Ok, apparently this has turned into packaging week. I just stopped by the Creature Comforts blog and saw these cute little glittery toppers and I am officially in love!
Gorgeous on a gift, I think they could also add just a little holiday sparkle to things around the house – like how they tied it around the sweet little birdie below…
There are a limited number available, so go check out the shop right now!
After my last post, I received a great question from Nunu Pepe (great blog!) asking for suggestions on eco-friendly paper. When you think about how much paper gets tossed every year around the holidays, I can imagine that if all of us used alternatives it could make a great impact.
I did some research and while many places offered options like wrapping your presents in fabric (much easier to re-use every year) or getting crafty with grocery bags, magazines, and other things I remember using to cover my books in high school (cute, but not exactly what I had in mind), I did manage to find one place that offered recycled paper that is actually COOL.
Fish Lips design has some very fun patterns to choose from. These two are cute for the holidays, but some of their other designs could work just as well too!
For more ways to make your Christmas a very green one, check out these resources!
Real Simple featured some alternate wrapping ideas for the holidays, noting that “Household waste increases 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Years Day. In the United States, trash from wrapping paper and shopping bags totals 4 million tons.” Yikes!
Using newspaper with lush ribbons makes it work!
Wrap presents in other presents – two gifts in one! I use this tactic a lot, actually, and while it can ruin the ‘surprise’ element, it always turns out beautiful!
Some blogs for great green ideas…
Inhabitat’s green holiday gift guide, ecoFabulous who always features “sustainable sexy stuff”, and simply green for everyday ideas.
If anyone else has some good ideas for ways to make the holidays more green, post ‘em up!
Brown paper and string might be classic, but I prefer to add a little color to my packages for the holidays. I usually pick out a color scheme for my wrapping, and this year I’m going with metallics (not a big surprise!). I love finishing off my gifts with wonderfully textured ribbon and a perfectly coordinated tag, so I decided to search on Etsy for this year’s toppers, and found about a billion options! I’ve sorted through a lot of them, and here are my favorites…
If you’re going for red, then these tags are for you! From Bluebird Lane comes a very vintage tag with a cute little message; intricately designed round tags from Elfrida are clean and cool; “Dashing through the snow” is the message on a classic tag from Green Ridge Designs; a fun an d modern deer pattern by Modern Printed Matter; and a very yummy chocolate pattern from Pictures of Lily features a deep red back.
Go for poppy prints with these tags in classic reds and greens and modern designs! I love these cute little does from Just Another Day; Christmas songs inspired these tags from Every Jot and Tittle; sweet little birdies are a popular theme this year, and i especially liked this one from Pink Bathtub; have you been naughty or nice? find out with these tags from Pinky Creations.
Go for something a little different with black and white or blues from these artists. Love this top set from things are better with a parrott (and you can use them after the holidays are over!); monogram tags with victorian lettering are such a great way to personalize a gift – from Every Jot and Tittle; kitchy santa tags from Paperologie; aqua snowflakes would look great paired with silver or red wrapping – from Kiss ‘n Tell Cards; and more deer from Nea Blossoms who has some other very cute cards as well.
So which ones am I using with my packages this year?? These two are my absolute favorites to pair up with my matte gold and silver wrapping…
A bit more pricey, but worth every penny, these tags will not be tossed out with the wrapping paper, but lovingly pinned to bulletin boards, or tucked away with Christmas decorations to be used again. I love the glittered edge, the simple message, and the ribbons! From Moth to a Flame.
My second runner up, I really love the chartreuse green used for such a classic tree, and the aged paper. Don’t you think they’ll just pop against a gold or silver paper? From Petite Pear.
Anonymous Those believe tags are really stunning. Great post!
Anonymous Got any suggestions for eco friendly wrapping??? As much as I love all the colours and textures of gifting I find the big black plastic bag filled with wrapping paper at clean up gut wrentching! I would love to know what alternatives there are!
Anonymous I just barely ordered a few of those patterned tags in red from Elfrida not an hour ago! Love them!
Anonymous Incredible work 
My absolute favorite holiday by far, I’m looking forward to food and friends today… as well as having a day off! Thanks to all of my readers… I am so grateful to all of you for helping to make this blog better with your comments and compliments. I hope you and yours are having a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Anonymous Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Unfortunately, this holiday doesn’t exist in France…
And I’m fond of your blog!!!
Anonymous Happy Thanksgiving! I just saw your Etsy store…very fun. I’ve become a regular reader of your blog. You have a great eye.
Anonymous I love this picture …so cute
Anonymous Thank you for the compliments as always! You are so kind!!
Anonymous lovely thanksgiving photo!! very cute
I am. Feeling luxe that is. Maybe it’s the turn of the seasons and the nearness of the holidays that is moving me towards golds and furs, but whatever it is, it’s sure got a hold on me! A few things I’m loving right now…
This gilded gold chair from Soane out of the UK, would look so perfect in my bedroom. It might even be chic enough to keep me from piling my clothes on it! And even though the red is sexy, for my room I’d cover it in a velvety grey… so yummy.
I have no idea why I’m so obsessed with having a fur throw for my bed right now, but I just love how sumptuous it looks! This room is especially gorgeous with its warm wood walls, crisp white sheets, and a furry little throw (minus kitty, thank you – none of those allowed in my room). Although I think that mirror should be gilded in gold (surprise), and hung above the bed! While wood walls at home might be a little restricting, this room would be perfect for a little resort or second home in the San Juans…
Oh, and you can choose from a selection of them at Pottery Barn which is where they usually end up catching my eye sometime in November, and then I wait ’til after Christmas and cross my fingers for a sale!
This pillow from mimou is just in time for the holidays, and if I can get my hands on one, you better believe it’s getting tossed onto my couch! Again, contrasts here are key, and I love the raw silk with the sequins in a fun little pattern.
Ok, seriously… who needs a hammock in their home? Better yet, who needs an extremely luxe fur-lined hammock in their home? And still… I just want to jump into it, curl up with a good book, and take a nap.
Available at Vivre, the hammock is lined in coyote fur (i know, i know, real fur! bad!) and I can just picture it in a lofty home with rich wood walls like this one…
(PS – Love the zebra chairs, even though I’m sick of seeing zebra everywhere, not to mention the architecture of the room itself!)
Who doesn’t need a little directional inspiration for the holiday shopping season? Well, some of you may have already noticed the link to the Creature Comforts Holiday Gift Guide on the left side of my blog, but if you haven’t… click it!
My Etsy shop is one a few featured under the “vintage” category, and I just added some cute new items, so please peruse the merchandise! Also, if there is something you’re looking for that you just can’t find anywhere, please drop me and email and I’ll see what I can do to help you find the perfect gift… you wouldn’t believe the many resources we have in LA!
Here’s a peek at what’s currently in the shop…
life is in the details. style accordingly.
I love all your suggestions here. Thanks for the links.
Fabulous ideas, thanks for this excellent post, I’m going to link to it on my blog. I never even thought of this before, you can make a difference by doing something so simple and easy!!!!
thanks so much bronwyn! it does seem like such a simple idea, doesn’t it? i’ll have more green resources coming soon!
Yes, the waste at Christmas is obscene. I know it’s not the most original idea, but I find that when I give presents in pretty gift bags, the recipient tends to reuse the bags.
When I travel abroad, I’ll often bring home the paper shopping bags I’m given and use those as gift bags or cut them up and use them as wrapping paper. They might just be shopping bags but the foreign-ness of them can make them seem positively festive.