Stimuli

There is nothing like the joy of giving at Christmas! Unfortunately the required wrapping has not always been a joy for me. For some of us wrapping gifts is just one more thing that we have to add to the Christmas To Do list. It can be a daunting and very time consuming task. In the past I have been guilty of not planning ahead and at the last minute throwing whatever I had together and hoping for the best. Let me tell you the results were less than impressive.

This year however, I have decided to be a better gift wrapper. My plan is to take some extra time this month, gather ideas and stock up on supplies. I am sure that I will be less frazzled when the time comes to wrap gifts and with the great ideas and materials I’ve picked up. I will have some beautiful presents to give!

I put my plan into action the other day and went shopping for gift wrap and some inspiration; having heard many things about The Essential Packaging Store I decided to make it my first stop.

When I first entered the store I was struck by how beautifully displayed it was. I was also amazed at  how well layed out it was.  Even with the huge assortment of merchandise it was not overwhelming. Everything was very easy to find. The best thing though was the beautiful and unique wrapping ideas everywhere I looked. 

The first thing that captured my eyes and imagination were all the different ways I could package my Christmas baking. They had every size box you could possibly need from small boxes for a single large cookie to cupcake and cake boxes. They even had gingerbread house boxes with handles and see through windows and those cute little take out boxes with the metal handles. There were boxes tied up prettily with bows and  and either recipe cards or litle ornaments and the traditional patterned cello goody bags.

My favourite goody bags were ones they had made with brown paper bags. They were adorned with a stripe of patterned tape down the front and decorated with a ribbon threaded through a hole at the top of the bag. I thought these were so pretty and different that I bought what I needed and plan to make them myself!

As I continued to walk through the store I saw that they had every kind of box, gift bag, ribbon, tissue, gift tag and label on display. I was inspired to see a great ideas for wrapping my gift cards. They have these flat square boxes that come in either plain or metallic that when decorated with a cross of ribbon and a beautiful gift tag or sticker in the middle look really elegant. Besides looking better, there is an added benefit to having a fancier, larger package for the gift cards – they will be easier to keep track of. I bought some of these fantastic boxes and some snazzy ribbon and am happy that I don’t have to hand out envelopes to my teenage nieces and nephews. This year their gift cards will be under the tree.

With a head full of ideas and a bag full of boxes, paper and ribbon the friendly saleslady who helped me smiled and said “See you again.” Without skipping a beat I said, “you will!”

I was now on my way home feeling like I had this part of Christmas under control.  Hopefully you get the chance to visit this great store and that some of the ideas you find there will inspire you to try something different. I know that for me trying something new and working with new and beautiful materials will make the experience much more enjoyable and far less tedious and if I add my sister-in-law’s approach to wrapping, a glass of wine and a great movie, I think I might just be positively jolly!

Essential Packaging is located in Surrey, BC at #103, 17665 66A Avenue.

by Christina Kristensen
Contributor to Stimuli Magazine

Images provided by: essentialpackagingstore.com