“In the end, only kindness matters.”
Jewel, singer/singwriter
Thursday thought…
Ten Christmas Gift Wrapping Ideas with Plain Paper
Christmas wrapping paper doesn’t need to be expensive. The below ideas all use plain paper as a base, but are then accessorised with different coloured trims, such as ribbon, metallic pen, gift tags, string and even leaves. You are only limited by time, and your imagination!
Christmas Gift Wrap #1: Kraft paper with red ribbon and metallic writing
No gift tags required here, and the text stands out thanks to the lovely metallic pen. You could also use other festive colours such as silver, red or green with printed ribbon to pick out any of these Christmas colours.
Image from www.saffronavenue.com
Christmas Gift Wrap #2: Plain paper with candy stripes
This one’s my personal favourite. I love candy stripes and nothing says Christmas more than candy canes! The sky blue colour thrown in here also works well against the red and white.
Image from www.goodhousekeeping.com
Christmas Gift Wrap #3: Kraft paper with black and white accessories
Black and white isn’t usually an obvious choice for Christmas, but how chic does this gift look! It also works well with red, gold and silver.
Image from www.jonesdesigncompany.com
Gift Wrap #4: Kraft Paper with Christmas Bauble
Christmas gift wrapping doesn’t get much easier than this! If you get a matt bauble, you could also write your Christmas message on it with a black marker pen.
Image from www.sallyjshim.com
Christmas Gift Wrap #5: Plain paper with paper baubles
These paper baubles could also be reused as Christmas decorations for your tree or around the home when the gift has been unwrapped.
Image from www.coolmompicks.com
Christmas Gift Wrap #6: Kraft paper reindeer
How cute is this family of reindeers?! They also look great grouped together in different sizes.
Image from www.livemaster.ru
Christmas Gift Wrap #7: Kraft paper with leaves
Bright green leaves really lift this natural craft paper. You could use any pine foliage or fresh herbs, such as rosemary that your recipient could actually use.
Image from www.bloglovin.com
Christmas Gift Wrap #8: Kraft paper with stitching
Ok, so this one’s a little more time-consuming than the other options, and obviously you’d need to know how to thread a needle, but WOW it’s effective!
Image from littleemptyroom.blogspot.de
Christmas Gift Wrap #9: Black paper with black and white ribbon and metallic writing
The blogger who designed this gift wrapping acknowledges that it’s time consuming, but she selected four family members who had simple presents in boxes and only drew on these gifts. All her other gifts were wrapped in black and white houndstooth paper (as seen behind) so they all co-ordinated.
Image from www.13acresblog.com
Christmas Gift Wrap #10: Kraft paper with leaves and seeds
Objects from nature are often the most beautiful accessories to use with natural gift wrapping. Look for dried leaves, seed pods and pine cones. You could also spray paint these objects with metallic paint for a festive look.
Image from www.zena.hr
Recipe of the week: Shortbread
If someone were to ask me to list the things that reminded me of Christmas, homemade Shortbread would be right up there.
This traditional recipe has been a staple in our family for many years, and whilst it could be easily enjoyed all year round, we particularly enjoy making, eating and giving it as gifts at Christmas time.
This year I have presented my shortbread in cellophane bags, decorated with tinsel and a candycane. You could also present in a metal tin, biscuit box, wrap in a tea towel or in a Christmas gift box.
Ingredients:
250g butter
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup rice flour or ground rice
Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Prepare baking tray with baking paper.
2. Soften butter so that it’s at room temperature and easy to beat.
3. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until it is combined.
4. Sift flour in large spoonfuls into the butter/sugar mixture, mixing after each spoonful is added.
5. Roll small spoonfuls of the mixture into biscuits shapes and press onto baking tray.
6. Decorate the biscuits by pricking with a fork and adding a glace cherry to the centre of each one.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes (in a fan forced oven).
Can be made ahead of time and stored in an air-tight container or the freezer.
Tip: Experiment with different decorations instead of the traditional glace cherry, such as crystalised ginger, orange or other glace fruit. Blanched almonds also work well.
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK: Belly Art Baby Inkless Print Kit $22.95
Looking for a thoughtful gift for a new parent? This Belly Art Baby Inkless Print Kit lets parents make prints of their baby’s hands and feet to frame or put in their baby book.
Kit comes beautifully presented in a colourful tin
It’s quick, clean and easy to do
The resulting prints clearly capture the beautiful details of baby’s foot
Why we love it:
- This is a thoughtful, inexpensive gift for new parents – who wouldn’t love to capture their little one’s tiny hand and footprints?
- It’s really easy to use – simply wipe baby’s hand or foot with the non-toxic inkless wipe, then gently press their hand or foot onto the magic paper – the print magically appears in seconds. It’s amazing!
- It’s clean – your baby’s hands and feet stay clean and dry.
Handmade gift of the week: Cinnamon candles
The warm scents of cinnamon can sometimes be lost on a hot Australian summer Christmas, but if you’ve ever been to Europe at Christmas time, be prepared to be transported straight back there with these gorgeous cinnamon candles…
Image from www.wunderweib.de
Why we love them:
- These make a great Christmas table decoration – they look lovely and natural, and smell divine!
- They’re easy to make – just grab some store-bought candles, arrange the cinnamon sticks around the candle and secure in place with natural twine or festive ribbon.
- Play around with the size of the sticks – using the same sized sticks gives the candle a more ‘uniform’ look, but random sizes also look more natural.
- Also experiment with different sized candles – three candles of different sizes look great grouped together on a tray as a table centrepiece or as part of a floral arrangement.
Hello December!
Happy birthday to everyone celebrating their birthday this month!
Did you know that your birth flower is Narcissus and your birthstone is Turquoise?
