Speaking of Haste in Gift Selection

I hate to do this – but Guys you are gift grabbers, not gift shoppers.

Well, maybe not all of you. But those of you who fall into this category need to step up your game.

If you have no clue what to buy, check in with other friends and relatives to see what they have already (did you read that word) purchased.

This will avoid the dreaded multiple item syndrome- like three red sweaters in one year. All different sizes and flattering to totally unflattering silhouettes. (Been there).

Also, not every idea is a great idea. Like a pair of black gloves and a pair of brown gloves. (Especially when one only owns black coats).

And really, where did that idea come from? (Your mother????)

My favorite story is about the Guy that bought a fur coat for his wife. Had it monogrammed and wrote a beautiful and heartfelt card for her to open.

She very, very obviously wanted this coat. Which made him want her to suffer a little bit more and wonder if she was going to get it.

So he brought it into our store and asked that we wrap it to look like the size of a microwave. For some women this would not have been the preferred Holiday gift.

He also wanted some really hideous paper and not the best wrap job so it would carry this theme further.

Done and done, as we aim to provide the wrapping of your dreams.

He came in after the Holidays to tell us how his ruse worked.

Fabulously.

He said every day that gift was under the tree it would get a little kick or a slight tear in the paper. And by Christmas, the attitude was quite surly and snarky.

And then she opened it and was undone. Whooping and crying all at once.

What a wonderful Christmas story!

Its beginning to look alot like…

Check out these pictures from the store.

Yessirree…it is controlled chaos and we’re up to our eyeballs already.

Our Wrap Artists have been working their fingers and creative brains since before Thanksgiving.

There are some very organized people this year compared to last.

Wahoo!

But don’t worry, there is plenty for everyone and WE WILL BE OPEN UNTIL 3PM ON CHRISTMAS EVE!

So get out there and shop early. Because as they say, the early bird catches the worm (and the best deals!)

Gift Wrapping Has Gone High Tech

Yep, you heard it right here.

Gift wrapping has a new high tech solution (and I don’t mean robots come to your house to wrap- yet.)

Go to the Apple Store and find our iPhone/iTouch application called “WrapItApp”.

With the touch of a finger, your device can measure and store the dimensions of the box you want to wrap, tell you how much paper and ribbon to use and give you step by step pictures and text to show you how to do it.

A lot easier than dragging your wrapping to your desktop computer or reading a book and following instructions while you try to wrap.

It still means you will need wrapping paper, scissors, tape and ribbon to accomplish your mission.

But in a more portable and convenient size- And with future updates to come.

It takes a lot to be cool, but much more to be awesome.

Be awesome.

What I love about being a shop owner

I love all of my customers.

I want them to come into the store and fell welcome, relaxed and refreshed. I want one of my Wrap Artists to recognize them and call them by name. I think that when everybody knows your name (as the TV series “Cheers” used to say) it makes you feel special and rewarded for being there.

Maybe it’s because I feel that they are all so special to me, that they should get to know one another. So I try to be a connector; introduce each individual customer to another individual customer.

Sounds hard, but it’s actually really easy. That is if you are willing to take the time to listen and take the time to pay attention.

Every customer has a talent like writing, a skill like quilting, a gift for telling a story, a flair for the dramatic, or the aptitude for educational excellence.

And I just love to see them bask in the special feeling when they have found “another”- someone else that shares that same, crazed love for an identical hobby, skill, talent or educational pursuit.

And then every time I see either one of these two new friends, I get to participate in the conversation in some way- ask a question, catch up on their interest, see how they have continued their dialogue.

Just plain fun if you ask me.

Overflowing Drawers of Paper

My sister, Lydia, went to Europe on a family vacation- Paris, Prague and Amsterdam.

She’s great because she always ask me what she can bring me back. And I always ask for the same thing- if she has the time, I love her to visit the local stationery store and bring me home a fabulous piece of wrapping paper.

So the newest additions to my collection include a traditional toile pattern (oui, c’est vrai!) from Paris; a luscious green handmade paper that will look fabulous as a book cover (that I will assemble in my free time, ha!); a pink and red pattern that will be fun for a Holiday something and a white and silver swirl pattern that looks like an Art Deco design.

I know that this paper fetish is going to end up like other collections that I have- out of control.

So if you have any great ideas for how to actually use paper instead of collecting it- sure love the help.

Doing Research on Special Containers

I have been doing many special projects this last month that have been keeping me busy.

Most have included research for unusual container solutions- whether it’s a custom sized box or a shaped package.

The fascinating process has allowed me to read fabulous books and trade publications that cover design trends from all over the world.

Shapes, colors, but mostly the intricate pattern used to construct the “container”, gives way to all kinds of possibilities-ones for now and ones to save for future projects.

An example of a nicely designed container. We sell these in our store.

Interestingly, many of the books have been published in Japan. I have always believed that the gift wrapping is a serious requirement to elevate gift giving from the ordinary to extraordinary- but in a simple, elegant, and maybe even quietly exquisite way.

And in looking at these books I saw complexity and simplicity are often interwoven in one design.

Like how the ordinary cake box becomes a totally out-of-this-world package when in the hands of a passionate designer, these boxes are colorful, playful and utilized and created a host of shapes- many requiring complicated die cut processes.

I have a new interest- to go to every library and seek out wonderful books that test my thinking and my creativity.

Have found yourself on the edge of learning something totally new yourself- something that makes you push through to challenge what you know or what you can do. I feel like I am standing on that edge. Now I just have to find the time to indulge in this new passion- should I skip sleep, eating or brushing my teeth to fit in this new interest? We’ll have to see.

