Gift wrapping at Balsam Hill

Balsam_2389.jpg

On Saturday I ventured south to Burlingame and the Balsam Hill showroom. Balsam Hill is an artificial Christmas tree manufacturer. This year they have a pop-up showroom at their warehouse. They have been having many holiday events throughout the season and I was there to share wrapping ideas and tips with shoppers.

Balsam_20131214_140534.jpg

I have several friends who are allergic to cut Christmas trees. I've been recommending they check out the showroom. Besides the trees being realistic the showroom offers the experience of picking out your tree in a festive environment. More sense stimulating than ordering from the internet or buying at a big box store.

Balsam_2382.jpg
Balsam_2381.jpg
Tape is a great way to make a faux bow that will hold up when shipping presents in the mail.

Tape is a great way to make a faux bow that will hold up when shipping presents in the mail.

Balsam_2426.jpg
The tree lot.

The tree lot.

Behind the showroom walls open box trees are ready to go on the floor at a discount.

Behind the showroom walls open box trees are ready to go on the floor at a discount.

Turns out there's a Shasta Fir tree in this world.

Turns out there's a Shasta Fir tree in this world.

DIY or buy: Reusable polka dot wrap

PolkaDot_2352.jpg

DIY: This is an easy 30 min gift wrapping project (more or less depending on the quantity you make). Also this could be a good project for older crafty kids.

or Buy: If you like the look but don't feel like making them I've got a limited quantity of polka-dot bags available in my Etsy shop.

PolkaDot_2343.jpg

Materials
– Muslin Bags (small quantity, or large quantity)
– Cardboard
– Scissors
– Krink, broad tipped paint markers (Also available locally in San Francisco at the 1 AM Gallery)

Krink is an art supply designed for graf. It's designed to be drippy which I'd like to explore more. It comes in a few pen styles. When I first encountered Krink I'd been on the hunt for the old school bingo markers. This was a much better option with many color choices. 

PolkaDot_2342.jpg

1. Cut cardboard inserts for the muslin bags. This will prevent bleed through to the other side.

2. After inserting your cardboard shake your pens and start polka dotting.

3. Repeat with as many colors as you choose.

4. Wait 10-15 mins for your bags to dry. Flip and repeat if desired.

Tip: Open a window. Ventilate your work area.

Works for other occasions. These would be great party favor bags.

Works for other occasions. These would be great party favor bags.

Make winter wrap with inexpensive colored parchment or Fadeless Paper often used in classrooms.

Make winter wrap with inexpensive colored parchment or Fadeless Paper often used in classrooms.

My Etsy shipments get the polka dot treatment to.

My Etsy shipments get the polka dot treatment to.

Holiday wrapping + workshop announcement!

'Tis the season for gift wrapping. To kick things off I'm sharing the gifts I wrapped last year. I wrapped all the way to Christmas Eve... and some were wrapped after Christmas since gift giving continued through the New Year these never made it to this blog last year.

This year follow along with my wrappings on my Instagram and I'll also of course post a wrap up of my wrappings.

If you're in the Bay Area and want to have some fun with wrapping sign up for my free Gift Wrap Workshop!

Workshop Details
Happening at the Balsam Hill show room in Burlingame.
December 14th, 11 am -12:30pm
RSVP on the facebook invite or email Lisa at lclark [at] balsambrands.com
Space is limited.

Hope to see you there!

Wrap2012_P1070266.jpg
Wrap2012_P1070274.jpg
Wrap2012_P1070272.jpg
Wrap2012_P1070213.jpg
Wrap2012_P1070201.jpg
Wrap2012_P1070209.jpg

Show and tell: Wrapping with Pepin Press

Pepin_1850.jpg

It's getting towards peak wrapping season but before we completely dive into Christmas I thought I'd share some wrapping paper for use all times of the year.

Pepin_1857.jpg

The first time I encountered these gift wrapping books from Pepin Press was at the MOMA bookstore in NY. I gave myself a two book limit. Now I'm slowly growing my collection of these Pepin Press books and have been adding one to my Amazon orders when I need to qualify for super saver shipping. I've seen these being sold on FAB as well but they have been more expensive there.

Pepin_1854.jpg

The books are essentially 12 unique pages of gift wrap along with a short write up (in 8 languages!) about the origins of the patterns in the that book's theme. Many of the patterns come from Pepin's 30 year old archive. The wraps are all printed on high quality papers and vary in finishes even within books. My most recent purchase included wraps on un-coated stock as well as some coated with a satin finish in the same book.

Pepin_2021.jpg

I think one of the reasons I'm drawn to gift wrap so much is because I love pattern. Gift wrapping has also been a great way to experiment with pattern mixing. I long to travel to see the textiles and patterns of the world. These books offer a nice introduction to some of those traditional patterns.

Top Left: OpArt, Top Right: Barcelona Tiles, Bottom Left: Skeletons, Bottom Right: Psychedelic 

Top Left: OpArt, Top Right: Barcelona Tiles, Bottom Left: Skeletons, Bottom Right: Psychedelic 

Wrapped using paper from the Psychedelic book. 

Wrapped using paper from the Psychedelic book.