WrappingPaper photos on Flickr

There were years I wouldn’t take our tree or decorations down until late February as I loved the afterglow and calmness of the lingering warmth, light and LOVE of the spirit of giving and sharing during the holiday season. Times have changed and I find I need to pack away all the *red* and celebrate the green. The four seasons are something I treasure about living in New England. But now the weather patterns are changing so rapidly I’m wondering if it’s just my age or the speed at which life seems to be moving so quickly, affecting our lives like never before? Well, we still have Valentine’s Day to bring out some more RED! And now we may soon be covered with white snow to calm us down again amongst the storms which are frequenting and circulating our earth. Hanging onto the peace and memories of old-fashioned times gone by. Wherever you are in the world, may you be experiencing the joys of color which can really affect our senses.

Vintage Christmas Wrapping Paper - Angels Against Blue by Heather David

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Believed to be by Dennison but not sure.

Vintage Birthday Gift Wrap - Party Bears - circa 1950s by Heather David

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I'm pretty sure this was produced by Whitman.

8-Pointed Hilli Star by Maria Sinayskaya

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(8,2) Star Polygon (Carmen Sprung, Arnold Tubis)

leftover rectangles, 8 units, no glue

Happy Mother's Day! 2009 by stevetoearth

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I believe that gifts are more fun to receive if they are presented well, and that doesn't mean expensive.

I recently gave a gift to my nephew, Michael. It consisted of a plain brown paper bag embellished with his name on the side. I drew and colored his name with a set of markers one afternoon while I waited for the electricity to be restored after a particularly close lightning strike brought the local grid to its knees.

Personalizing the sack didn't take long ... it gave the packaging a very personal touch ... and the hand drawn design was completely unique. The result? A one-of-a-kind gift that was presented well.

There are, however, appropriate times to splurge. Mother's Day comes to mind, so this year my Mother received this package. The paper is an Italian Florentine Print called Arabella. The white base is beautifully patterned in an array of bright colors exquisitely enhanced with metallic gold. Layers of gold and blue ribbon ... satins and sheers ... added texture, structure and an elegant bow.

Tucked inside was a selection of handmade cold process soaps and body butters that I purchased online from Magic Hands Workshop on Etsy. A special gift for a very special lady.

I think this paper looks incredibly sophisticated, elegant and expensive, but it actually cost me only $3.80 for a 27" x 39" sheet. After wrapping this gift, I still have enough paper to wrap a couple of CDs. Cool!

And the ribbon? I buy rolls when they're on sale, so this was already on hand. If you plan it right, you can give a gift that looks like a million bucks even though it's actually quite affordable.

My mother would still love me like crazy if I had wrapped this in a newspaper, but I wanted to give her something as special as she is to me, and I think she knows that I gave this one my best effort.

Wrap something up special for your mother. Then photograph it and upload it to your Flickr account. That way she can be reminded that she's special every day.

Happy Mother's Day! Happy Everyday!

~s

Thai wrapping paper 2 by Teresita Suselo

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Thai wrapping paper, dark maroon, with gold elements.

Christmas Demon by Mason Aldridge

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Wrapping, not rapping, is my thing! by A n t o i n e t t e

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Yes! I confess … I’m addicted to all things paper, fiber, colorful, whimsical, and eclectic! Wrapping the images up in a PHOtage is just the most FUN to tie the process all together … the gifts that keep on giving!

Anticipation by Shelby L. Bell

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We Wish You A Merry Christmas! by EDWW (day_dae) Esteemedhelga

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Esteemedhelga (day_dae) EDWW Photography & Artistry.

Photography Taken At Merrifield Garden Center: Merrifield

0377 v1 Nutcracker suite by Andrè the onion seller

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One of a series of 23 shots experimenting with Unity on a wrapper’s theme and used in Week 4 - Unity - with the Compositionally Challenged Group and in the group's Most versatile challenge.

A copy of 0377 v0 with a border and matte from Ribbet.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree by EDWW (day_dae) Esteemedhelga