Brenda Baker Productions

Today, I've left it all to the last minute: the wrapping, the groceries, the baking. This is when it gets real, people. Maybe you have a few things to wrap today, too? If so, here's a little wrapping inspiration from DJ Wrapper BB (with a little OCD). First of all, you don't need to amass a lot of gift wrap. Storing too many rolls takes space (we're short on space so that's always a challenge) and then you run the risk of mucking them up. I like my gift wrap to be pristine. Just choose a few favorites. Oh, and by the way, I prefer to actually wrap gifts in boxes. I rarely use gift bags unless the item is a really weird shape or if I'm in a pinch. Second--and perhaps most importantly--beautiful ribbon is a must. I tend to have lots of ribbon on hand in a variety of colors for year-round wrapping. I love Paper Source satin ribbon. Have fun with your wrapping. Even though I always leave it to the last minute, I like the wrapping better than the shoppi...

It's so hard to throw away good design. In this age of all things online, I still appreciate many of the paper catalogs and magazines I get in the mail--especially those with exceptional photography and art. Some brands do them SO well. Rather than toss these in the recycling bin, get a little more life out of them. All you need is a little assortment of envelope templates. I have had mine for years but you can still probably find these at Impress or you can make your own with cardstock. For this tutorial, I used a beautiful holiday Anthropologie catalog, my envelope templates, a scoring tool, my favorite Tombow Mono Glue, pencil, scissors, and a little ruler. I started with my largest template that will fit a 4.25x5.5" handmade card. Although this is the size of card I typically make, I decided that I probably wanted smaller gift enclosure envelopes since I'll be doing a lot of gift wrapping this week. Here's the largest one I made in this session. Catalog ...