Non-giftwrapping post: Beauty and fragility

courtesy DominicsPics

I can't believe it's already been a month since the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. This past Sunday, I read this article about a month-new mayor in the coastal town of Rikuzentakata, and the terrible choices he had to make on the day of the disaster. It left me in tears. I was struck by the incredible strength and dignity of the survivors in the face of all of this suffering and uncertainty.

As I sat there in my quiet, sunny kitchen, with a warm cup of coffee and my snoozing cat, it reminded me of how grateful I was to be safe and comfortable, and how easily normal life can be turned upside down in a few moments. The next day at work, I read about Project Paper Crane, which is creating a public art installation of origami cranes to raise awareness and money to help the relief effort in Japan. I've made my modest donation, and will attend one of the crane-folding sessions next week. I hope you'll support this cause, too.

Reading about Project Paper Crane brought to mind a bittersweet memory from a few years ago, when I was dealing with health issues and some other overwhelming life stresses. One frigid December morning, I cut through one of the academic buildings on campus on my way to the office. I climbed the stairwell to the second floor exit, and on the way, I saw something unexpected and beautiful:

Eight tiny cranes, on the window frame in the stairwell. They were lined up perfectly, and each could fit on a quarter. I don't know quite why, but for some reason I felt like someone left them there to cheer me up. So I took pictures. And smiled for the rest of the day when I thought of them.

That night, I went home and made eight tiny silver butterflies, and the next morning, carefully placed them in the neighboring window pane. It was especially tricky, since much of the joy was the secret-ness of them. I paced back and forth on the landing, waiting for students to leave, and then leaned over the railing to place the butterflies on the shelf. In retrospect, I probably looked totally crazy. (My only regret: I lost the photos I took of my butterflies!)

Mission accomplished, I practically skipped to the office, feeling happy about my new origami mystery friend. On my way home, I stopped by again, to admire our little display of cranes and butterflies.

I was not prepared for what I found the next morning:

88 cranes. Perfectly uniform, perfectly spaced, lining 10 window panes.

Exhilarated, I snapped photos, and bought more origami paper on the way home. I made 88 butterflies over the weekend, and started planting them about 10 at a time, because that's all I had time for. I figured my origami friend must have been a student working late hours of the night, when nobody was around.

On the third day of "butterfly delivery," I climbed the stairs and stopped in my tracks. Someone had destroyed the display, knocking the cranes everywhere, and crushing some on the ground. I remember just staring at the mess, trying to deal with how angry and sad I felt. Why and how could someone destroy something so exquisitely beautiful that clearly took so long to build? I was surprised by the sense of loss I felt over these scattered little bits of paper.

So I did the only thing I could do. I bent down and picked up as many as I could, fixed the broken ones, and carefully put them back. Only about a quarter of them made it, but I still felt good about it. I added a handful of the new ones in my purse.

The same thing happened the next day. This time I just walked past it and went straight to my office. I closed the door and cried. It sounds totally silly, but in a way it makes sense. I was going through a dark time in my life, and this little exchange was a spontaneous bright spot. I guess I should have known that it wouldn't last forever. Eventually, I came to feel happy about it, despite the disappointing end. I chose to accept the happiness it brought me, however fleeting.

I still checked the stairwell periodically, hoping my friend would re-appear. But I didn't see a sign of them for months. Then one day in April, a bunny and some chicks showed up on the shelf. And I just burst into laughter. Even now when I think about it, it makes me smile because it reminds me that no matter how terrible things get, there's always hope, and there's always tomorrow.

Springtime, Smock-style

For about two weeks now, I've been itching to use this gorgeous paper by Smock. They make the most beautiful, earth-friendly letterpress and gift wrap, and their press is based right here in Syracuse. It was hard to choose just three:

The paper was pretty reasonably priced, lovingly packaged, and arrived in just 3 days! The best part - the paper is double-sided, so it's like getting two papers for the price of one. For $8, you get two 24" x 36" sheets. I chose (top to bottom) Veranda, Quadrille, and Calliope.

