Holiday Gift Giving: DIY, Eco-Friendly, Recycled Wrapping

I have a penchant for gift wrapping. Growing up with a staunch feminist for a mother, whom I love dearly, our Christmas gifts were always hastily wrapped in paper grabbed at the last minute, on Christmas Eve, with a bow and a gift tag plopped on top. It was always a hassle, a chore, and more than likely one that was passed on to me. Luckily for me (and for mom) I love wrapping. I also love other things that my mom detests like doing crafts, decorating and renovating. For my mom, these kinds of activities are associated with antiquated female roles like “the perfect hostess” or “homemaker”. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have a lovely family home, or that my mom doesn’t enjoying baking dozens of Christmas cookies and throwing holiday parties, it just means that she has never wanted to feel like she is “supposed” to do these things. And I get that. But I can’t help it, I enjoy them.

Souce: We Heart It

I’m getting sidetracked, the point is, the older I’ve grown the more I’ve appreciated and enjoyed gift giving and gift wrapping. There is something really special about choosing something for someone that you care about and wrapping it in an equally care-filled way. We have made it obvious with our posts here at WTD that we like to spoil our loved ones; whether it’s with a DIY shower scrub, a treasured book or simply a potluck dinner with old friends, Christmas is a time to show the people you love how much you love them. To me, wrapping just tops off those sentiments. Crafting a beautiful looking parcel shows the care and thought you put into purchasing the gift.

Source: We Heart It

There are legitimate downfalls to wrapping, though and I am going to address them. A lot of people can’t invest time or money into wrapping because presents, especially for kids, are unwrapped in a matter of minutes. Your hard work and determination is undone by your greedy seven year old nephew who takes one look at the toy and tosses it aside. I can see how that is frustrating. Generally, we like to be pretty eco-friendly here at WTD so the fact that gift wrap creates a lot of garbage is a major concern. Luckily, gift wrap is becoming more and more recyclable as the years pass. Look for gift wrap that has that magical little triangle on the tag and make sure to tell the receiver that it is  (most people assume it isn’t). Other great options include using kraft paper (the kind you wrap parcels in for mail) or even newspaper and dressing the otherwise plain packaging up with an extra beautiful ribbon or bow. The best thing you can do is re-use your gift wrap. Don’t crumple the bag or cut that ribbon! If take the time to unwrap carefully and you can re-use almost every aspect of the present in future gift giving.

Once you've collected a selection of pre-loved, recycled and used gift wrap do an inventory and decide what you need to buy. It may not be realistic to wrap each gift with the amount of care and love you want to. Decide who will appreciate your time and efforts the most and spoil them. If you can wait, try holding out until a week before the big day. In the beginning of December wrapping paper comes at a premium but wait, the sale stuff is best! I got a plethora of amazing wrapping goods at Chapters yesterday for $2-$5 a piece! I got bows, ribbon, pretty tissue and a couple gorgeous tags to compliment my used/recycled/eco-friendly supplies.

I've done some serious brainstorming so I'll start by giving you some of my ideas (with a little help from the Internet):

Wrapping

• an old map
• recycled brown (or other) bags 
• kraft paper/butcher paper/brown paper
• newspaper
• magazine ads (ie. a super classy Chanel ad)
• pretty patterned pre-loved tissue paper (ie. the kind you get at higher-end stores in the bag)
• fabric scraps
• jars/tins/boxes
• sheet music
• burlap
• scrap wallpaper
• vintage sewing patterns (also works for tissue)

Ribbon

• ribbon
• twine
• raffia
• baker's twine
• string
• lace
• yarn

 Accents Pieces

• snips of greenery
• sprigs of berries
• small Christmas ornaments you don't use anymore
• bells
• shells
• pine cones
• postcards
• doily
• twigs
• feathers
• aluminium foil for a silvery sparkle
• paint chips cut into the shape of Christmas trees ect.

