The best 6 books I read in 2014...so far

Not pictured: Give and Take, the one that started it all!

Ah, the pleasures of summer reading. While most people like to take escapist fiction to the beach or vacation house, I've had a great season of learning how to be a better communicator, colleague, and leader, thanks to these books:

• Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success by Adam Grant (not pictured)
  I first heard about Adam Grant through Dan Ariely's awesome Coursera MOOC, A Beginner's Guide to Irrational Behavior. Nice guys don't finish last. Smart, mindful generosity will enrich your life and create incredible success and happiness around you.
  
  
• The Power of Habit: Why We Do What we Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
  By identifying our habits (good and bad) we gain real control over our decisions and achieve what's important to us.
  
  
• Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman with Greg McKeown (Still reading this one, and loving it.)
  The world of management, there are multipliers (who boost everyone around them) and diminishers (who suck the talent and motivation out of them). Multipliers have the power to transform teams and performance. Anyone who has a manager or is one should read this.
  
  
• Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown (My favorite)
  We live frenzied, unfulfilled lives because we think we need to do everything. Knowing the difference between the essential few and the trivial many frees up your mind and energy to apply them in the best way.
  
  
• Talk Like Ted: The 9 Public Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds by Carmine Gallo
  Required reading for any user of PowerPoint, Keynote, Prezzi, etc. Strong storytelling + a clear plan = powerful presentation.
  
  
• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink
  A slow start, but totally worth the read. Today's New York Times article on the emptiness of extrinsic motivators proves the need for this book.

Next on the list -- a change of pace. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. What have you read this summer that made your list?

You better work.

Say hello to my heavy friends.

With a few rare exceptions, there's nothing hard exercise can't fix. Seriously. And when I say, "hard exercise," I mean hard. The 20-minute stroll around the mall after dinner in the food court doesn't count. I'm talking sweat. A lot of it, and maybe some involuntary exertion sounds, too. The kind of exercise that makes you really wonder if you can complete the set, or survive the next 45 seconds. Life in the modern world is so full of comforts and entertainment, the stress of really vigorous exercise at first seems absolutely crazy. But it makes perfect sense if you want your life to be better; here's why:

With challenge comes change*. Change is inevitable, even for people who live very routine, regimented lives. Anyone who is getting older (all of us) is changing. You can let time and inertia change you into something crusty and stagnant. Or you can let your effort change you into something new. Something stronger, faster, and more adaptable. (*Courtesy of Tony Horton - thank you P-90X!)

Exercise makes you resilient. Especially if it's progressively more challenging. The first time I did high intensity interval training, I almost vomited. It was awful, and I felt pathetic confronted by my lack of strength and endurance. But when I tried again, and I delivered a little more. That was immensely gratifying, so I kept coming back. Proving to myself that I can always give a little more helped me let go of my fear and just go for it. Here, I challenge you to try this 15-minute workout on 3 consecutive days this week. Believe in yourself, the results will astound you.

Be here now. Some people choose meditation or yoga to achieve mindfulness. I like to lift as heavy as I can. For those few minutes, there's no room for worry about work drama, or shoveling the driveway, or the bills. There's only me, a barbell, and gravity. Like quality sleep, I believe a tough workout helps clean out your mind.

Speaking of Zs, you'll sleep like a rock, which will make you more rested, which makes you more patient and pleasant. Good for everyone.

Endorphins and confidence. Let's be honest, when you don't look your best, you don't feel your best. But when your pants fit well or you don't have knee pain anymore, you stand up a little taller. Even a small boost of energy goes a long way to making you feel more secure and ready to face the world. People around you notice, and they react to it. Positive energy makes more positive energy. Negative energy, bah - let's not waste our time.

There are plenty of things in life that we can't change. Many are the result of large external forces (or unchangeable people) outside our influence. But we can make choices about what we do with our minds and bodies. We all have the power to nurture and strengthen them. How will you take charge?

2014 gift: your greatest hits

This time of year, I do a lot of looking back and looking forward. And today I remembered a great way to enjoy the achievements of the past and let them inspire the ones coming in the future. Driving around on errands, I caught "The Best of Frank Sinatra," on the radio. Now whether or not you're a Sinatra fan (I am), you have to respect the man's catalogue. What a voice, and what a career! And the fact that "The Best of Sinatra" is a weekly program says something, too, right?

