Gift Wrap Up

My family has Christmas traditions. One of which involves our yearly choices of wrapping paper. As soon as some of us were wrapping gifts on our own and out of the house (think college and beyond), we have chosen to classify our gifts with color and design. Each of us picks a single, statement worthy paper that will designate which gifts originate with which family member. We each handle it a little differently; I choose what I think will look best as an assembled stack of gifts. Sister Middle chooses her favorite personality design. Sister Youngest chooses the ugliest kitschy illustration paper she can locate. Ma and Da use gift labels that are still marked with "From : ?".

(Side note to parents, I don't know if I've ever stated out loud that I know it's you leaving the "?" gifts, and not santa. Don't stop now though!)

I am approaching the 2010 decision. Here are the current contenders. I won't post which I use until after Christmas...I won't spoil it for the fam! Any favorites?

Madline Double Sided Gift Wrap by Smock

Marimekko® Mustikkamaa Gift Wrap

Marimekko® Kantele Gift Wrap

Snow & Gram - Winterberry Paper

Christmas Folk Trees Wrapping Paper

Snovita Gift Wrap - IKEA

Trick or Cheap

First Halloween in the new house! Now, I love little trick-or-treators but have never lived anywhere where a bunch of them come around. Last year, in our condo, we got ONE trick-or-treater, at about 9:30pm.

Needless, to say, I started getting really excited when 6 out of 10 houses in the neighborhood were decked out with in Halloweens finest. I mean, really decked out. This is the house right across the street.

Notice Chucky hanging from the ladder

Therefore I assumed we'd be inundated with little ones Halloween night. We have NO halloween decorations, as typically I find them slightly literal and overwhelming.  Still, I wanted to do something to welcome tick-or-treators to our home.

So here's the cheap little decorating we did.

Brown Lunch Bags, Flameless tea lights, pen, and scissors = $4.99 in additional purchases (for the tealights)
I cut little halloween shapes out of the bags (takes 10 minutes...or more when you are also watching TV)

Moon and stars, cat, pumpkin, bat, spider, ghost.

And we set them aglow on our front steps. I ended up having to put golf balls in the bottoms to keep them from blowing away.
...........

BOO!