Now, on to the fun. What I have collected and pinned from the wonderful world of the Internet:

Use Buttons

This is a particularly awesome idea for kids and who doesn’t have a box full of spare buttons?

Use Your Feet:

Those feet-reindeer with googly eyes are probably the cutest thing I have ever seen!

Use Tree Clippings

Source: MomSpark

You have to trim the bottom branches off your tree anyway so why not use them in you wrapping? 

Create a Chalkboard Look

Source: Nashville Wraps

Chalkboards are very on trend yet would be unique for Christmas, you can create a chalkboard look and tie it all together with red ribbon! I like creativity this option opens up! If you have kids let them draw some snowmen and mistletoe all over them.

Make them Girly with Doilies

Source: The Yellow Buttercup

I think the kraft paper and doily go together beautifully. Using brown string to tie it all together just completes that pretty, rustic look.

All Natural

Source: Design Sponge

I love this combo of natural accent pieces, a homemade typewriter tag, kraft paper and tied with raffia.

Splatter Paint

Source: Go for the Creative

Not only does it look like snow but you get to re-live your Kindergarten days making it!

Potato Stamp

Source: Lost and Fawned

While you're still in your splatter painting clothes continue down memory lane and potato stamp some butcher paper with Christmas trees!

Feathery Flair

Source: Maggie Pate's Flickr

Real or fake, feathers add flair! These packages also have beautiful tags.

Lady-Like Lace

Source: Living in Simplicity

 Adding a little lace is a pretty accent. Adding lace and ribbon? I'm in love! Simple elegance. I would use a Christmas-y coloured ribbon, though. 

Cookie Cutter Patterns

Source: Restless Oasis

If you have an excess of Christmas-y cookie cutters re-use a couple of them to make wintery designs on your parcels!

 Sheet Music

Source: Vintage with Laces

 I love the look of sheet music as wrapping paper especially for a music lover!

The last, and my favouirte!

Sadly Pinterest had no click-through for this one :(

Well, that's a wrap! Gotta book it!

xoxo JEM

P.S. post your eco-friendly, DIY, recycled and re-useable ideas in the comments! Tweet, Pin & Instragram us too!

The evolution of a Christmas tradition

Sunday night marked the 8^th anniversary of the Christmas dinner tradition my best friends and I began when we were fifteen. Well, 8 years ago give or take. The last couple of years our tradition was passed over, just because it was impossible to find a time when the five of us were in the same city and available on the same day! Between me and another friend being out of town for school, and two of the others who normally spend the holidays vacationing, keeping our high school tradition alive has been harder than ever! Despite my hopes for this year, when we were all finally going to be in the same city for the first time in five years, the planning was just as difficult! It made me nostalgic for the high school years when seeing your best girls was an everyday occurrence; ironically, making the seeing one another at Christmas dinner less important, but easier, than it is now.

We began this tradition in tenth grade.  By then, me and my close group of girlfriends had already known each other for eight years.  At such a young age, we were already a family, and we thought that a Christmas dinner was due to celebrate that. We decided to do a potluck (which for most of us meant that our mothers prepared some yummy dish—I only barely learned to cook when I went away for university) and exchanged small gifts around the Christmas tree.  The following year, we decided to do Kris Kringle instead, and buy a bigger gift for one person, since only a few of us had part time jobs hence, the gift giving was also brought-to-you-by our parents. (Merry Christmas, from my mom just doesn’t have the same ring to it as a gift you buy yourself, am I right?)

