Good Morning…well one week from today it is the BIG DAY to celebrate this beautiful and special season! How is everyone doing? I think that there are times that the holidays bring us “speed bumps” in life but I encourage you to look at them and try to find some humor in them…just say to yourself, “you just can’t make this stuff up”
Here is the latest and greatest on our end…..WE HAVE INTERNET!!!! The cyber gods have opened up and made me happy BUT the weather yesterday……CRAZY – it was to get warm….but oh no, it was an ICY mess and it truly did not get better as the day went on. After John and I left McDonald’s yesterday (for me to finish my post) and then to the gym…..IT WAS CLOSED!!!!! (due to weather)
Last night I asked John where the mail was and he said, it never came….I could not believe it as it really wasn’t THAT bad….so I texted on of my friends that works at our local post office as John and I had a bet….JOHN WON…..she said – YEP, they told the mail carriers not to go back your road!
I am LOVIN’ being SANTA and wowzers….it looks like there was LOTS of great discussion about the Absorbers. I am glad that so many of you use this method and for those of you that are still unclear, let me say a couple of things before we get to today’s topic.
We need ANOTHER WINNER……so here you go – the lucky winner today is #4 – Carol ~ WOOT-WOOT.….do that dance and then send email me with your address!
Quickly to the absorber….
It is just a basic car drying chamois that all I do is cut into “workable” sizes for my hand. (I personally thing that if it is too big….it is super frustrating). I will be a post with the links to many ideas on non Stampin’ Up! this week but for those of you that are unclear about the product – here is a link and then here is another link. You can clearly see that the prices are different and the reason is the size…you are going to “cut it” so take that into consideration.
I will say….I think that the “absorber” brand is the best – it seems to hold up great through many hard uses and washings! You can buy this at any auto store (maybe in your own garage)…Walmart etc….I just find it SUPER handy to use and it works great for me!
O.k. – now to day! We all take soooo much pride and joy in making things and also in picking out the “special something” for gift giving – today is all about making them look their best as after all…when someone sees a beautiful presentation…now matter what the value of it is – THEY FEEL SPECIAL!
Below you will see a couple of pictures of packing that I do. I ADORE wrapping gifts, even so much that I would love to have a service to fru-fru and wrap peoples gifts! I find it fun and rewarding but trust me, I AM SUPER SAVVY!
Here are tips for you….now I know one thing that we all have in common is HOARDING paper and ribbon so 1st I say USE IT. I will then say that there are some ribbons that are TIMELESS and SUPER CLASSIC that are just tooooooo darn good of a deal to not STOCK PILE – yes, you heard me….I am saying BUY MORE AND HOARD it because it is going to be useful in many time ahead!
The “key” to doing this is to purchase wisely. When we buy wrapping paper you are almost always guaranteed that white or ivory will work. YEP – click here and then click here. I ask you, how can you go wrong for $2.80 a roll…it is simple – YOU CAN’T~
Here is another type of ribbon that I SWOOPED up on because it ties BEAUTIFUL in the simple knot….(works for me as it lays flat and always looks great) – are the 5/8″ Striped Cotton Ribbon. These are also $2.80 per roll – they are fantastic ~ (I seem to use the Hello Honey and the Blackberry Bliss the most)
Now you might be surprised on this one….this is what I have on one of the packages you see in the picture! It is the Wild Wasabi Seam Binding Ribbon – this is another keeper for many papers! Here is another sleeper for many of you….the Craft Rope Trim. This was from the holiday catalog and it just gives a great homey feel to a package and I trend to use it for things that I pull together tissue paper around.
Here is a FUNNY FOR YOU…..when I was taking down the cornstalks from our front porch I found a surprise (remember….John did the decorating)….I went to cut them off of the pillars and guess what he used – THE CRAFT ROPE TRIM!!!!! Here is goes, you just can’t make this stuff up! I asked him about it when he came home that night and I loved his answer….the baling twine on the hay bales at the barn were blue so I went upstairs to your stash and thought that was perfect! 😀
Here is the last ribbon I will share today as I think by now “you get it” where I am going with this post. It is the Real Red 3/4″ Stitched Ribbon. It is beautiful and I have used it a bunch this season. It is now $5.10 and I do not mean to sound cheap etc…but I have been on the fence waiting to see if it would go lower in price so I haven’t gone “too overboard” on this one…..I do love it and it made decorating Mason Jars a breeze! (this would be great for Valentines Day as well!)
