Humble Beginnings

Coming from a family of artists and musicians, the creative juice flows strongly in my veins, however, as with many people, it was left untouched for many years until I decided that I only have one shot at this life and that I need to take a chance, a little gamble, to make my dreams come true.

 

I mulled for many years on the idea of teaching people the art of gift wrapping, something that was so dear to my heart but, as with many entrepreneurs, my initial ideas were grand and unaffordable and so, after much thought and discussion, I decided to take 'small bites of the elephant' and start with truely humble beginnings.  This began with my very first small order of ribbons and a table at a monthly Market.  Forcing myself out of my comfort zone and quivering when I made my first sale, I gradually built on my idea and made the promise to myself that every day I would do something, no matter how small, to further my dream.

 

In coming up with a unique gift wrap idea, I apply the same principles of humble beginnings to my gift and work my way from there.

 

Using a very simple base, I gradually build on my idea to get an end result that makes me sit back and think, "Love it!", when I look at it.  The combination of textures is a basic principle for an Interior Designer and in gift wrapping, this principle is also at the very foundation of turning out something which is unique, with "Wow" factor.

In this picture, the gift was wrapped with a plain white Crepe Paper (nothing more humble than that!), I then added in a splash of colour with a strip of gorgeous floral paper (an offcut from another gift...there is no wasting at Wrap for You! :-) ).  When faced with busy paper, I recommend that you find the brightest colour in the paper and use that as your colour for your ribbon.  In the picture above, incorporating the principle of texture, I included an additional strip of course sack cloth or Hessian.  The finishing touches were to add a splash of colour and contrast with the Yellow Polka Dot ribbon and the complimentary Hydrangea blossoms.  The end result was a gorgeous combination of textures which made for a very interesting gift to open.

The moral of this story is to start off small, and grow your idea from there.  If you have the time, look at combinations, walk away from them for a bit and then look at them again with fresh eyes until you find a look that works for you.  Remember to think of the recipient of the gift in your planning.  This gift was for a lady with many complex aspects to her personality, with the deepest aspect, being someone with a true appreciation for beauty and an inate desire to be feminine.  She loved the gift! :-)

 

So until my next moment of inspiration, enjoy working with textures and combinations...have fun!