My love for Packaging...

So those who know me, know that I love PACKAGING.  Not the kind you can get at the local party store with the printed celophane bags but the creative kind.  The ones that have thought and inspiration combined no matter what the contents.  Something that simply makes you smile and want to pick it up because it is so clever.  With the onset of Pinterest I now have a place to collect visual examples and Pin them to my Packaging Board.  After scouring through hundreds of blogs and sites, the next logical step was to start incorporating them into my life.  Being a creative person I rarely copy what I pin, however I am inspired by what I see and create my own versions, sometimes looking nothing like the original inspiration behind it.

Truth is I've always been drawn to packaging.  As a consumer I've been pulled into buying a product simply because of how it was presented.  Cute packaging can go a long way.  The same goes to unnecessary and unattractive packaging.  Manufacturers take note!

When I was an assistant for a very popular local portrait photographer I saw how she presented the reprints to her clients. It wasn't an elaborate presentation, she simply put them in a water color type sleeve and with an organza ribbon wrapped around it tied in a bow.   Although simplistic, it was an elegant way to present her product to her clients.  Her feelings behind the presentation were that her work was a gift and she wanted them to unwrap it as such.  That has stayed with me throughout the years.

These days however, I like using repurposed items combined with new, to make something look beautiful.  This incorporates my love for ephemera and my new obsession with washi tape and baker's twine.  I find too many times we endorse newly manufactured items, when a repurposed one is not only just as beautiful, but also a step in the right direction when it comes to the environment.  Take these maps for instance.   I took them home from my Aunt's house while cleaning out my grandfather's office.  My grandmother had kept every map National Geographic put out and road maps from various road trips.  Although my Aunt would have put them in the recycle bin, I wanted them for something...wasn't sure what, until now.  I had just gotten an order on my Etsy site for one of my small typewriter pieces.  It was going to a very sweet woman in Florida, that I had reached out to with some photography tips.  This is how I wrapped it before I sent it out.