Christmas dinner 2006. (Sorry about the poorly blurred faces, privacy and all that)

By the time we were eighteen, the idea of Christmas dinner became more important than ever—my friend Sarina and I had both gone out of town for university, and we happened to be on opposite ends of the province. Two of my other friends had also begun intensive post secondary programs, and the final member of our group of five was hunting for full time employment; safe to say, we all had quite a bit on our plates and our communication had dwindled significantly. I came into town one weekend specifically for Christmas dinner, and I remember how excited I was when my friends pulled up at the bus station to pick me up. It truly felt like a family reunion, but one you actually want to attend. By Christmas 2008, we all had so many other financial responsibilities that we decided to cut out gift exchange altogether, thinking it was better to spend time and money on actually cooking for our annual potluck, and just enjoying being in one another’s company after such long separation. But you’d never get the sense anything was “missing”, since we were all laughs and smiles (ok so the multiple bottles of wine we consumed may have contributed to that); we even took what you might call “traditional family photos” with the whole group in front of the tree.

Christmas dinner 2008

That was the last time we were able to get together for our annual potluck dinner. Even this year, one of my friends was missing due to a family function, but we just COULD NOT find another day that worked for the majority of the group, so we decided more attendance was better than no Christmas dinner at all. We held dinner a little bit later than usual, to accommodate the work schedules of two of my friends, but even still everyone contributed something, the wine flowed and it felt like we were eighteen again. This year, for the first time, it was really starting to hit home that traditions like these may be harder to keep as the years go on and life gets busier, which makes them that much more important, even if it is the only time I see my best friends during the entire holiday season. It would sadden me to see these aspects of our friendship take the backburner to inevitable life changes: I hope we will continue our Christmas tradition unto the point where we are each bringing our own families to celebrate with old friends.  Essentially, it is all about making traditions of love, like our Christmas dinner, a priority, agreeing to make compromises and sacrifices where necessary to ensure that for that one night a year, our little family is all present to celebrate not only the holiday season, but the fact that after so many years of adolescent struggle, the pressures of high school, physical separation and the difficulties that come with growing up, our friendship has survived, and is as strong as ever.

I felt that emphasizing this was most important this of all years, since I have a feeling that the next few years there will bring some big life changes for many of my friends wherein remembering and relying on your truest friends will be crucial. To reiterate to my girls my love and appreciation for them and our friendship, I decided to give them each a small token from my heart. True to my literary soul, I wrote them each a poem to commemorate the years past and express my hope for the future. I put them in frames that cost me no more than a couple of bucks, and I got a more emotional and appreciative response than I would have expected. Just goes to show that around the holidays, gifts given from love (whether that be kind words on a page or spoken aloud, or time spent together) are really all any of us can ask for. I encourage everyone to make similar traditions with close friends or family, at the very least to ensure that no matter how crazy life gets, there remains a stable foundation of love on which to rely, the sharing of which one can unwaveringly 

look forward to year after year.

However, I intend to make sure that next year’s Christmas dinner includes all five of our group. I may need to start planning now. 

A Book Buying Guide for the Bookworms (and maybe even some Non-Bookish Folk) on your List this Holiday Season

Further to our gift card discussion, I thought I'd post a book buying guide for the fast-approaching holiday season. I personally love receiving books as gifts but for some reason I rarely get them in return! You'd think as an English major and bookish nerd people would automatically get me books but perhaps because I've read a lot of books they shy away from choosing one for me? In my opinion, there is nothing more personal than choosing a book for a loved one. If you don't know where to start - start here! Remember, there's this magical thing called a GIFT RECEIPT that you can stick in the cover of the book to ensure that if they have read it they can return the gift and choose something they haven't. I usually wait and confirm that the receiver hasn't read the book before writing a personal inscription in the cover.  The most recent book I received as a gift was Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns). I loved this present as I would never have bought it myself but thoroughly enjoyed it and gained a newfound appreciation for Mindy Kaling (I was a clueless Office lover who didn't know she was a major writing force). The book isn't on my list but does come highly recommended, especially for a young woman or aspiring writer of any kind. Kaling is a talented, funny and, despite the title, confident woman to learn from and look up to!

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Here at WTD we like to support local bookshops and booksellers but in the guide I have posted images and links to Chapters/Indigo for your reference and discretion.

