Sounds easy, right? Take a dozen pieces or sets of pieces of fruitcake and drop it in the jars and seal tight and wrap. We never do things the easy way. I bought red saran wrap specifically for this gift, and yes, I wrapped the fruitcake, two pieces at a time and dropped it into cute little pint sized mason jars. I ran out of fruitcake around jar 7. I stretched the last pieces by placing single pieces in the saran wrap and jars. But I couldn't give empty jars, and not much stuff was inexpensive that fit in the jars.
I considered candy and may have put some in 1 or 2, but my brother is not a big candy fan. I searched the house and came up with nothing that would fit and/or work. I shopped while he was at work and found nothing. Finally, in desperation for something to put in these darned jars, I took the money in my purse, sorted it out. I placed a dollar bill in one, wrapped in saran wrap. Then I pulled out the coins, and since I was being silly, placed two cents in another saran wrap and jar. After those two, I did a couple more with some silver coinage, each in saran wrap and twist tied closed.
Then I sealed these jars up tight, put them back in their case and proceeded to wrap them multiple times, including a great deal of newspaper. This was one of the gifts I had the most fun wrapping, but the point of doing this is not just to make it difficult for the other person to open, but to have fun wrapping the gift and even more fun when you sit back to watch them open a dozen cute little mason jars to figure out what their gift is.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Mop Bucket 2: Revisited in Tree Form
I promise, I did not create a boy doll for my brother out of a mop bucket, nor did he recreate his with better hair, this time...we try not to repeat gifts or gift wrap too often, but this was a fun concept. I think my brother and his wife and young son had moved into their first actual apartment and I found cleaning supplies to be a great gift. So, of course I got him a mop bucket, and naturally, it works great when the gift can become part of the gift wrap and still be concealed, we all have our tricks.
I put his other wrapped gifts in the mop bucket, and took a piece of poster board, shaped it into a cone and cut off the excess that did not fit in the bucket. I stapled and glued the poster board into the shape I wanted, then I applied with glue or tape a string garland decoration, without lights. I probably drew some lights and ornaments on the tree. After I got the tree all decorated pretty, I put it together and wrapped it in two yards of Christmas fabric to be used as tree skirt under the Christmas tree in future years. I was able to tie it at the top.
I do not recall if I found a star for the top of the tree, but the fabric would have likely been too heavy for it if I had. This gift required a good deal of adjusting. It also had to travel from Virginia to Michigan and be prepared only a few short hours before it was presented. In the future, I would consider using a tacky, but removable substance to hold the poster board in the bucket or taping it better. It did prove easier to open than I had planned; but most people found it a very fun and creative gift-wrapping.
I put his other wrapped gifts in the mop bucket, and took a piece of poster board, shaped it into a cone and cut off the excess that did not fit in the bucket. I stapled and glued the poster board into the shape I wanted, then I applied with glue or tape a string garland decoration, without lights. I probably drew some lights and ornaments on the tree. After I got the tree all decorated pretty, I put it together and wrapped it in two yards of Christmas fabric to be used as tree skirt under the Christmas tree in future years. I was able to tie it at the top.
I do not recall if I found a star for the top of the tree, but the fabric would have likely been too heavy for it if I had. This gift required a good deal of adjusting. It also had to travel from Virginia to Michigan and be prepared only a few short hours before it was presented. In the future, I would consider using a tacky, but removable substance to hold the poster board in the bucket or taping it better. It did prove easier to open than I had planned; but most people found it a very fun and creative gift-wrapping.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Mop Bucket Series
Every so often, one or the other of us realizes we need cleaning supplies like mop buckets and mops...The question comes up, how do you wrap these items? I was entering college when my brother made the first in a series of mop bucket doll type gift wraps.
He took a bucket, wrapped it in newspaper and filled it with newspaper, cleaning supplies and canned goods to hold up the broom my family got me as well. He put the stick end in the bottom and left the top out as the face. He put a string mop (I believe) on top of the broom for hair.
While you may be getting the idea, he wasn't done there. He took a cereal box, wrapped it in newspaper, cut holes in the end of it and inserted the broom stick upside-down through the box to make a body. Then he wrapped two cans of beans, separately, and attached them to the side of the box. He may have glued them, as the weight of the cans will pull at most materials holding them up. These were the arms. He also took newspaper and wadded it up to make the girl parts above the waist. He decided more cans wouldn't work here. He used the mop bucket every thing was placed in for the girls skirt, and gave me a very useful cleaning gift in a newspaper cleaning supply image of me.