Anyway, here's my first project, in celebration of spring:

I'm thinking of sending some Easter goodies to my nieces and nephew with this theme. This would make a sweet baby shower wrap, too. It's also a cool, modern alternative to traditional white-and-silver wedding gifts.

I just love the combination of the greyish-lavender and the mustardish-celery. I'm fairly certain "mustardish" isn't a word. But heck, when the weather is this nice, and I've had a chance to hit golfballs outdoors and wrap prezzies in the same weekend, my (usually strict) rules for spelling go out the window.

Next stop: the garden for some long-overdue weeding. Hope you had a lovely weekend, too! Stay tuned for more spring-inspired Smock prezzies.

Most fabulous hostess gift. Ever.

A few months ago, we had friends over for dinner, and one of our guests surprised me with the most beautiful gift. I noticed the characters and charming tiny satchel right away. Turns out, our guest had worked and lived in Korea.

"This gift reflects the very Korean trend of merging technology with fashion," he said. I was intrigued, so I opened it right then and there. (Only after thoroughly ogling the very careful and gorgeous wrapping.)

Inside, I found the most beautiful USB thumbdrive, with a painted shell inlay. It came with this elegant little case, too. I fell in love with it immediately. So, you're probably wondering how it works...

The "business end" of it flips out, and it plugs in. The plug is tiny - just half the thickness of my other thumbdrives. By now, I'm simply enchanted, because I love small, beautiful things.

And this thing is minuscule. But don't let the size fool you. This drive, just barely bigger than a quarter, holds 4 MB of data. Incredible. And the best part: the name of the device is "MiniBoss." I laughed out loud.

I felt so lucky to receive such a thoughtful and exquisite gift. I use it all the time, because my other thumbdrives seem so clunky and ordinary by comparison. And of course, I saved the wrapping. I carefully re-wrapped the box and keep it with my other lovely giftwrap from Korea. I really hope I get to travel to Korea someday; I'll have to bring an extra suitcase just for the gorgeous gifts and wrappings I'll buy there.

Make something beautiful in 2011

Now that you've opened all of your beautifully wrapped prezzies and enjoyed a peaceful and relaxing Christmas day, let's talk projects for the new year. I'm not really into making hard and fast New Year's resolutions. I prefer choosing a theme around which I'll try to live. There's a lot less pressure that way, and resolutions are so limiting. That said, consider doing something special this year, maybe you can have a year of...

- Re-connection: Send 12 letters this year. That's just one letter a month! Write to someone you care about, or send a letter to a different person each time. I'm talking hand-written letters. With an envelope and a stamp, not e-mail. Who wouldn't love to get a little note in their mailbox along with the bills and junk mail? I get so few letters or cards in the mail these days, it's really a treat when I do. And don't even get me started on penmanship; that subject will fill its own entry and then some.

- Sharing: pack a lunch for a few of your work friends and invite them over to your office/cubicle/desk for lunch. Like a picnic. In the height of winter, wouldn't an indoor picnic be lovely? Maybe a nice, comforting soup and a crusty bread for 2 or 3 or 4 and some lovely healthy fruit? Better yet, plan a potluck lunch. It's less expensive than eating out, and more fun than web-browsing and leftovers.

- Spontaneous beautiful gifts: This origami wreath took about a month to make, but it came out beautifully. I gave it to my mom, as a way to give her flowers that would last forever (or close). I bought a styrofoam wreath and got to work folding paper. I used a gluegun to stick the flowers to it (about 200). Send a little gift out of the blue and brighten someone's day.

Whatever you choose to do, make it special and inspired. The result will be beautiful! And send me pictures, I'd love to see: carol@joliecolis.com.

Happy 2011!

Holiday giftwrapping tip 8: rob your Christmas tree

It's almost go-time, and if you're like me, you're probably frantically getting those last few gifts on your list. That means you've got less time to lovingly wrap them. Here's a clever way to dress up a gift that's quick and green, in a way. Your recipient will take home your gift and hang the little ornaments on their own tree.