Getting the Store Ready for the Holidays!

I know that you read this headline and thought that it was too early to think about the Holidays.

Me, too.

But it seems like every big box store has Halloween mixed up with Christmas- or is it the other way around?

Halloween gift wrap!

I hate it myself. It takes the joy of each of these distinctive holidays and smashes them together, meanwhile skipping the whole Thanksgiving thing. Starting October 1 it is Halloweenthanksgivingchristmasnewyears.

By the way Thanksgiving gets a short shrift from stores because there are no gifts attached. It is the only holiday that is really about food-cooking it and eating it. After the big meal there are snatches of the TV tuned to a football game or two followed by a late night turkey sandwich with all the trimmings or second piece of pie.

Back to Halloweenthanksgivingchristmasnewyears.

By now you are probably thinking why am I complaining since I’m in the holiday business?

Complain I must, because I hate to jump the seasons this fast and have to think about have my store decorated by early November.

And that seems pretty late given my tour through COSTCO last week. On a trip for bottled water I walked by displays packed with Christmas ribbon, wrapping paper and all the fixing’s of Christmas. (Wonder when they made that chocolate candy?????)

Why must we buy holiday ribbon on October? Is there going to be a time when we run out of these things? Is there an urgency to purchasing these items now or forever pine away for the ribbon we so desperately needed to finish our wrapping project?

How dare I mock the business and industry that I am so passionate about?

Because I think it has gotten out of hand, when Christmas arrives earlier and earlier every year. For fear that we as consumers better buy now or forget future possibilities of correctly celebrating the holidays.

Just a random ranting- but it really does bug me. You, too?

A Cool Nip in the Air

I’ll tell you that the change this week to cool weather ( this being the first week of October) has made me gasp at the notion of wearing socks and shoes and potentially layering a sweater or jacket on in the mornings to ward off the chill.

That’s Michigan weather- the chance to slowly drift into cool weather while still having a sunny and slightly warm afternoon.

So today I was thinking about spices – how the colors trends this fall are so heavily influenced by Chili, Curry, Nutmeg and the colors they represent.

Pretty intense colors – and surely the names evoke strong sense of smell.

Lisa's Gift Wrappers Fall Paper

Last week when I was starting to plan the papers and ribbons for Fall, it seemed a little silly because no one, least of all me, seemed to be in the mood to put away the colors of summer.

But when the temperatures change, it seems to shake everyone into realizing the season is about to change.

And so it did. As we wait for the leaves to start to change colors, we can look forward to fresh apple cider and doughnuts from the cider mill- the smells and tastes a distinctly Midwest thing. Yummy!

Starbucks will offer Pumpkin Spice Lattes and other treats like Spice cookies or Pumpkin muffins.

It takes willpower to hold the line (and waist line) against this slow slide towards the Holidays.

So for me, I will try to slow down and enjoy the color change – because that’s what I find so fascinating and invigorating and inspiring as an artist.

And use all of my senses, mixed together in the right proportions, to give my customers a glorious riot of color that matches the weather outside. Because I know it will make for a fabulous gift they have chosen for a dear friend, family member or other welcoming occasion.

So here’s to successful outcomes – be it a simply colorful package, a walk in the woods to enjoy the color of the leaves or the fond memories evoked by a taste of your favorite childhood treat of Fall. (Where does Candy Corn come from and why is it called that?)

Summer vacation was invented by a man

It had to be. Because men go about their life that same – and a mother starts dreading the summer about April, trying to plan ahead for the long days of summertime.

Just ask any mother during the summer. While summer vacation has some upsides, like a less rigid schedule and not a lot of homework to do, there are still those things that kids need.

Something to do is the first step. And that means as much or more driving around. Plus, Mom also becomes entertainment central – answering the “I’m s-o-o-o bored” comments with how about – cleaning your room, reading a book, going outside and playing or riding your bike.

So where is Mom’s summer of doing nothing?

It’s funny. As an adult, I crave the free time to just do nothing. Like swing in a hammock or lie on a blanket under a tree and have a picnic.

When did those fun things disappear for me?

I have some many things that I would love to do. I can always find something to do- although housework is not my first choice, nor is laundry, cleaning bathrooms or even grocery shopping.

I guess that when you are a kid, you’re in a hurry to get some place. And when you are an adult, you’re not so much in a hurry, but rather more likely to wish to slow down and finish some of those things you missed.

So can that guy who invented summer vacation for kids figure out a way that we adults can have a piece of that action? I wonder. How was your summer vacation?

Color Again?

Just imagine your brand new box of crayons. It is exciting because all the points are nice and sharp. The crayons are orderly. And that smell- you remember it forever and anyone can go there with that scent and immediately relate.

So, here’s what I have been working on- thinking about how color fills your senses- not just visually, but also through other senses- especially your sense of smell.

The color purple and all its shades are very popular for late summer and early Fall weddings.

And, lavender is a very relaxing and soothing scent- it can remind you of freshly ironed sheets; or a wonderful spa treatment, like a facial or a massage. Maybe even eye shades that are cool and help get rid of a headache.

And what if you opened a gift, that was first wrapped in a lilac color and tied with a purple or maybe aubergine (think eggplant) ribbon, and you instantly smelled lavender. What a way to get that entire color feel in both a visual and sensory way!

The color purple

Should the packaging have that “memory” for you? I think chocolate makers would certainly want to put that idea across when you open a box of fabulous truffles.

Perfume makers try to get that scent out there before you see their packaging- but their packaging, especially the bottle shape, has to be in tight harmony to the scent or there might not be any sales.

Colors & shapes- I get to play with them all day.