It's never too soon to start thinking about Christmas and holiday events and parties. Sometimes these events require a gift with a special touch. For other get-togethers a collection of similar gifts will suffice - such as an office Christmas party. What makes the present truly special for the recipient though is receiving a package that's wrapped in such a special way it makes them feel important for just receiving it even if the value of the actual gift is small. One of my favorite things to give is soap, of course, Since
I make it, I always have surplus on hand for holiday parties. Plus, it's something that can always be used. So here are a few packaging ideas I found for wrapping your own bath and body products and making them seem like the best thing under the tree!
Hand printed gift wrap can bring real presence to any item it covers. Unique designs and the care of a handmade paper encourage recipients to unwrap carefully and save the paper for a future project or wrapping their next gift. If you don't have time to drag out the stamps and paint to make your own from butcher block paper, then consider supporting an independent artist who crafts her own. For example, I love the designs of the hand printed gift wrap available from
Field Guide Design. It runs $10 for 2 303x30 sheets.
If you're looking to be a little more creative, consider stocking up on some "not your average" gift wrapping staples from
Olive Manna. Her shop offers a wide assortment of textiles and paper goods including bags, boxes, and envelopes, clothespins, twine, ribbons, stickers, tags, and spools. Or simply forgo paper entirely and wrap in fabrics of all kinds with a little assistance from the
DIY Cloth Wrap Tutorial found on
Givers Log.
If you're looking for some more specific ideas to use as a springing board, there here are some of my favorite gift wrap ideas I've discovered recently. I hope you'll find them as inspirational as I do. Plus, they all work perfectly for wrapping
handmade soaps!
It's always great when you can recycle something that would otherwise get thrown away and turn it into something amazing. Here (pictured right) Shannon uses old holiday themed Trader Joe bags to wraps her gifts tying them off with some festive, red and white twine and labeling with tags. You could also get extra creative and scribble in some of your designs or even add a dash of color to the existing outlines.
This next idea comes from
How About Orange and uses a handmade, fabric origami box to create the perfect gift wrap complete with a lovely flower on top. I love this box for packaging
square bars of handmade soap or a handful of handmade soap samples. It'd also be perfect for
handmade lip balms or
small vials of perfume! A little stiffened fabric, a few folds, and you're on your way. Cut flowers from leftover fabric and secure them together on the top of your package with a button for the flower's center! No bow necessary.
Use silk flowers to decorate plain paper bags and have the perfect container for a girl's spa package. You can find the diy tutorial for making these silk flowers at
Style Me Pretty Blog. Once you've made the number you need, simply fill your paper or craft bags with spa essentials such as handmade soap, body butter, and bath salts, then seal. Complete the package with a silk flower you've made yourself. This is also a great idea for giving favors for weddings or bridal parties.
Glassine Envelopes are a unique approach to gift wrapping. These
Mini Glassine Envelopes from
Inspire Lovely offer a creative way to package handmade soaps,
lips balms,
salves, and even
test tubes of bath salts. Simply use a paper doily to set the background for the look of your package, fill it with your desired contents for gift giving, and complete the look by wrapping the package with some colorful baker's twine.
For someone you love, I suggest creating a heart stitched burlap bag with a drawstring to keep your gift cozy inside. Simply take a mini soap sized burlap bag like the ones found on
Stampington & Company and decorate it with hearts you cut from wool and book text and a button. Then stitch everything together onto the sacks with embroidery floss. You can even customize the bag by embroidery the name of a loved on onto the bag or a special date if this is a wedding favor.
And finally, a few more packaging ideas for gifting your handmade soaps and other handmade body and skin care products:
Also be sure to check out these other gift wrap ideas from
Soap Deli News Blog:
1.
Happy Birthday! Celebrate the person with a gift but celebrate the gift with pretty packaging!
2.
Eco-Friendly Gift Wrap Ideas
3.
Holiday Gift Wrap Ideas
What are your favorite ways to gift wrap a package for someone special?