Cute, right? This prezzie has mini-ornaments and a jingle bell, secured with a simple, slim ribbon. The pleated paper band is optional, of course. And if you don't know how to do the pleat, a regular band of paper, or a wide grosgrain ribbon will do.

For larger gifts, use larger ornaments. Just make sure you take them from the back. :)

Happy holidays!

Holiday engagement giftwrapping, part 2

My last post on wrapping engagement rings had quite a response, so I'm posting another idea.  This one is really simple, and it's incredibly romantic.

I printed two versions of a love poem, in a large and small font size. Skew the angle of the lines so it's visually interesting. And don't worry about it not being readable; this is as much for the graphic effect as it is about the sentiment.

Cover the top and bottom of a box with the printed text, and add a simple ribbon. It's a lovely way to make the moment extra special, especially if you're not great with words. Use a poem, or song lyrics. Heck, you can use lines from the first movie you saw together, if that's meaningful to you.

This project would work nicely for any other occasion, like Mother's Day, Father's Day, or even a version with words of wisdom for a graduation gift.

Holiday giftwrapping tip 7: play dress up

One of my favorite things to do with gift wrap (regardless of the occasion) is to dress it up like the person getting the gift. I think it's an extra thoughtful way to show you were thinking about the recipient. In this case, the recipient is a colleague who is fashionable and really into pink. This chandelier paper has been in my shop for a while, waiting for the right occasion, and here it is.

Don't you just love the girly-girl bow and little spray of pearls? Something like this can easily be modified for a beautiful presentation of an engagement ring or bridesmaids gifts.

I admit, I do a lot of girly giftwraps, because I'm quite girly myself. But I promise to show a masculine gift soon.

Until then, give (extra) pretty!

Holiday giftwrapping tip 6: work with what you've got

For those trying to keep the holidays sustainable, here's a way to dress up the classic brown paper package tied up with string.

Supplies:
- brown paper bag
- string or twine
- a little sprig of pine. This one is artificial, but in a bind, you can cut a bit of the tree when nobody's looking.
- a bit of ribbon
- a little ornament (in this case, a jingle bell)
- double-sided tape
- super-sharp scissors

How-to:
- Wrap your gift (use a box!) using the brown paper. Don't worry about the wrinkles or folds.
- Wind the string around the box several times, criss-crossing, if you like.
- Tie your pine sprig and ornament to the string in the middle.
- Finish with ribbon

That's it! Happy (sustainable) holidays!

Steampunk gift machine!

Sorry it's been a while, I haven't been feeling well, and this latest project took quite a bit of planning. My husband is a real fan of steampunk, so for one of his Christmas gifts, I've built him a funky gift machine, complete with little gears and moving pieces.

No how-to on this one, it's really just experimentation. I just got a bunch of materials together and winged it. If you're interested in doing one yourself, here are the colors, textures, and materials to use:

- metal gears and (if you're really ambitious) watch movement parts
- woodgrain paper (I used cherry wood Con-Tact paper)
- metallic cardstock
- little brass stick-on buttons
- jeweler's wire (for the tiny coil)
- faux leather (I didn't use it, but it would look awesome)

Once again, for complex gift wraps like this, I prefer a box with a top and bottom, so you don't have to tear any paper. And you can use it for other things post-gifting.

I'll be back tomorrow with a holiday how-to. Stay tuned...

Holiday giftwrapping tip 5: pop the question with style!

Besides the general happiness of the season, I always look forward to hearing news of holiday engagements. Here's an idea for anyone planning to give a HUGE gift this year. You know, the kind measured in carats.

This wrap, called "Say Yes", is one of my favorites. It's totally romantic, and the little "clues" (sheer veil and tiny bouquet of real flowers) are sure to make your sweetie go weak in the knees. This is one of the biggest gifts you'll ever give, so do it right!