diy nature-inspired gift wrap

Note: This post was previously published here as a part of my freelance work.

Years fly by. We talk about them as if they last forever, but in reality they are mere dots on a timeline. Thank goodness for holidays that mark a point in the year, for without them, we might not take a moment to stop and realize where we are. 

Where are we? First and foremost, we’re surrounded by people who support us each and everyday. Friends and family who allow us to stretch beyond ourselves to achieve something better, who support our dreams, and who are there when we need a shoulder to cry on. 

That is why I love this time of year. It’s a time to say thank you. Thank you for being my support and thank you for loving me. 

When you go to package up that gift of thanks, let it reflect all the love and gratitude that you truly feel. Pick something special that shows thoughtfulness, make something with your own two hands, and don’t forget about the presentation of the package. Go a little extra mile with the gift wrap and make that gift scream I love you. 

Here are three gift wrap ideas to get you started, each inspired by my favorite, Mother Nature.

Gift 1

Materials

Small Pine Cone

Gold Acrylic Paint

White Wrapping Paper

Paint Brush

Water Cup + Water

Paint Dish

Gorilla Glue

Tape

Directions

1. Paint your pine cone gold by adding acrylic paint to the tips of each little “leaf.” Let dry.

2. Wrap your gift in white paper.

3. Glue pine cone to the center of the package.

Gift 2

Materials

1/2 Lemon

Brown Kraft Wrapping Paper

Red Acrylic Paint

Paint Brush

Water Cup + Water

Paint Dish

Ribbon of choice

Tape

Directions

1. For this one, you essentially create a stamp out of the lemon. Paint it with the red paint and test it a few times on a scrap piece of paper until you realize the sweet spot of how much paint and how much pressure you need to apply. 

2. Once you have it down, tape the piece of wrapping paper to your surface and stamp alternating rows. Let dry.

3. Wrap your gift. Finish with ribbon.

Gift 3

Materials

Roving

White Wrapping Paper

Feather

Tape

Directions

1. Wrap your gift first with paper.

2. Wrap roving around the gift to cover approximately 1/3. Secure both ends of the roving with clear tape on the back of your gift.

3. Finish off by sliding a feather into the roving.

united by blue

Get up. Go. Adventure.

Leave the plans behind. Ditch the maps.

Step inside. Ask directions. Follow the lines scribbled on a napkin.

See where it leads you.

Then find your way home.

le marche st. george

You've probably seen one or more of these photos scattered throughout my work in the last few months, but today I'm compelled to publish them all in one place. Together they show the collective magic that is Le Marche St. George, a cafe and small market located in Vancouver, Canada. It's the kind of place we all romanticize about owning one day. A cafe where the guests come for the people just as much as they do the coffee. A place where the owners travel and hand-select luxury goods to sell in small quantities. Where the texture on the walls authentically screams of weathered age, and where the marble top tables transport you to 1920's Paris. The ceiling-to-floor shelves stocked with local staples -- coffee, jam, pickles, and crackers.

I sat here for hours my first time in Vancouver. I sipped on a cappuccino. I split my flaky croissant piece by piece to nibble on its airy richness. Beside me sat a foursome of middle-aged women. They talked about using their bikes to get around and someone they knew who developed diabetes. Mothers with strollers made their way up to the door. I watched it all through speckled light cast through the trees. Little shadows danced on their children's faces as they waited patiently in their strollers. The table in front of me was a beautiful still life all its own. 

This experience welcomed me to Vancouver. It gave me pause -- moments to gather my thoughts, realize where I was, and get ready for something new. Who I was, there at that cafe, preparing for it all, is not who I turned into after the experience. That trip, those adventures, the way they changed me was like being branded on the brain with a scolding hot iron. My eyes will never see the same. Everything holds a different hue than ever before. I hold that moment at Le Marche St. George in my heart as a glimpse of who I was, a person on the brink of something new.