Its not the most exciting gift I ever received, but it was a great deal more fun to open than the standard everyday. Good luck in your endeavors.
He took a bucket, wrapped it in newspaper and filled it with newspaper, cleaning supplies and canned goods to hold up the broom my family got me as well. He put the stick end in the bottom and left the top out as the face. He put a string mop (I believe) on top of the broom for hair.
While you may be getting the idea, he wasn't done there. He took a cereal box, wrapped it in newspaper, cut holes in the end of it and inserted the broom stick upside-down through the box to make a body. Then he wrapped two cans of beans, separately, and attached them to the side of the box. He may have glued them, as the weight of the cans will pull at most materials holding them up. These were the arms. He also took newspaper and wadded it up to make the girl parts above the waist. He decided more cans wouldn't work here. He used the mop bucket every thing was placed in for the girls skirt, and gave me a very useful cleaning gift in a newspaper cleaning supply image of me.
Its not the most exciting gift I ever received, but it was a great deal more fun to open than the standard everyday. Good luck in your endeavors.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Rubber Band Ball Gift wrap
This sort of gift wrap takes a good deal of time, but for a small gift experience that you don't want to be over in 30 seconds, this can be a fun idea.
One year, I bought my brother a dukes of hazard leather-encased Zippo-type lighter. But it was so small, I could have inserted it into a mini-loaf of bread(as long as its white). I dedided not to, and multiple layers of boxes and newspapers, only stays fun for so long before it gets old, though we've used that trick as well.
So, I bought a $4 or $5 rubberband ball from Meijer and a small storage tote, with a lid and proceeded to wrap the lighter in wrapping paper first. This serves two purposes...one it protects the lighter itself from the rubberband wear and tear, and two it gives another layer of gift wrap to get through. Then I proceeded to take some time, moving each rubberband off the rubberband ball and onto the wrapped lighter. If I recall correctly, this took about 45 minutes.
Note: if you have a young girl and you are getting her girly stuff, like nail polish or earrings, you can use pony tail holders for a similar effect. Be careful not to make the pony tail band ball too big or you will over stretch them.
So, we now have a gift wrapped in a larger rubberband ball and an empty small stuff tote to put it in. Of course I added some sort of raffia paper or filler to the tote. Then I wrapped the tote and placed it into a box, which I wrapped again. After placing it in one final box, adding wadded up newspaper to fill it, I once again wrapped that box and set it aside until time to present the gift. I think this may have been a birthday gift, but many of them blend together somewhat over the years;-).
My brother went through the work of opening it through out the layers and got done to the rubber band ball. I may have stopped him before he bounced it, and let him know that he wasn't done. It did take a long time for him to remove each and every one of the rubber bands, which he set in the tote. While he took off each rubber band he muttered about it, and told me the rubber band ball would have been a pretty cool gift in itself. I suggested he would just have to reconstruct the one I had given him.
As I type this one out I'm reminded of the scavenger hunt I tried to send him on one year...This one needs to be done very carefully, or in summer when it is warm.
However, next, I will probably review the mop bucket series and some of my brother's ploys at gift wrap.
One year, I bought my brother a dukes of hazard leather-encased Zippo-type lighter. But it was so small, I could have inserted it into a mini-loaf of bread(as long as its white). I dedided not to, and multiple layers of boxes and newspapers, only stays fun for so long before it gets old, though we've used that trick as well.
So, I bought a $4 or $5 rubberband ball from Meijer and a small storage tote, with a lid and proceeded to wrap the lighter in wrapping paper first. This serves two purposes...one it protects the lighter itself from the rubberband wear and tear, and two it gives another layer of gift wrap to get through. Then I proceeded to take some time, moving each rubberband off the rubberband ball and onto the wrapped lighter. If I recall correctly, this took about 45 minutes.
Note: if you have a young girl and you are getting her girly stuff, like nail polish or earrings, you can use pony tail holders for a similar effect. Be careful not to make the pony tail band ball too big or you will over stretch them.
