Custom boxes as gifts

I love making custom boxes for gifts. The packaging becomes part of the gift itself. I've had people tell me that they display their boxes long after the gift itself is gone. They use the box for regifts (which is my favorite use for them), with the boxes often reappearing year after year within a family. Not only can I customize the size of the box to fit the contents, but I can customize the paper and design to fit the recipient(s).

But, of course, making these boxes is time consuming. I wish I could take the time to make them for all gifts, especially at Christmas, but there just aren't enough hours in the day. So, I often pick one or two gifts that get a custom box, rotating through family and friends.

Here's one I made for a gift of wine this year:

When it was done, I used a lovely red ribbon to tie it closed. Green and red – hard to get more Christmasy than that.

Interested in a custom box for your gifts? Email me or convo me via my Etsy store.

Holiday show fun

Booties from Joy Bilee. Etsy shop: www.joybilee.etsy.com

Admid a very busy weekend, the hubby and I stopped into the 2009 Etsy Rain Holiday show. It was quite probably the perfect size for an arts/crafts fair. It was big enough for some good meandering, but small enough that I didn’t start glazing over halfway through the exibits. We found some great treasures for holiday gifts and I met a few people I’d only emailed in the past. The photo above is the one thing that we bought for “ourselves” - cute, fabric baby booties for Junior. Who doesn't love crazy cat fabric?

While wandering, I made two observations though. One - I felt bad for the jewelry vendors. There were just too many of them, probably almost half of the vendors, for their wares to stand out very much. And the second observation - I was reminded once again that packaging and good merchandise display can make all the difference. I definitely glossed over displays that were too crowded. Showing everything in hopes of attracting a variety of buyers can backfire by creating a “mess” that no-one wants to delve into.

Most memorable line heard from a vendor? It’s a tie between:

• The woman who crochets wire into art and jewelry made the comment that her stuff was not inspired by war after I'd made the comparison to it looking similar to chainmail.


• The overheard story of the little girl who wanted her dad to “buy her a rainbow” after seeing a shank of hand-dyed wool.

Repeating patterns - small boxes

I've posted a new, small keepsake box over in my Etsy store.

I've been having a lot of fun creating smaller boxes, and using up the piles of my small pieces of matboard. The smaller boxes definitely take more concentration to get the smaller corners and bits to fit together correctly. But when they're done, I love coming up with lists of items that would fit in them.

This particular box uses a repeating pattern in different materials, which ties the many shades o' blue together.

Watch for more small boxes to show up over the next couple of weeks.

Plait present pockets

Who doesn't love alliteration? I've posted a new product over in my Etsy store just in time for all that grad and dad gift-giving. Upcycled and recyclable, these completely unique envelopes are perfect for small gifts. I'm thinking of posting instructions for them. Of course, I need to write the instructions first. If you're interested in instructions, email me at info [at] corbaecreative.com.

Link to store listing - plait present pockets