1.) For a Friend in a Rut – The  Glass Castle – Jeanette Walls

The Glass Castle

If you haven’t read the blog article I wrote after hearing author Jeanette Walls speak at a literary event, read it here. I am a huge fan of her work and my appreciation for The Glass Castle doubled, no, quadrupled after having the chance to meet her in person.  The Glass Castle  is the perfect book for a friend who is in a rut, as many of us twenty-somethings are, because it puts life into perspective while simultaneously providing an unapologetic sense of hope for the future.  Hope is important for many of us right now and this book is also funny, touching and thought provoking.

2.) For your Mother-in-Law – The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – Mary Ann Shaffer

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Have you read it? It’s great! I stole it off my mom’s shelf expecting something completely different based solely on my impression of the title but it’s a rich and rewarding read written in the epistolary form that has an upbeat sensibility that I appreciate in literature. Goodreads: “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all. Juliet [the protagonist] begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever”. Some reader reviewers on Good Reads find it a little hokey but I truly enjoyed the wholesome, good-feeling vibes Shaffer puts into her writing. In my opinion, it’s a perfect read for your MIL.

3.) For your Literary Friend – Half-Blood Blues - Esi Edugyan

Half Blood Blues

I realize that because this selection is for your literary friend they may have read this book, but if they’re a literary friend they’ve probably read a lot of books. It’s going to be kind of  a shot in the dark to choose something for them no matter what. When in doubt, scan their bookshelves next time you’re over and looking for missing titles. Interestingly, despite its widespread acclaim I’d say that Half-Blood Blues is a novel many of my literary friends haven’t read – and should! This book changed the way I read. It immediately became one of my all times favourites. Edugyan surprised me in many ways and Half-Blood Blues turned into a story I wasn’t expecting and, interestingly, needed to read at the time. Half-Blood Blues reveals a side of war I hadn’t experienced in history or literature and it entranced and enveloped me. Good Reads puts it beautifully: “the best-selling, award-winning Half-Blood Blues is an entrancing, electric story about jazz, race, love and loyalty, and the sacrifices we ask of ourselves, and demand of others, in the name of art”.

4.) For your Eccentrically Eclectic Friend - The Door – Margaret Atwood

The Door

Unfortunately, you can’t give poetry to just anyone in this day and age, but hopefully, like me, you have a friend that truly appreciates the poetic side of life. If they have an appreciation of poetry or Atwood The Door will be an excellent choice. Atwood turned me on to poetry in grade twelve with her poem You Fit into Me (if you haven’t read it – go read it right now) and I’ve loved her poetry (and poetry in general) ever since. I studied The Door in a seminar class with Dionne Brand (get jealous and stay that way – it was a life changing semester) and I highly recommend the collection. As Good Reads explains, The Door: “investigate[s] the mysterious writing of poetry itself, as well as the passage of time and our shared sense of mortality”. As I said, choose the receiver of this gift wisely and it could be the perfect present.

5.) For your Dad – In the Skin of a Lion – Michael Ondaatje 
 

In The Skin of a Lion

My dad’s a reader, but I challenge you to try this book out on yours even if he isn’t. Ondaatje is a true wordsmith and In the Skin of a Lion is enchanting because of the effortless use of storytelling and language.  In the Skin of a Lion is a captivating read because of Ondaatje's use of poetic language and the way the text compels the reader to “figure it out” from the very beginning. In The Skin of a Lion explains Toronto's unspoken past and combines history, mystery and adventure to explore the sinister underside involved in building Canada’s biggest city in the 1920s.  

6.) For Your Aunt or Uncle that you simply can’t Shop For – The Shipping News – Annie Proulx

The Shipping News begins with the slowly imploding life of Quoyle a newspaper press room worker from New York State who relocates to his ancestral home on the coast of Newfoundland with his two daughters after being deserted by his ex-wife Petal. The family’s relocation is the beginning of a mid-life turnaround that allows Quoyle to find his place in the world and what Goodreads calls his “struggle to reclaim his life”. I absolutely love books set on the coast and The Shipping News is possibly the best. A guaranteed crowd pleasing read for any family member you simply can’t shop for.