So, we now have a gift wrapped in a larger rubberband ball and an empty small stuff tote to put it in. Of course I added some sort of raffia paper or filler to the tote. Then I wrapped the tote and placed it into a box, which I wrapped again. After placing it in one final box, adding wadded up newspaper to fill it, I once again wrapped that box and set it aside until time to present the gift. I think this may have been a birthday gift, but many of them blend together somewhat over the years;-).
My brother went through the work of opening it through out the layers and got done to the rubber band ball. I may have stopped him before he bounced it, and let him know that he wasn't done. It did take a long time for him to remove each and every one of the rubber bands, which he set in the tote. While he took off each rubber band he muttered about it, and told me the rubber band ball would have been a pretty cool gift in itself. I suggested he would just have to reconstruct the one I had given him.
As I type this one out I'm reminded of the scavenger hunt I tried to send him on one year...This one needs to be done very carefully, or in summer when it is warm.
However, next, I will probably review the mop bucket series and some of my brother's ploys at gift wrap.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Last year's Christmas wrap...Chicken wire
HI again, I apologize for two things, 1) the length of time in getting back to our grand ideas, and 2) that I'm starting with last year's first instead of my favorite. I'm still not sure which one is my favorite, but we'll get to them all.
So I finally took the time to finish my brothers fleece/cotton/flannel John Deere quilt, quilted with tractors. This is a nice enough gift in itself...he finally allowed it to be used instead of holding a place of honor on the back of his chair at all times. However, wrapping this in a box or bag was not good enough for me. It needed to be wrapped not once, but at least three times, and well, differently. After searching out ideas, I came up with chicken wire...my brother had chickens after all, and it would be tough to get into unless you came to Christmas with wire clippers...we tend to keep these things nearby as you never know what to expect.
More or less, I worked from the outside in on this gift. I decided it would fit nicely in a Home Depot bucket, and spent a good amount of time with my own wire snippers, snipping wire. However, I did not want the blanket/quilt so much as nicked itself, so I wrapped it in a paper bag. Let me back track here...
I used a fair amount of 1/2 inch thick nylon rope to secure the bucket once I had everything in...bows and ribbons confound guys, providing you use more than one piece of string or multiple bows. I like this trick.
So as not to harm the blanket, I placed it in a paper bag, taped it(probably with duct tape) and rolled it into chicken wire. Then I tied the chicken wire unto itself. I placed the rolled chicken wire bundle into the bucket, with many nicks on my hands from the chicken wire, closed the bucket and proceeded to tie a number of bows on top with nylon rope.
My brother patiently waded through the rope, then pried off the lid, pulled out any filler materials...we always use filler materials, and proceeded to work through the chicken wire. After a few moments of frustration, returned with wire clippers and a sawzall...we like to be prepared. However, in my attempts to protect the blanket, as well as my hands...(leather gloves next try), I did not fold down the ends of the chicken wire. Upon returning, my brother looked at the package again, shoved his fist through the chicken wire into the paper bag and pushed out the gift. Once he was through the duct tape or other tape meant to hold said bag in place, he was in business for revealing his gift, which I'm proud to say took him at least six months to start using it for its intended purpose.
I will admit, I did complain that he didn't use it for his intended purpose of keeping people warm for the fist six months.
Next time, most likely, I'll discuss how to utilize a rubber band ball for gift giving. Until then, Merry Wrapping!
So I finally took the time to finish my brothers fleece/cotton/flannel John Deere quilt, quilted with tractors. This is a nice enough gift in itself...he finally allowed it to be used instead of holding a place of honor on the back of his chair at all times. However, wrapping this in a box or bag was not good enough for me. It needed to be wrapped not once, but at least three times, and well, differently. After searching out ideas, I came up with chicken wire...my brother had chickens after all, and it would be tough to get into unless you came to Christmas with wire clippers...we tend to keep these things nearby as you never know what to expect.
More or less, I worked from the outside in on this gift. I decided it would fit nicely in a Home Depot bucket, and spent a good amount of time with my own wire snippers, snipping wire. However, I did not want the blanket/quilt so much as nicked itself, so I wrapped it in a paper bag. Let me back track here...
I used a fair amount of 1/2 inch thick nylon rope to secure the bucket once I had everything in...bows and ribbons confound guys, providing you use more than one piece of string or multiple bows. I like this trick.