Let’s chat about paper…do you know where I love to get super cute paper for just $1.00 a roll. Michael’s Arts! If you go to the section in the store that has the $1.00 bins…you can always find fun and different paper patterns. That is always the 2st place I go when I go to Michael’s as those bins are great!
The other great place that I find FUN tissue is Hobby Lobby. When they have a sale….they have a great sale! This fun polka dot tissue is 50% off and I bet it will be 75% off soon….I will SWOOP that up as it works for Valentines as well plus I always give my product shares lots of love on making them look pretty for you!
We all cannot forget the dollar store…..here is a great one that I love to do for a little “giftie” for my mail carrier. He loves to go to the movies…I buy him (2) movie tickets that he can use whenever and purchase a popcorn box form the dollar store….put some $1.00 boxes of candy, a cute card….BAM!!!!
Here is another GREAT GIFT that anyone would love to receive. I did this for my brother that is a single dad. I bought him a bunch of different wrapping paper like I talked about….a bunch of our ribbons, a “good” scotch tape dispenser with refills and a great pair of scissors….this is such a practical and useful gift that would nake someone happy not to have to do the “guess work”
There you go…another post that hopefully has brought some insight to you! Now here is the FUN…..leave us a comment and give us some feedback of the products I highlighted and also some tips and tricks that you do.
One person will win several rolls of ribbon that I know will make you smile!
I highlighted the specific product for you rather than showing the scrolling store like I normally do with my blog posts because “at a glance”, they do not show the discounted price……but remember, clicking on the highlighted link will take you directly to my on line store….and also click here as well!
There are LOTS of deals and remember….YOU can GO TO THE VAULT! Ho-Ho-Ho! I like to make sure that I have the “basics” so stocking up on great Year End Deals is a win-win….and then toss in some staples like paper, envelopes, adhesives…..I know getting to $75.00 is not too hard…then you can PICK A FREE STAMP from ME!
Okay , now you have hit on my other “HOARD ” selection …..RIBBON !! I have bought most of the ones on our Clearance assortment except Pacific Point (which I love that color) and it nags at me every day so I will probably end up getting because it is calling my name !! Do I use all of this ribbon ? Of course not because “What if I run out and need just that particular color for a card “!!! Giggle !
Your packages are so pretty and you are so right about taking something simple and making it special by some pretty wrapping or ribbon .
Congrats Carol ! Let us know how you like your Absorber !
Oh my goodness! I couldn’t stop smiling and laughing to myself as I read your post today. You were writing my life story! I am secretly relieved to know that there are others out there, just like me, who stockpile paper and ribbon. I always used the excuse, ” I’ll save it for a special occasion”. Well I have finally begun to realize that the special occasions are happening right now and if I don’t start using this stuff now it will outlive me! Great post today!
Love your ideas -your packages are beautiful. I must admit I have never used any of my SU ribbon to actually wrap a package. I am afraid of having an anxiety attack using so much at one time…ha! ha! One of my most creative projects has been to make paper placemats. I do a considerable amount of entertaining and can never find placemats that go with my “theme”. So I buy a roll of plain paper-craft or otherwise-pull out my SU products-stamps, ribbon, embellishments- and I have just what I need and the place settings look beautiful! Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful ideas. Thank you for this chance to win!!
I love SU ribbon. I too try and buy it on sale then I don’t hesitate to use it on packages.
I love your idea of gifting someone with gift wrap supplies. It would make a great Secret Santa gift as it is something we can all use. I use a piece of the absorbent for stamp cleaning also but I keep my piece of material in a container from a low-calorie frozen meal and just wet it each time I stamp. A few swipes on it after stamping gets my stamp nice and clean.
You all are such enablers! This is the first year I have used Stampin’ Up! paper and ribbon to wrap goodies. Now I will have to go back and check out all the ribbons! I LOVE wrapping! I had so much Sally Foster paper from school fundraisers that I never had to buy any paper. But this year I ran out! Off to wrap, make boxes, and make cards!
I hesitate to call it “hoarding”…. but there’s such a stash of Christmas paper in the back of the closet that I could probably wrap for Santa’s elves and then some. And the bin(s) of ribbons & twines, well …
I do THINK about using SU ribbon for packages but am afraid I will use it up and not have it for my paper crafting projects! You have “convinced” me to look at the clearance rack again – I too have been on the fence about the real red ribbon.
Thank you for the great ideas ! This is an old idea – go to Home Depot and buy small tiles and stamp on them with Staz On ink – red is nice for Christmas- put little felt circles on the underside corners – wrap 4 together with SU ribbon – total price for all 4 drink coasters about $2.00 !