7.) For your Mom – Latitudes of Melt – Joan Clark

Latitudes of Melt

Okay, now I’m on a Newfoundland kick. Latitudes of Melt is one of my mom’s favourite "finds" aka she found in in my bookshelf. I studied this book in a Can lit course during my Undergrad. Written by the author of An Audience of Chairs, Latitudes of Melt is a mom-pleasing, character driven story about a baby, later re-named Aurora, who is found floating off the coast of Newfoundland after the Titanic sinks. She is adopted and raised by a family in Newfoundland and later raises her own family there. The book explores her entire life until old age when she is finally convinced that she should explore her origins and find out where she came from.

8.) For your Brother or Brother in Law – Homage to Catalonia – George Orwell

Homage to Catalonia

The only book my brother has ever read is 1984. Okay, that’s probably not true but it is the only book he has ever liked, and he only read it because his high school curriculum made him. My parents had two children and our strengths are literally split down the middle; I am an English major who loves reading, writing, art, yoga, animals and nature and my brother in an Engineer who excels in science and math and plays sports… for fun (if you can believe that). I have chosen Homage to Catalonia because of my brother’s lack luster reading resume (his only weak resume, I might add, the kid is a genius). He liked Orwell, I think, because Orwell catches readers off guard and captures their interest before they have a chance to put the book down. Even most non-readers have gotten through Animal Farm and have had to stop and think about it. That’s a pretty amazing feat considering Animal Farm is often read around grade ten when boys are possibly at their most boy-ish. Homage to Catalonia is a lesser known Orwell which depicts his experience in the Spanish Civil War where he served on the Aragon front for a hundred and fifteen days and was at one point shot through the throat in battle. In typical Orwell fashion he replies to the people who said he was the “lucky man to have survived being shot in the throat” that it would be “luckier not to have been shot at all”. This book is rich in history, and although it doesn’t showcase typical wartime action, the politics and strife are evident on every page and I promise the reader will learn a lot (I did!).  

9.) For your Friend who has Read All the Classics – Wide Sargasso Sea – Jean Rhys 

Wide Sargasso Sea

Give this book to someone who has read the classics, loves the Brontës and Austen, but also appreciates good contemporary fiction (like us!). Don’t give this book to a classics-snob (I’ve met several of them – it’s not attractive – why are they your friend, anyway?) because they will be an asshole about it. I re-read Jane Eyre before embarking on Wide Sargasso Sea and I loved the entire experience! It gave me a chance to re-fresh on one of my top-five favourite Classics of all time and gave me a breath of fresh air and a new perspective on the story. Rhys explores Antoinette Bertha Cosway, Mr. Rochester’s mysterious captive and “madwoman” in Jane Eyre and crafts a unique and compelling tale set in 1830s Jamaica.

10.) For Anyone - Longbourn - Jo Baker 

Longbourn

I admit, I haven't read Longbourn (yet) but I have already given it to one my best friends. It sounds wonderful, someone described it to be Downton Abbey-esque, so of course I know I'm going to like it. Like Wide Sargasso Sea Longbourn plays with the beloved, tried and true story of Pride and Prejudice. I recommend reading Pride and Prejudice first to refresh, just like I did with Wide Sargasso Sea. In fact, why not give P&P and Longbourn as a gift set? I'm going to go put Longbourn on my wish list now!

In closing, I urge you to give at least one book this holiday season! Use this book buying guide or think up your own (and if you do, make sure to share it with me!). Either way, I know that any book lover and maybe even the oddly non-bookish folk  in your life will appreciate the gesture and maybe even learn something new this holiday season!

Gotta book it,

JEM

More bookish gifts for your hard-to-buy-for list!