So as not to harm the blanket, I placed it in a paper bag, taped it(probably with duct tape) and rolled it into chicken wire. Then I tied the chicken wire unto itself. I placed the rolled chicken wire bundle into the bucket, with many nicks on my hands from the chicken wire, closed the bucket and proceeded to tie a number of bows on top with nylon rope.
My brother patiently waded through the rope, then pried off the lid, pulled out any filler materials...we always use filler materials, and proceeded to work through the chicken wire. After a few moments of frustration, returned with wire clippers and a sawzall...we like to be prepared. However, in my attempts to protect the blanket, as well as my hands...(leather gloves next try), I did not fold down the ends of the chicken wire. Upon returning, my brother looked at the package again, shoved his fist through the chicken wire into the paper bag and pushed out the gift. Once he was through the duct tape or other tape meant to hold said bag in place, he was in business for revealing his gift, which I'm proud to say took him at least six months to start using it for its intended purpose.
I will admit, I did complain that he didn't use it for his intended purpose of keeping people warm for the fist six months.
Next time, most likely, I'll discuss how to utilize a rubber band ball for gift giving. Until then, Merry Wrapping!
Friday, November 12, 2010
Christmas Gift Wrap Ideas
Over the years, my brother and I have had a "Gift-wrap War" going on. This started when I was 14 and had my first job. Everyone in the family got paid on his birthday that year, and decided to use that paycheck to buy his birthday gifts. They all hoped he would have his party that Saturday afternoon, but since it was mostly a family affair, my brother opted to have the party the afternoon of his birthday. Unfortunately, in the fray, the gift-givers didn't get to wrap his gifts. They were presented in plastic shopping bags. I, big sister, however did not get paid until the next week, and I'd forgotten to plan for his birthday ahead of time. So, I told him I would present a gift after I got paid.
My brother was very disappointed about his gifts not being wrapped, and I understood where he comes from on this viewpoint. Gifts are supposed to be wrapped, its a little extra way to say, "I care." So, after hearing his side about his giftwrapping issues, I decided to make-up for the lack of gift wrap that year. I gave him a little money, and bought a cute little card. I sealed the envelope tight, added a fun sticker for a 10 year old boy, then bought some birthday gift wrap and proceeded to wrap his card three additional times.
When I was finished, I presented him with a small, 3x3 sized gift that he had to really work at to get into. I smiled and said..."See what you get;-)." We weren't quite kind enough then to say "Be careful what you wish for." I think that's closer to what I meant to say.
Here, in an effort to give out more ideas, and create some more of my own...its been nearly 20 years, and we've moved onto chicken wire in plastic buckets tied multiple times with rope, and a zippo style lighter wrapped in a rubber band ball...wrapped a couple of other times. Sorry, for you extra box people...I'm thinking we're going to end up getting each other jack-hammers and using cement to gift wrap(guess I better buy him something durable), but I usually do find a reasonably good attempt to foil the giftee and provide an interesting show at Christmas.
I expect to post something weekly about our past creative gift wrap attempts that put expensive lace and ribbons to shame. Though ribbons certainly do have their place in my gift-wrap world. Enjoy the journey;-).
My brother was very disappointed about his gifts not being wrapped, and I understood where he comes from on this viewpoint. Gifts are supposed to be wrapped, its a little extra way to say, "I care." So, after hearing his side about his giftwrapping issues, I decided to make-up for the lack of gift wrap that year. I gave him a little money, and bought a cute little card. I sealed the envelope tight, added a fun sticker for a 10 year old boy, then bought some birthday gift wrap and proceeded to wrap his card three additional times.
When I was finished, I presented him with a small, 3x3 sized gift that he had to really work at to get into. I smiled and said..."See what you get;-)." We weren't quite kind enough then to say "Be careful what you wish for." I think that's closer to what I meant to say.
Here, in an effort to give out more ideas, and create some more of my own...its been nearly 20 years, and we've moved onto chicken wire in plastic buckets tied multiple times with rope, and a zippo style lighter wrapped in a rubber band ball...wrapped a couple of other times. Sorry, for you extra box people...I'm thinking we're going to end up getting each other jack-hammers and using cement to gift wrap(guess I better buy him something durable), but I usually do find a reasonably good attempt to foil the giftee and provide an interesting show at Christmas.
I expect to post something weekly about our past creative gift wrap attempts that put expensive lace and ribbons to shame. Though ribbons certainly do have their place in my gift-wrap world. Enjoy the journey;-).
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