Ho! Ho! Ho! What beautiful packages. SU ribbon is totally perfect for so many projects. And I love the pom.pom ribbon idea! Thanks for the tips.
You did have to use that word “hoarder”, never thought of my ribbon in this way. It is so pretty, I always need more, A person can never have too much ribbon!
Now I will have to look again at that list.
Your presents are all so pretty in those papers, great idea.
I LOVE to check out the ribbons one the clearance section – this last time I picked up ribbons in pacific point and wild wasabi. I have a section of scrap papers reserved for tags – for all seasons and holidays – and I make them all year long. Most all of my tags have ribbon attached. When I need a quick gift like banana bread I slide it into one of our cellophane bags, find a perfect tag and a coordinating ribbon to tie up and done! Quick easy and super cute! I love the blue paper you used and need to make a Michaels run to see if I can score a roll or two. Thank you Susan for all of your great ideas!
I am a day behind with this, Susan, but I love the absorber and have been using it for a while now. I particularly find it good for cleaning the photopolymer stamps. I found a tip way back when about storing the piece of absorber in a SU clear stamp case. And it works great. Easy to open and sometimes I use it right in the case. And if it dries out, I just soak it a bit and start over!
I loved the red pom-pom trim and wish I had bought more when it was on clearance. I made boxes last year, and it looked so cute tied on there. I also am guilty of being afraid to use Stampin Up ribbon for gifts (what if I need it for a card?). But I may start using some of it, especially from the clearance rack. Thank you for sharing all of your tips Susan!
I am guilty of being a ribbon hoarder! A drawer full of chevron ribbons as evidence!! I love the retired sheer Cherry Cobbler for tying bows at Christmas time!!
Ribbon always seems to be the perfect accent for any present. I search your sale items every time I order. SU ribbon makes great bows that are easy to untie, so the receiver doesn’t have to struggle. Also got this month’s paper pumpkin yesterday. Was I surprised to see one of the journaling pens included. Just in time to finish some sending off some cards. I felt like a winner!
Lots of great tips today, Susan. I have my packages wrapped but now need to “enhance” them with some of your tips. I have tons of ribbons but am hesitant as many others have stated to use them. Yes, I’m one of those! Thanks for nudging us to use what we have and to buy on clearance.So glad you now have internet. I am lost without it.
Great tips Susan. The presentation does add a lot to a gift. I love Stampin’ Up ribbon, but I seem to hoard it instead of using it. I am trying to us it more, though. Have a wonderful day. TFS
First, congrats to Carol for winning the Absorber. I think Mike would think I am crazy if I asked him to put one with his next Amazon order as me and cleaning the car don’t mix! We don’t have a dollar store anymore just Dollar General and they are not cheap! Anyway, I hit the discount ribbons at Walmart and use a lot of them on my cards and projects as well as wrapping. I bought a roll of Bravo Burgundy and 2 of the Sage when they were SU colors. The next month they discontinued them so I don’t buy too many SU ribbons for fear they will discontinue that color. Plus I bought a roll of each color of that sweater trim and have yet to break the seal on them. I think I used up the extra red one though. I would love to add a roll of that trim John used on the cornhusks to my order! I love the look of that as well as burlap ribbon. I am still smiling at John going to your craft room and finding the perfect color to go with his project! My supply of the white and vanilla is getting low so I might have to hit the button on them as they do make the packages look prettier just like they do on our cards and other projects. My step MIL has been known to hoard my ribbon on her package! I love using 6-9 inch lengths of leftover ribbons for the crackers/poppers. One demo offered a plastic bag of small lengths of ribbons as blog candy. Her husband threatened to throw it away but she said she just might need it. Anyway, I won it and have had many years of using these snibbets of all colors and there are only 4-6 pieces left out of that bag!
Great tips! I spend lots of time on gift tags but tend to use whatever ribbon is on hand. You’ve made me more aware! Thanks!
Pretty soon we are going to rename you “Santa Susan” if you keep giving away gifts! 🙂 I love the cotton ribbon and purchased several rolls when it went on clearance. I love this year’s Real Red stitched ribbon…I’ve gone through 2 rolls of it already and have two more on order now. I’m glad you have the internet working again. I laughed about John using the Craft Rope Trim because Dan used some of mine wrapping garland around one of our banisters. Two peas in a pod!
