Great Package Tie on

I am all about packaging. After all, when you go into a grocery store, so much of what you see is packaging. Food companies and large companies in general take packaging into great consideration. They have entire art departments working on packaging designs. And, if the packaging of food isn’t just right, it probably won’t sell. I have heard that laundry detergent sells better when it is in a red container.

Who hasn’t been tempted to buy something that has great packaging? At Christmas it’s especially difficult. They put all those little kits in the stores that combine cheeses and sausages. Then there are all the cosmetic and fragrance packages. It totally sucks you in. Packaging. There are entire industries devoted to it.

So, say you buy someone an awesome gift and you’re not really sure if they will like it? Or, what if you buy them a not so awesome gift because you are on the fly, and didn’t really think it through, or you were low on funds? Well, packaging may solve your problem. Even if you don’t go over the top, here are some beginning basic things that you can do. I didn’t go way over the top with these. You have to be careful not to look like you’re trying to imitate everyone on Pinterest. Some of these things become too formulaic.

Here are a few basic things that you can do.
First: Find some Christmas fabric in your stash. Everyone has some. Cut out a few 2 1/2 inch strips. Cut them as long as your fabric is wide. Or if you don’t have an entire width of fabric (42 inches) cut them as long as you can with what you have. This will determine the size of the package that you can wrap. The bigger the package, the longer the strip needs to be. Got buttons? Everyone should have a button box. I know that when I buy a sweater or shirt, often times they will include a little extra button. Unless it becomes a favorite garment, chances are that by the time the button comes off, I won’t want the shirt or sweater anymore anyway. So, put that button in your burgeoning button box.

Now, take that 2 1/2 inch strip and fold the long edges inward toward the center of the strip. You know, just like if you were making bias tape, only it’s not on the bias. Press these toward the middle and fold it on itself so that the raw edges are hidden in the middle. Sew down the open edge, closing it.

Now sew buttonholes in from the end. Sew a few more. Don’t worry about where or how far apart. Make it random.

Wrap your box in plain brown paper. Then, go around the box with your “bias tape that’s not on the bias”. Make sure that the buttonholes are on the top. Bring the end around and mark with pins where the buttonholes line up.

This is where your buttons will be sewn. Drop your feed dogs baby and sew those buttons on!

You can wrap the excess tail around decoratively or cut off any extra length. Add a tag, or rubber stamp an image on the paper. The sky’s the limit!

Now we all know that I sell pom pom makers and I am very partial to them. There are millions of things that you can do with pom poms. I used to think that no one needed a special gismo to make pom poms. Boy was I wrong. This little bugger is amazing. Come in to the Bungalow and ask for one. It makes perfect pom poms every single time, like the one shown below.

Same brown paper package, new presentation. Pom poms make great gift toppers. Add a pretty tag and you’re good to go. And simple too, not too over the top.

Now I just discovered these folded fabric stars which also top a package, or hang on a tree or wreathe, etc. They dress up any package or any unwrapped package.