Eco-Project: Brown Paper Wrapping

Less is more. That's my view on things. So when you have a great wrapping accessory, like a garland or a gorgeous bow, you need not use outlandish paper--you also shouldn't have to spend a ton of money. That's why brown paper makes such an attractive and useful wrap; it draws more attention to the accessories, you'll often have it on hand, and it's a great way to recycle.

For small gifts, a plain old paper shopping bag works just fine. For larger gifts, a big roll of sturdy, brown paper costs about 15 bucks and lasts forever. I always steal some from my mom when I'm home; my brother is still in high school and they make him use it to cover his text books (and you thought wrapping a gift was pointless). Packaging tape works best for this because regular Scotch tape wasn't designed to handle heavy-duty materials.

On the particular gift pictured, the brown paper gave me an opportunity to use the garland I bought from Pier One's awesome Christmas clearance sale. It's a funky gold-colored wire looped around itself and adorned with purple beads and stars. Once again, I apologize for the iPhone photo; in person it looked spectacular, especially against my floral bed sheets. I could not resist.

Using brown paper is possibly my favorite way to wrap. Instead of going out and buying different paper for every occasion, it's just so easy to have the single roll of brown paper on hand, and then to buy the awesome accessories, which usually hit the sales rack for cents apiece pretty quickly. I know, it sounds lazy, but the final product ends up looking so chic.

But yes. It is the perfect solution if you happen to be lazy.

Eco Project: Home Made Envelopes

I had a pen pal when I was a kid, and I always made my own envelopes out of old calendar pictures. I wanted to see if this would translate well into adulthood. Here's how it's done.

Like I said, I used to use old calendar photos. For this project I classed it up a bit using a black and white ad featured in W Magazine, but obviously you can use essentially any paper you want. Unfold an envelope of your choice and trace it onto the paper like this:



Then, fold and glue your new envelope together in the same way the envelope template was constructed.


As you can see from the photo above, I love plain, white note cards without lines. They're great for academic stuff, but I also love writing little notes and cards on them with a black pen.



Because my envelope was black, I addressed it with a silver pen. By the way, it's perfectly fine to send these through the mail; these envelopes would be a great excuse to send a good, old fashioned letter for no real reason at all. I hear people used to love that.

So I don't know, this might not be a grownup project but it's definitely fun for kids, and a good way to fake a decorative card last minute. Also, sorry for the poor quality photos, they were done on my iPhone. Let me know what you think!

Eco Project: Paper Strips

If you have a small gift to wrap, you don't need any conventional accessories to wrap it in a fun way. To cover this small box, I just used a plain sheet of printer paper. To create ribbons, I took a few scraps of colored construction paper and cut them into long, thin strips. Then I gathered a few and held them together in a row with a piece of tape at the end. I taped that end to the bottom of the gift and wrapped the rest around, taping the other side. I repeated for another, overlapping strand. The gift looked nice after this stage, but I decided to add a little extra by wrapping thicker, shorter strips of paper around a pencil and then sliding the edges underneath the thiner, taped strips. They look like whimsical antlers to me.

What's great about this project is that you can use old magazines, calendars, or other re-purposed paper and it will look good. It's also useful if you only have a tiny swatch of your favorite gift wrap left but you don't want to toss it. Just cut it into strips and tape it everywhere, that's what I always say.

Happy weekend! More gift wrapping ideas next week.

Valentine's Day Gift Guide: For Him

Don't worry, I didn't forget about the guys. They're the tricky ones to shop for, anyway. Same rules: top ten traditional items turned on their heads, all under 40 bucks each. Have at 'em.

1) With these stainless steel martini glasses, he'll admit he likes theoccasional cosmopolitan. Salute the holiday

in style.

Set of two glasses

$5 at Target

2) Girls aren't the only ones who deserve sexy underwear on Valentine's day. Let him know he's the king of your heart.

Boxer Shorts

$8.50 at Old Navy

3) A flying saucer that also makes juice. He won't know

he always needed one until he gets one.