Wonderful tips! I like them ideal of giving an assortment of wrapping supplies as a gift. Especially when you can pick them up at a discount. I hate when your at the store buying a gift and can’t remember if you have wrapping paper. Would be nice to have a stash on hand. I like to buy a roll of plain Kraft wrapping paper and stamp on it for whatever occasion the gift is for. Gives your gift that extra special touch.
So last night was my craft group holiday party and I didn’t have wrapping paper for my gift. So I used SU DSP “Be of Good Cheer” from a while back. Scored lines to match the shape of the box so it folded nicely. Used “Cherry Cobbler” ribbon and it looked nice! Got lots of compliments.
Always afraid of using my SU ribbon for gift giving! I used once or twice but that is it. I have found nice gift boxes or bags at dollar stores. Also TJ Max for good strong wrapping paper, gift bags or tissue paper. And yes, I always notice the cute paper Susan uses for product shares. I will have to try Michaels or Hobby Lobby also!
Question on the absorber…do you just wet it with water? Or stamp cleaner? I actually dreamt last night abt methods of cleaning stamps lol.
These are all great ideas…I especially LOVE the one with movie tickets!!! I absolutely hoard ribbon as much as I do paper but would still love to win more for my collection that I have promised myself I am going to start using.
Love your ideas today. I admit to buying any of the kraft boxes that show up on the clearance sales. A pretty tag, a doily and of course Stampin’up ribbon. Done!! That was a practical and great gift for your brother. Merry Christmas to all!
love your packages!! thanks for a chance to win some gorgeous ribbon!
Congrats Carol! Susan, I love your ideas for gift giving and, like everyone else, I too “savor” my ribbon. I love the seam binding ribbon because it ties and lies so nicely. Hmmm….I think you taught John well in choosing a good ribbon when needed. Enjoy your day!
Love your gift tip for your brother – what a great gift idea! My favorite ribbon tip is that I use white plastic gutters mounted to my craft room wall, they angle slightly down. I can easily see all of my ribbon, pull the amount of ribbon I need without removing the spool and can easily remove/replace/re-organize the spools anytime.
I have a stash of SU ribbon I need to use up…even in colors that have been retired for years! Need to follow your lead and use it on packages!
I just love our satin ribbon – so easy to tie and I have been using that for a couple of years. I keep white on hand for all year. And about two years ago I started buying paper from the $1 bins (now $1.50) at Michael’s also – lovely paper for women and plaids for the guys. I like to use SU DSP to make mini treat bags and also tall bags. Coordinating tags are so easy to make and I really, really do not like the peel ’em and stick ’em ones from the drug stores – we can do sooo much better than that with our papers. If I need filling or cushioning for boxes and bags, I make my own with left over scraps of DSP – accordion fold long strips and then snip with our paper snips – festive!
Thanks for all the great ideas. I admit I don’t use my SU ribbon on packages. I want to “save” it for my cards and scrapbook pages. Thanks for the opportunity to win.
Haha. Reading all of the comments~we are ribbon hoarders! Love SU ribbon but I don’t want to use it:). Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Hi Sue, I’m in love with the twines and ropes. I like the softness of the satin ribbon for larger items. It surely makes a statement. Your packages look great.
🙂
I love your packaging! I especially love the pom pom ribbon on the packages. You convinced me when you sent me my paw print reward–nicely wrapped with a gorgeous hunk of SU ribbon tying it shut. I told you how I unwrapped and then quickly wrapped it back up again because I knew hubby would think I opened a Christmas present early and give me tons of grief about it. I have a package for my boss that will have some gorgeous ribbon on it before it gets to her.
I know a lot of us don’t want to use something for the fear of using it up. I’ve been guilty of that for years and years but the reality is you use up that really cool ribbon today and tomorrow there is some other equally cool ribbon out there (or embellishment, or designer paper, or… or… or….).
I also love ribbon of any kind and have been known to offer to help with the wrapping paper and ribbon as the gifts are unwrapped at a shower. I fold the paper neatly and coil up the ribbon. Many times neither the hostess or the person being ‘showered’ wants the paper or ribbon, so I offer to recycle it and into my stash it goes.
I am a ribbon hoarder too! I’m afraid to use SU ribbon for fear I won’t have it when I need it. I do use satin ribbon from Micheals to wrap presents. I stock up when it’s on sale. It really looks nice and I don’t feel guilty. But the clearance prices for the SU ribbon might just ease my guilt.
I love using real ribbon for gift packages – makes it look so much nicer, and we save and re-use it from year to year. Thanks for generously sharing all your tips – always a pleasure to read!