Things I Didn’t Buy 50

The cover of The Most Wonderful Birthday Present is so cute.

This potato gun amused me.

And here’s a cookie gun.

I thought this old phone was interesting.

And I liked this Tillamook Oyster Stew packaging.

Things I Didn’t Buy 31

I really liked this Ace carbon paper packaging—simple, graphic, and I like the airplane and fonts.

This Royal School Life paper packaging is also great.

I liked this Acorn note book filler packaging as well.

And this Audio Magnetics packaging is pretty cute—love the script font.

Finally, this VHS cassette tape rewinder amused and saddened me in the way obsolete technology often does. This was once an expensive item that was sought after, but now, no one wants it and is in fact useless to practically everyone. But I do appreciate the general design of the product. And I like the Kinyo logo.

Things I Didn’t Buy 30

I love the side of this artichoke crate.

And these Icicle wooden crates are quite nice.

I considered getting one of these pop crates, but decided I didn’t need them. And they were sooooo gross. I don’t mind the dirt so much, but there were so many open spider egg sacks.

This Pop Pom cigar box was cute.

And this Atlas train track packaging just amused me.

Things I Didn’t Buy 13

This Dutch Cleanser container is really cute.

And I liked this Bon Ami Powder container as well.

I thought this Sunburst packaging for syringes was designed well. 

This Angel Chimes packaging was interesting.

I thought this Bondex packaging was pretty cute.

DIY: Potato Stamped Cloth Wrapping

Potato stamping is a simple way to create a handmade print. I decided to use this technique to make cloth wrapping for presents.

Cloth Wrapping

A beautifully wrapped gift makes me smile. When you see a pretty package using cute paper and ribbon it shows the effort and thought that someone put into wrapping that package. [Pause.] But I must admit that sometimes a small part of me thinks it’s wasteful (especially with the super nice and expensive wrapping paper). While some people carefully unwrap their gift so they can keep the wrapping paper and reuse it later, many of us just rip the paper to shreds in order to get to the goodies inside. So I have somewhat mixed feelings about using pretty paper that’s just going to end up in the trash.

DIY: Scrap Paper Packaging Decoration

I just seem to accumulate different types of paper (e.g. fine art, scrapbooking, cardstock, used wall calendars and paint samples). Sometimes I use these papers in projects and am left with bits and pieces, and I thought I could use those scraps to decorate packages.

DIY: Paper Fringe Tag

Creating fringe is an easy way to add some texture and visual interest to plain colored cardstock; I used this simple technique to make a gift tag with.

DIY: Paper Fan Flower

When I was a kid, I would use an accordion fold on a piece of paper to create a “fan” (as if that could help to cool me down against a hot summer day). But I thought I could use this simple fold to create a “flower” that could be used as packaging decoration.

DIY: Painted Shopping Bag

Sometimes I keep shopping bags not because they’re particularly cute but because they could be useful. I thought I could use paint to alter a bag’s appearance to make it a bit more visually interesting (as well as cover up any unwanted design elements).

DIY: Toilet Paper Roll Flower

Toilet paper rolls are disposable items we all have. I was looking at one and thought that its shape could lend itself well to a flower. I like the symmetry of something with the word “toilet” in its name coming up roses (figuratively speaking).

DIY: Brown Paper Bag Wrapping Paper

I love kraft paper, and while I could have bought a roll of it to use, I decided on using a brown paper bag from the grocery store instead (since it was something I already had) for wrapping paper.

DIY: Button Ribbon Pin

I had some inexpensive ribbon and some cute buttons and thought I could use them together to create a pin. This pin could be used as a bow for packaging (instead of those plastic-like ones). They’re not too difficult to make and reusable.

DIY: Glitter Pin

Glitter is not to be ignored—it screams, “Look at me! I’m here!” As a child I had a great appreciation for glitter, but with time tastes change, and now I prefer matte to shine. Yet there are times you might want the bright sparkle of glitter to bring a sense of fun. Glitter is celebratory in nature, so I thought a glitter pin could be a nice accent in wrapping a present.

Sticker Pattern

Sometimes I’ll keep items that I think I’ll be able to reuse later. I have a few of these tall containers that I use for extra storage, and I decided to dress one up a little bit with some fun polka dots.

DIY: Button Rubber Band

I love beautiful buttons. I admit that I’ll buy buttons for no other reason than they’re pretty and I want them (even if I don’t have a use for them). However, I didn’t want them to be just trophy buttons (that are pretty yet purposeless), so I decided on a quick and easy project for them: button rubber bands.

Use button rubber bands as hair accessories or as decoration for packaging.

Put a Bow on It

Around Christmas time, a friend of mine drew a bow on a gift’s wrapping paper. I thought it was a cute idea, so I decided to make a bow stamp.

Japanese Silk Labels

Stock images are commonplace at work; they’re quick and easy to get, mock up and replace if necessary. However, when working on personal projects, I generally prefer to create my own imagery since it reflects my design sensibilities to a better degree.

DIY: Bobbin Seal

I often keep things that I don’t need, thinking that I’ll use it sometime in the future. I should probably throw much of it away, but a part of me resists. I can’t help but think that I could use it for something.

So I can feel vindicated that I have used something I’ve kept around: a bobbin. Looking at its shape, I thought I could use it as a stamp.

Just Give Me Money

I’m not particularly excited about giving money and gift cards as presents. It may be what the person in question actually wants, but it’s so impersonal. [Sigh.]