrapping!
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Tissue paper flower made using this tutorial. I purchase all wrapping supplies at my local discount $2 store in town, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to make gifts look extra special!
Amy says
the feathers! yes!
I too had imagined being one of those wrapping girls. Now that I have 4 kids and a little bit less time, when I get something from the chemist – and ask them to wrap it for me (the horrors!) I am super critical of their skills, am usually gobsmacked at how long it takes them and sometimes even bring it home and unwrap it to start again. sigh. wrapping nerd woes! x
gaby says
wow! i’m more of a wrap-it-up-in-newspaper-and-call-it-a-day kinda person 😉 these are so beautiful
Zoey says
I love wrapping presents pretty too 🙂 I volunteered for lifeline outside of myer wrapping presents for five Christmases and LOVED it.
look see. says
So pretty! 🙂