Juicer

$18 at Pylones

4) These sleek, silver frames make your photos appear to float. Stick a black and white pic inside for a gift that looks great displayed anywhere.

Float Frames

From $19.95 on CB2

5) Ugly Doll: cuddly as a teddy bear, but with more stubble.

Suntan Target Ugly Doll

$20 at UglyDolls.com

6) Keith Haring's water bottle for Sigg is as functional as it is romantic as it is artful. So many birds with just one stone.

Sigg Bottle

$20 at Sigg.com

7) He gives you flowers every year. This time it's your turn. This cactus garden is spiky, and therefore more masculine, I guess.

Cactus Dish

$29.99 (small size) at 1-800-Flowers

8) This flask is cased in a beautiful, buttery, leather casing. Who knew sneaking liquor into a concert could be so classy?

Flask

$34.50 at J.Crew

9) I always say that chocolate is a little bit of a cop out, but add "fondue" to the mix and suddenly, you're freakin' thoughtful.

Romantic Chocolate Dinner

$35 at Max Brenner

10) Boys of any age love Legos. I actually think this is a proven fact. And we all know they love computers, so jog their memory with a little blast from the past.

1GB Lego Flash Drive

$35.99 at AC Gears

Valentine's Day Gift Guide: For Her

Only one week until the big V-Day! Like the idea of traditional gifts but don't want to get all mushy? I understand. Here are my top ten picks for gifts that she'll appreciate getting and you won't feel like a walking cliche giving. One rule: everything is under $40. Go!

1) Your lady is shoe crazy? How did I know? Kill her with cuteness every time you pour a drink with this set of reusable, high heeled ice cubes.

Set of six ice cubes
$5.95 at CB2




2) So you're not the poetic type; no sweat. Pablo Neruda's got your back.

Love Poems by Pablo Neruda

From $8.60 on Amazon

3) Now every time she bakes or cooks for you, it will be made with love, no matter what.


Measuring Spoons
Set of four for $9.99 at Target

4) Give her an initiative to save her pennies for a romantic get-away with you. She'll remember every time she sees this adorable bank.

Elephant Bank

$12 at Urban Outfitters




5) If you feel uncomfortable giving her massage oil, just remember that Julia Rothman designed the label. It's not only sexy, it's ART.

Kissable Massage Oil
$15 at Victoria's Secret

6) You don't have to be at sea to send her a message in a bottle. The old nautical way goes land-bound with this quaint set.

Love Message in a Bottle

$16 at Anthropologie

7) Your heart is hers. Let her know it everyday in a more abstract way.

Caged Stone Pendant

$24 at Free People

8) Candies are so stereotypical, but these Butlers Chocolates are extraordinary, and with packaging by Orla Kiely, your girl will never throw the box away.

Butler's Chocolates by Orla Kiely

£17 (around $26) at John Lewis

9) Flowers die, but this red roses pillow is super comfy and lasts forever. (Also available in felt, and yellow roses. Yum.)

Pillow

$29.25 at Pier 1

10) Give her an apron that she'll actually want to wear--both in and out

of the kitchen.

Apron

$32 at Anthropologie

Christmas Clearance = Heaven

By now the holiday season is long gone. The down side: no more gratuitous, guilt free eating of peppermint candy. The up side: sales! This is the best time of year to go out and stock up on crazy-cheap supplies for next year’s holiday gift wrapping.

In general, I much prefer wrapping paper that is non-holiday specific, prints that you could pull out at any time of year and design a lovely gift. For that, I’m willing to splurge a little if I'm really attracted to the print. But for paper that is super Christmasy and will inevitably spend 11 months of my year sitting in a box, I don’t want to drop a dump truck of dough. Pier 1 Imports has once of the best post-holidays clearance racks and is home to Christmas wrap that’s way cooler than your grandma’s:

Honestly, I usually hate Christmas-specific wrap. It's normally pretty lame and cheesy, adorned with silly Santas and greetings in cursive writing. But these patterns are a little hipper and more playful. As of today, each one us under $2 a pop, and all are available on the Pier 1 website. I think for about 6 bucks it’s worth having a few holiday prints you really like on hand.