The Painted Apron

Creations, Gift ideas and wrappings

Posted by the Painted Apron on February 4, 2013 · 10 Comments 

Sometimes just a little creative wrapping can elevate a gift from, ” Thank you,” to “Oh my goodness, Thank you so much, I love it!” You know, image is everything and all that!

With so many holidays and gift giving occasions coming up on the calendar, I wanted to share some of my favorite ideas and creations with you.  Fat Tuesday, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, WOW!  Fun times ahead! But with a little thought,  it doesn’t have to break your budget to treat your friends and loved ones to a few treats or surprises.

Do you give Valentines to older children, friends or family? Your daughter or son-in-law,  or a special couple?  Mini gift baskets are a great way to gift a non romantic Valentine, a hostess gift or a gift for any occasion.

Here’s a basket for movie night that would be perfect for a teenager, a guy or a couple.  It has a black and white cardboard basket filled with microwave pop corn, Nacho cheese Popcorn seasoning, Junior Mints candy, 2 plastic popcorn dishes, and Special K Popcorn Chips.  Wrapped in a cellophane bag with a computer created tag, it is ready to delight anyone! I spent about $15 to put this together.  Add a DVD or some movie passes for an extra special touch.

This game night basket features similar items, and you could add a board game or a video game for an extra touch.

This fan basket was created for an Alabama couple, she likes wine, he likes beer, and they both love Alabama football. A bag of peanuts from a local source is the perfect addition to the glasses in the red & white basket.  Extra touches could include cute paper napkins, some beer and or a bottle of wine.  This basket as pictured is a little more, about $30, because of the hand painted glasses.

This is a little denim travel tote I made for my nephew, I painted a big initial on it and filled it full of little toys

I have some stamping pads that I use to make my own gift tags

or I create a tag on my computer and print it out on cardstock

For this baby gift I simply wrapped it in white paper and tied several colorful toys on top with the gift tag.

I use freezer paper to wrap packages.  You can wrap anything for any occasion in white! Just add a colorful ribbon or topper

For this baby gift I painted the wrapped gift paper with polka dots and green leaves to be a background for the bootie bow

Here is another baby gift wrap

A simple white paper bag

with an adorable “lovey” tied on with a grosgrain ribbon.

I keep a supply of white paper bags in various sizes and a multitude of ribbon in different colors and sizes so there is always a way to wrap anything any time.  I order my bags from Nashville Wraps. {nashvillewraps.com}

I use tissue to wrap my glass orders so I always have reams of white tissue which pretty much works for everything.  Sometimes I use a little colored or patterned tissue too.

I keep ribbon spools under control in a big basket

My supplies could be a little more organized, it’s on my to do list, and hopefully I will get around to it soon~

Here’s another white bag wrapping.

With some colorful tissue, a stamp on the corner and a frilly pink ribbon, it was perfect for wrapping this pink nail polish for hostess gifts at a recent baby shower.

These little mini buckets held a spice jar wrapped in a kitchen scrubbie cloth.  The buckets and towels were each $1 at Target.

DD & I bought large jars of Smokehouse Maple Grill Seasoning at Costco and poured it into smaller individual jars {$1 at Hobby Lobby} to create this cute little party favor for about $5 each!

This is a jar of homemade Rosemary Salt, tied with some colorful ribbons with a ceramic spoon and a gift tag

Don’t forget a simple snack mix  or homemade cookies can be elevated to new heights with a cello bag, a ribbon and a tag!

Fill a glass or mug full of goodies and give them in a festive organza bag.  These are available in craft stores or from Nashville Wraps.

Fill a cute box {Home Goods}

With some muffins or cupcakes, home made or store bought, either way they are sure to be a hit when they are delivered “all dressed up!”

It’s so much fun to surprise someone with an unexpected little gift! I hope I’ve given you some inspirations for the upcoming holidays.

For photos and more information on the hand painted glassware please visit my gallery JMdesignsGallery.com

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