Tuesday, January 04, 2011

A Quick Look Back at the Gifts


. . . because I achieved a minor dream I've had--to serve the Christmas gifts up color-coordinated. Killing both these birds with the one stone: pretty piles of presents, and more importantly, no need to make gift tags. Every person had his own color!

I used one giant roll of brown kraft paper, and lots of odd ribbons collected over the year from the thrift store for pennies. Definitely I am doing this again!

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was completely considering using brown paper tied up with ribbons for Christmas this year. After buying tons of over-priced cheap wrapping paper, I think I might just use brown paper next year! The ribbons make it so pretty!

Anonymous said...

Very elegant! Your gifts look very similar to mine - I always use kraft paper, but this year I used satin ribbons to tie them. The every-person-has-its-own-colour idea is much better than mine, though - dark red for girls and emerald green for boys :)

Shelley said...

Brilliant idea. Saves all that cutting up of Christmas cards for tags...

Kate said...

I love the different colored ribbons for each receiver idea! I ordered a lot of gifts this year and most of them came in boxes stuffed with brown paper. My oldest and I smoothed the paper out, made stamps out of an old sponge and yarn glued on a piece of wood and made our own wrapping paper. Instead of a tag, I just wrote the receiver's name right on the brown paper. It was a fun Christmas project!

Anonymous said...

Love, love, love this idea!! Now if I can just remember it a year from now! :)

Dondi said...

Love it! This has been a minor dream of mine as well. Didn't happen this year - but I have already purchased the craft paper for next year!

Just One said...

I did this one year, many years ago, for my 5 kids. Same brown kraft paper but skinny metallic ribbons, the kind you curl. The kids had it pretty much figured out which ribbon color was theirs by Christmas. They were so much younger then... Besides having the same # of kids and being a believer, another interesting bit we have in common is that we own a schoolhouse though we don't live there. It is much newer than our 1855ish home. It is brick and was built after a wooden one burned. We pasture a couple of sheep and many chickens there. Happy New Year, and glad you're back.

jtatiana21 said...

i did the same thing this year, just everybody had different wrapping paper, no tags necessary. Finally i put the use of all that wrapping paper I collected over the years.

Julian said...

so pretty! I am seriously doing this next year. Im so tired of gift wrap today:)And with 6 kids color coordinating sounds like a definite plan!
christina

Tracy said...

Too bad my cat loves any kind of ribbon. We haven't been able to place a bow or a ribbon on a gift for nearly 8 years. If we do, he chews them up and then proceeds to vomit them back up a while later. Not fun!

Andrea R said...

We do somethign similar, excpet each year we assign a particular roll of wrapping paper to each person.

So I might get the green patterned paper, the husband has the santa paper, the youngest had Rudolph... and on and on.

We take a sample of each, tape it to a sheet of paper and label it as well. this way, when anyone else in the house is wrapping presents, they have a map or legend to refer to.

Then on Christmas morning, each person has a stack much like your picture. :) Expect with patterned paper. (One year, I did have co-ordinating gift wrap for everyone. Looked awesome).

Lisa said...

I like the look of the brown paper, too.

nicole said...

We use the brown paper, too. But we usually draw on the paper with crayons or coloured pencils and just put the name in great big letters right on the gift wrap.

Laura {{* *}} said...

A very Arts & Crafts Christmas idea
that lends to ridding of the
glitz & flash of printed wrap.

The absolute best idea of the season
thus far.

Count me in.

{{* *}}

Erin said...

That is a GREAT idea! Looks like someone got a lot of books!

Leah H said...

Neat!

Chris said...

Wonderful idea. You have such a "gift" of making simple elements look beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Yay for accomplishment of little goals!

That pile of books would have had me SO distracted if it had been my color...

deb meyers

Le said...

i love all the brown packages tied up with ribbon. we do something similar except everyone has their own color paper. works great!

Anonymous said...

great idea.now i am really wondering about those books.could you post a few titles?efi.

Anna said...

That stack of books is Daisy getting all the Narnia books in hardback for her personal shelf.

Margo said...

I have some kraft paper and I like it so much that I keep hoarding it, not using it! Like there's not more kraft paper to be bought. Your piles of gifts are so inviting - maybe I will use it next Christmas like you did.

Kathryn said...

I am going to copy this next year, thank you for another wonderful idea!

Julie said...

This thought has crossed my mind so many times...I love the look of matching gifts but part of me wonders about those odd-ball gifts that show up from others (it would totally mess up the picture). Sigh. Maybe one day (I came across a deal of $.01/roll and even $.01./4-rolls) so it looks like I'll be covered with colored paper for some time.

~Kristin~ said...

Lovely...I want to do this next year also.

playcrane said...

very creative and smart idea

Anonymous said...

The presents are very pretty. (too pretty to open? ...lots of book-ish looking packages:)

I've been wondering (and searching archives)...do you make your own laundry detergeant? fabric softener? dryer sheets?

I've tried a few different recipes, and have been unhappy with each one. I have 5 rowdy (dirty) boys, and 2 ballerinas (ballet shoes in ballet bag for 2 days = very stinky leotards)...so we are pretty much in need of Tide, Downy, and Bounce...unless, you have 1 more recipe I could try???

Kathi

Anna said...

Kathi, I buy my Tide and don't use fabric softener or dryer sheets. I do like to hang clothes on the line most of the year. And yes, lots and lots of books!

Sarah said...

Great idea. I'm thinking about sewing a bunch of gift bags out of fabric scraps for the coming year since they're reusable. I won't even be losing the fun of shredding into paper-wrapped presents since my Mom always had us carefully slit the tape and fold the paper for re-use. Cheap Scots-German? Why yes I am!

cindydolezaldesigns said...

For those extra gifts from other in unmatched wrap...you COULD wrap over them with brown paper. That wouldn't make us anal retentive, right??

Anonymous said...

I'm a little late in commenting on this post but oh well....

I LOVE using the brown paper for packages, I used to use it when we traveled to see family for Christmas. The regular kind would always tear but the brown paper holds up beautifully. I haven't used it for Christmas for the years we stay home but now I think I just might! (o:

Carrie said...

I love that! During the year I have just one jumbo roll of glossy white wrapping paper and use different ribbon for each occasion. Will have to do it next year for Christmas too :)

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