Burlap. Who Knew?

I'm trying to get into the Christmas spirit, but somehow it's late in coming this year. Don't get me wrong -- I'm happy and joyful -- just not feeling like doing the the all out shopping, decorating or wrapping yet.

In an effort to force myself into the Christmas spirit, I've spent some time thinking about how I'm going to wrap my presents this year. Each year I try to choose something sustainable or reusable to minimize the waste generated from our wrapping. For the last few years I've used newspaper and magazine pages -- I love the way they look with a pretty ribbon and I want to use them while I still can! (see post "You Can't Curl Up with a Cup of Coffee and a Mac"). This year I've decided to wrap my presents in burlap. It's very chic and rustic, reusable, and made from the skin of the jute plant, a rapidly renewable natural resource.

In researching where in the world I could buy rolls of burlap (AceHardware.com), I've realized that burlap is quite the home decor trend. I saw so many chic uses of burlap, including a post from a fellow blogger Stories from A2Z on burlap in fashion entitled "Making Burlap Work for You." My favorite uses in home decor are:

Upholstery

Pillows

Lighting


The most exciting thing about burlap emerging as a design trend is this: burlap's durability and unpretentious nature are a perfect match for my three children and 100 lb. dog. I think I'll spend today making a burlap slipcover for the rattan sofa that sits on my porch. Still not a Christmas project, but getting closer.

I Need A Birthday Present, Stat!

It seems like someone's always having a birthday or a baby. That presents two challenges: coming up with a present and wrapping it.

At the beginning of the year I like to stash some presents away in my cupboard so we're ready to party at a moment's notice. This year our picks are:
The Guinness Book of World Records for Jack's buddies

Recharging Stations for Andie's friends

Puffy Tea Sets for Katie's friends

And my favorite old standby for new moms, "Working Moms Rock" TShirts from honestbaby.com

Once my cupboard is re-stocked with presents, I stock up my arsenal of wrapping supplies. Nothing is worse than having a present with nothing to wrap it in. To keep it simple, I usually use newspaper, pages from magazines, brown kraft paper or tissue paper as the base. If I'm feeling fancy, I'll use a Williams-Sonoma floursack towel.

To spruce up my recycled base, I have a stash of pretty ribbons that I buy at my local craft store

And a few boxes of these pretty labels from Chronicle Publishing

Et, Voila.

From the moment Andie says "Oh, I forgot. Bridget's having her birthday party today" to wrapped present ready to go: about ten minutes.
I have to admit, though, that there are still some last minute requests that throw me. Like "Oh, I forgot. I need a pair of black movement pants (whatever those are) for this afternoon's theatre practice."