So if you haven't seen Part One of this insanely long gift idea list, start there.  If we still didn't meet your needs, proceed.  But be warned: these ideas are so awesome, you're probably going to want most of them for yourself.
1. DVD collection of their favourite classic (if a collection doesn't exist, assemble it for them.  A quick wiki search tells me there are at least four movie versions of Wuthering Heights and most are available individually on Ebay.)
2. More plants.  No, seriously.  No home or reading nook should be without greenery; they are beautiful and healthy for us and the planet.  IKEA has a great plant section (so does No Frills), with bangin' bonzai trees and marvelous money trees with those wicked twisty trunks.  Everyone, from your teenage brother to your upstairs neighbour, likes to be needed, and needs something to nurture.  It expands your scope; it makes your world a little bigger when a life form is relying on you.

3. Decorative birdcage.  'Cause it feels all Victorian and lovely.  Add some vintage keys for the complete effect.
4. This gorgeous scarf with a quotation on it.  DIY here.

Etsy

5. Fabulous lampshade with words on it.  Tutorial here.
6. Equally fabulous shower curtain with words on it.  Bonus points if you can find or make coordinating soap dispenser, towels and bath mat.  Because bathrooms get rejected a lot.
7. Unique brass cuff with quotation on it.  I received this one for Christmas last year and it's my favourite piece of jewelry.

Etsy

8. Penguin earrings.  Nuff said.  (Actually come to think of it, if Penguin cufflinks exist...)

Etsy.

9. Dog GPS.  OK, OK.  This isn't literary at all, but we had a scare the other day when Mister Monkey got lost...and ended up on the neighbour's porch a significant distance away.  A GPS that would alert me when he left the yard (set up using a "Geo fence") would've saved us an hour of searching and innumerable tears.  The BluTracker looks interesting, but isn't being mass produced for another few weeks...
10. Crock pot.  Because there are NOT enough hours in the day to go to work, write your blog, exercise, play with the dogs and read a book.  Something's gotta give.  Unless you can do a triple combo move and make dinner effortlesly in a slow cooker, while reading your book, while working out.  Bonus points if you write/etch a wicked literary quotation on the crock pot.
11. Thing-a-majiggy that holds books open: great for reading on the stationary bike or treadmill.  Amazon calls it the Flip Clip.
12. Membership to Audible.  Listening to books is really convenient.
13. Glass/ceramic/steel etcher for the wannabe craft maven.  There's one available at Lee Valley for less than $15.  And if it's Lee Valley, it's quality tested and the company is Canadian owned.
14. Penguin bookjacket postcards (boxed set of 100).  If you want to be really generous, include a roll of stamps.

From theguardian

16. Spoon rest: the quickest way to add some jazz to your kitchen.  Ask an Etsy or craft show artist if they can customize one for you.  Basically anyone with a kiln should be able to.  Or you can try that Pinterest craft where you write on it with Sharpie and bake it on.  What about "Please, sir, I want some more?"
17. Embroidered oven mitts or anything personalized... it's just more...well, you know.  Personal.  Wine glasses, pillow cases, dog collars, mailboxes, tablecloths... if it can be painted or sewed on, you or a professional can take that regular item and turn it into individual-tastic.
18. Etched cake cloche, DIY here.  Don't forget to follow us on Pinterest.
19. Not literary per se but so nifty I couldn't leave it out.  Slumped bottle cheese tray or candy dish.  These are so wicked!  We have one of each and everybody raves about them.  It's also a great way to upcycle.  They're available on Etsy but also should be available at your local Craft Fairs this holiday season.  If you live in the Ottawa area, Riverlights Stained Glassworks can make you one for about $25.  they currently have only Grey Goose bottles in stock, but you are allowed to provide your own bottle as well!  You can contact them via Facebook or at riverlights@rogers.com

This one is on Etsy

20. This Shakespearean t-shirt.  Short, bookish girls unite!