He adjusts. Naturally.
Actually, he suggested I write a post about my joy of not only gift giving, but of wrapping.
Here goes: I like big bows and I can not lie.
John David tried one year to get everyone to put their names on a garbage bag and all presents would be extracted, unwrapped, from the bag on Christmas morning. He has come a long way since then.
However, I do try to challenge myself with spending next to no money wrapping his gifts each year.
This one: packing paper from an Amazon.com shipment and red masking tape.
Space Invader idea and instructions here.
For my oldest son, who is obsessed with 80's video games.
I did this while watching TV & used masking tape to help hold stuff in place and then removed later.
For my youngest, who has established a small armory in his room since his inspirational trip to Colonial Williamsburg. Foam sword from the dollar section of Target. Ribbon is actually fabric cut into strips and allowed to fray.
Bow is made from 2 paper fans I folded (from a page of a 2004 road map) and taped together.
Instructions can be found here.
Sadly, the outside of this package looks more exciting than what is inside. Sorry about that, Patrick.
Directions for how to make the Lego package here.
Oddly enough, there are no Legos inside this package. Or are there.....?
Inspired (ok, copied) from here.
White wrapping paper + sharpie + a ruler +1 episode of Dick Van Dyke = This was easy.
(It was the episode where Sally dates the mortician.)
One of my favorite bows for a package that has to travel anywhere - a knot with extra pieces or ribbon tied into it.
It still looks nice after being shipped.
This one, will not look nice even after being gently carried.
Sara, this is what your gift looked like originally:)
I just used my fingers instead of the cardboard circle thingie...maybe that is why my poms are so whoppy-jawed.
Another one from recycled items:
The yellow is a plastic shopping bag, the map is from an old driving atlas (ends are punched to make the scallop with a Martha Stewart punch), bow was saved from a gift last year.
This one is also for my thrifty husband:)
Got the idea from Real SImple.
Jump rope is from the $1 section in Wal-Mart.
Snake from the $1 section at Wal-Mart. I envisioned being able to tie the snake like a bow. (That clearly screams Christmas gift, right?) But the snake was not fit to be tied, so it is held in place with some green masking tape (from Michael's) and then a green ribbon over it.
For my nephew.
Gift bag is a reusable one from $1 section at Wal-Mart. Star is a scrap booking chipboard item.
I don't usually favor gift bags, but sometimes they can not be avoided.
Book plate is a scrap booking tag. I have always "saved" things like that "in case I need them" for a scrapbook page. No more. Why save it when I could put it on my son's package?
And I like the twine. I think it is our garden twine....
Packaging paper, BBQ skewer and the bow is from a sack of oranges. Also for Mr. Thrifty-pants.
(The black thing on the gift is a wine filter for when my husband's wife destroys a cork in the wine bottle and it needs to be filtered out when poured.)
Monster from the $1 section of Target for my oldest's monster collection.
My Mom often put a little ornament, candy or small toy under the bows of our packages when I was a kid. It seems normal to do this to me, but several people have asked me why my gifts sometimes appear inside out.
Last one:
For my nephew, Kaleb. Do you think he will be able to guess what it is?
Wrapped with packing paper cut into long strips to wrap around all the parts.
Lots of tape was used...but I'm pretty happy with the result.
Happy wrapping!