This year Steve was up for promotion to full professor, and part of the process was documenting his accomplishments since the last evaluation. I called it his "greatest hits album." What started out as a chore became a tranformative experience. "There's nothing like seeing all your work laid out. It's the ultimate scrapbook - it reminds you of all the hard work you did to get it all done."

He had a point. Besides a sometimes-tended Behance portfolio, I've not fully committed myself to building a greatest hits album. But I think I will. We whittle away at projects that take up so much mental effort, and consequently only enjoy the pride of one project at a time. Why enjoy it all in one dose?

I may not do work that saves lives or earns notoriety, but I take immense pride in it. And that's not going to change. But I am going to take more time to look back and know that I've helped others, and in the process produced some damn fine work. And this time next year, I'll think of 2014, and think, "It was a very good year."

Good luck, gifted wrappers!

See tip 2. Why is this picture so blurry?

I can't believe it's already been a year since the 2012 Scotch Most Gifted Wrapper contest! There's no better way to enjoy a weekend than meeting other skilled prezzie artists and enjoying holidaytime in NYC.

Not sure who's competing this year, but I'll be following the 2013 contest, which takes place Friday, Dec. 6. Best of luck to this year's contestants. Here are my top 5 tips for the big day:

1. Get good sleep the night before. It might be tough if you get jitters, but contest day starts early, the rest is worth it.
2. Smile, and don't take yourself too seriously. That's good advice for anytime, right?
3. Relax. The atmosphere can be overwhelming and mess with your focus. It will be loud and frenetic. Be prepared to deal with it.
4. Enjoy the company. This is a chance to meet other people who share your intense interest in giftwrapping; they're really interesting and fun folks!
5. Have fun. Seriously. By all means, do your best and try to win. But remember that if you don't, it's still an awesome experience.

Game on, wrappers!

Dr. Who TARDIS giftwrap, pt. II

I enjoyed my last Dr. Who themed giftwrap so much that I made another one. A big one! A lovely couple asked me to create a TARDIS for their daughter, a huge Dr. Who fan. This giftbox measures about 14" square by 30" tall, plenty of space for the many fun gifts they bought her. It was so much fun to make:

The lantern was a lucky find: a little plastic jar from my shop.

If you decide to make your own, get extra glue sticks and dots. And measure EVERYTHING. Twice.

I especially loved the cool old-timey (or timey-wimey) ornamental feet and corner caps. Thanks Tim Holtz!

One last pic to show scale! This was a complicated project with a ton of steps, but I loved every part of it. It's really fun; try making one yourself! Allons-y!

Spring flowers

Here's a fun little project that reminds me that spring is coming. Use a square napkin to fold these cute flowers. I posted the video here, but am having trouble embedding it this time. Sorry, folks!

The smaller flowers were made with 6" cocktail napkins from a party supply store. They're incredibly affordable (50 for .99!), so buy a bunch of colors and cheer up your table for a lovely spring brunch. Or add some dimension and whimsy to a prezzie.

Happy almost-spring, all!

Nerd alert: Dr. Who steampunk gift wrap

Along with gift wrapping, exercise, and macarons, I'm addicted to the BBC's Dr. Who. So it was just a matter of time before a Whovian-inspired prezzie appeared in my shop. Besides the great writing, lovable characters, and general awesomeness of the show, I love the steampunk set design, especially the styling of our favorite blue box. So I made my own!

At first the broken foil in the pleats bothered me, but then I thought, "Heck, you don't travel through time and space without getting a few dents and scratches."

Materials: blue foil, sheer gold ribbon, patterned self-adhesive ribbon, gold thread, Tim Holtz sprockets, decorative photo corners, bling.

Who's my favorite Doctor? This ribbon is a clue.

Little Carol loves cruising around in her TARDIS.

Don't worry, it's bigger on the inside.

Princess macarons and giftwrapping: cutest project ever.

Purple: cassis. Pink: coffee. Why a pink coffee-flavored cookie? Because pink is pretty, that's why!

