Like so many, I love Christmas.  My df girl and I started watching Christmas movies on the first of November.  She perfected her Christmas playlist and listens to it whenever she can.  My cl boy cannot understand this.  He believes there should be a law: NO CHRISTMAS MOVIES, MUSIC OR DECORATIONS UNTIL DECEMBER 1.  Caps for emphasis. He feels very strongly about this.  My techie boy, however, puts up his decorations in early November, as does my cb girl.

My shopping is almost complete…now to think about the packaging.  Sometimes, I enjoy that as much as the shopping.  I love when I’m out and about (I am Canadian), and I find that perfect something for a loved one.  I pull it out–sometimes months later–to wrap it in something equally suitable.

I’ve been loving Kraft paper wrapping.  It’s so versatile.  It can be dressed up vintage-y, whimsical, rustic, or elegant. Last year, the gifts for my married ‘kids’ were wrapped according to the couple’s personalities.  Instead of using tags, I used a Sharpie to write their initials right on the wrapping–no losing tags as we travel!

My northern boy is outdoorsy and his wife loves all things feminine and vintage. (see here).  Their package was embellished with lace, jute and a sweet tin ornament (a Michael’s clearance score!) held on with a clothespin.

My techie boy and his wife are fun-loving and love all the Christmas kitsch.  They got a bright red ribbon and cute cookie cutters.

My cb girl loves pretty vintage and her husband loves books–old and new.  Their wedding was decorated with old books, lace, teapots and teacups and lots of vintage pieces.  I made this sweet book page garland and used it to decorate their packages. The same tin ornaments adorned their gifts.

Want to make your own book page garland?  It’s an inexpensive way to add some holiday flair.  I love the neutral simplicity.  I’ll give you the how-to, though I think it may be self-evident.  We’ve used these to festoon a window, to bedeck a mini Christmas tree and, of course, to trim these presents.  Use your imagination.  I’d love to see how you decide to use them!

1. Grab an old book, preferably one that is already falling apart.  This particular book had fairly white, smooth pages.  If you would like a more vintage feel, choose a book whose pages are more yellowed and textured.  Sheet music would be fun, as well.  
2. Cut out circles in desired size.  I happened to have a handy-dandy circle punch.  I got mine at Michaels.  It’s similar to this one, only it’s 1 1/2 inches. If you don’t have one, go buy one (just kidding, though it would make this project easier 😉 ).  You will need a lot of circles, especially if you want to prettify your tree with it. Find something to trace, use a compass–whatever works for you–then cut them with scissors.  Perhaps you have a circle cutter, if so, use that.  This would be super cute with snowflakes, too, (hmmm…I may just do that next), or any shape that suits your fancy.  As you can see, in my zeal, I didn’t pay attention to the position of my punch and I got a couple of moon shapes.  Oooops.
   

   
3. Stack your circles by your sewing machine, and ‘sew’ the circles together, leaving a few stitches between.  You can leave as much space between circles as you’d like. Please pay no attention to my smudge-y sewing machine.  I had put a sticker there as a guide for my df girl when she was working on a project.
   

   
4. Tip to save your sanity: keep the garland short to avoid a tangled mess.  (Ahem…trust me. I know whereof I speak.) You can always tie them together, if necessary.  It’s obvious that I have not started Christmas decorating yet…
   

   

If you’d like to save these for the future, I recommend carefully wrapping them around a box.

I had to mail my Alberta girl’s gift, so the individual gifts were wrapped inside, but I wanted the outside to look festive, too.  Thank you Pinterest for this inspiration!

My gifts for my kids at home had a simple, heavy jute twine and some greenery.  No names on those ones, to keep it a surprise!

I haven’t firmed up any plans for this year’s gift wrapping, yet, but I’m sure the awesome buffalo plaid ribbon I found at HomeSense will be incorporated.  Stay tuned!

Need some ideas for what’s inside?  As I said, I love things to be chosen especially for each one.  Look for my next post where I’ll share some of my past gift ideas.

Check out my Pinterest gifts {wrap it up} board for more inspiration!

I’ve joined the Happiness is Homemade Link Party #198…go check out all the awesome ideas at Bluesky at Home. Also see Bouquet of Talent #273 at Life on Lakeshore Drive. Be inspired by Sunday Features #153 at Denise Designed. The Creative Gallery #259 at DIY Passion and Merry Monday#182 at Intelligently Domesticated has some great links, too!

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