I am completely obsessed. Today I baked my fourth and fifth batches of macarons in 3 days, and I can't stop making them. Or eating them. If you've tried these gorgeous little indulgences, you know exactly what I mean. It all started three Christmases ago, when I ordered several dozen from L'Epicerie as a gift for my husband. They were fabulous; a crisp outer shell gave way to a chewy, soft center, and between each cookie, an intensely flavored filling. I chose the classic flavors: coffee, vanilla, lemon, raspberry, and pistachio.

Then last weekend, I stumbled upon a food tumblr that had a pretty photo of colorful macarons. That led to a google images search, which yielded a shockingly beautiful collection of macaron pictures. I never considered trying to make my own, but that was before I searched YouTube for how-tos. Here's the best one I found, courtesy of FoodNouveau.

Naturally, once I made a ton of cookies, I started thinking about how I'd package them. For my friend April, I made a simple Parisian-themed wrapping. Call me old-fashioned, but I like matching the wrapping elements to the cookies.

These are straight-up princess cookies.

Then I remembered my bows-to-go boxes and realized they'd make a cute container for the macarons, too!

I encourage you to try making your own macarons. They might seem intimidating, and the process is a bit technical, but once you get the hang of it, it's a piece of cake. Well, you know what I mean. Valentine's Day is about a month away, so you've got time to practice. Give your sweetheart something beautiful, tasty, and handmade!

Good luck - give pretty!

Lovely and sweet: a shower of gifts for baby and mom

Happy 2013, friends! The new year is off to a great start, especially for my friend April, who's expecting a baby girl in a just few weeks. Since I missed her baby shower (stupid flu!) she and I had a make-up date recently. I gave the customary onesies and hats for baby (above, materials: yuzen paper from Kate's Paperie, plain gold paper, broad purple ribbon, sheer gold ribbon, and a little pearl charm), but wanted to give April a little something, too.

So I made her a mix of nice tunes to enjoy on her own, or as she's rocking her baby to sleep. I didn't have a lot of time to wrap it, so I just dressed it up with a cute bow.

Lastly, a yummy treat. I've become obsessed with macaron cookies lately, so made a little batch for April. Macarons are exquisite sandwich cookies made of egg whites, sugar, and almond flour with a flavorful filling. They are also the most beautiful google image search subject ever. It was fun to package them in a simple box with Tim Holtz tissue tape, a narrow ribbon, and a cute Eiffel Tower charm. (Because macarons are SO Parisian!) Sweet occasions call for sweet prezzies, right?

Stand by for another post on macarons, a cute and colorful one! Until then, take care and give pretty.

Most Gifted Wrapper contest re-cap

Photo courtesy of Hunter Public Relations

Last week I had the chance to represent Jolie Colis in the 2012 Scotch Brand Most Gifted Wrapper contest in New York City. I didn't bring home the big prize, but I had a great time and met lots of great people who are also into giftwrapping. (Which was awesome.) Here's a picture of me wrapping a giant rubber duck and a board game in the first round. That's my timer Britney in the background. I had 10 minutes to wrap two gifts. You'd be surprised how quickly 10 minutes goes by!

In this round, eight finalists were whittled down to four, who continued to round two. I didn't make it to the next round, but had a great time cheering on the ladies who did. Those who advanced to round two had 13 minutes to wrap a tuba on a stand. In the final round, the last two contestants had 18 minutes to wrap a giant model airplane. It was an absolute hoot. Who doesn't love some high-spirited holiday wrapping chaos?!

In the end, the talented Lia Griffin of Elinee in Portland, Oregon earned the top prize or $10,000. Shelly Dozier-McKee of ConfettiStyle in Atlanta, Georgia came in at first runner-up.

The 2012 contestants: Sheryl Oberman, Michelle Beshaw, me, Lia Griffith (winner!), Michelle Noe, Brenda Guerrero, Shelly Dozier-McKee (1st runner-up) and Shasta Garcia. Photo courtesy of Hunter Public Relations.

I'm so glad I had a chance to participate in the contest this year, and if you're even a little interested in giftwrapping, I encourage you to enter next year's. It's a fun holiday-time weekend in New York with crafty wrappers just like you. :)