RECENT PACKAGING FAVES

You guys know that I love pretty packaging, and it's been a while since I've done a round-up. Here are some designs that I've been loving lately.

I love the colors & handmade feel of this one:

gorgeous illustrations:

so simple but beautiful:

this fun mascara packaging caught my eye:

the cutest honey I ever did see:

I don't even like tea, but this pretty watercolor-y packaging makes me want to have a cup:

watercolor AND gold foil (be still, my heart!):

and more gold foil (current obsession):

fun colors and I like the matte finish:

I'm really into the handwritten white on glass look:

sources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

FREE MASON JAR LABELS DOWNLOAD

Today I want to share a project that I did for the Drifter & the Gypsy blog - free printable mason jar labels! These are great for gifts and so easy to put together - just print, cut, and place inside of a mason jar! Click HERE to download the labels (below). 

CHRISTMAS GIFT PACKAGING IDEAS

Can you believe it's November already? That means it's time to start getting your Christmas gifts ready! I think it's so much fun figuring out what to get everyone and to me it's even more fun wrapping up all the presents! Here are some of my favorite Christmas packaging ideas from around the web and Pinterest - Do you have any creative packaging ideas for the holidays?

Sources (from top-bottom, left-right)

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

NEW WEDDING ORDER PACKAGING

I have written before about my packaging for HWP, but lately I've been wanting to take it up a notch, especially for wedding orders. Packaging is something that I find not only fun, but also really important. The wedding invitations industry is pretty flooded right now, so I want my customers to know how much I appreciate them choosing me out of all the other options. I think one of the best ways to do that is to make the experience of opening their order really exciting and fun. I want them to feel like they're getting a present, not just a purchase.

Outside the box:

I added this sticker...

...and a logo stamp to make the boring brown box a little more unique.

Inside:

I made a quick and easy little garland out of washi tape and strung it to the top of the box.

Then I added colorful elements like the thank you sticker and mini business cards. I want the box to feel like a celebration, so I punch some big confetti circles out of tissue paper and sprinkle them around the box. 

One of my favorite additions to my packaging is a little muslin bag with these sheets I designed with tips to have a more joyful (less stressful) wedding. As exciting as the engagement experience is, it's also a time where a lot of couples feel stressed and overwhelmed, so I added these as a way to remind couples to enjoy this time and remember what's important.

I hope that these additions will make my customers smile, and make opening their mail a little more exciting!

1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY GIFT IDEA

I told you about the gift wrapping technique I used for Wes' anniversary gift, but I didn't tell you what the gift actually was! I know that traditionally 1 year gift is "paper" but I didn't know what the heck to do with that so I was talking to my sister, and she said that she heard that the modern one year gift is something related to time. I liked this much better so I ended up getting him a watch, and I made a whole little "time" theme for the gift.

I quickly drew up this watch card to go with the theme.

& In case you were wondering what my anniversary gift was, it was this gorgeous dress from Anthropologie. Wes apparently has a sixth sense when it comes to gifts because I was drooling over this dress at Anthro the other day but he wasn't even with me to know that!

Sangeet Dress, Anthropologie

DIY STAMPED FABRIC GIFT WRAP

Yesterday was my one year anniversary, which of course involved some gift giving! I decided to make his gift a little more special by wrapping it in fabric rather than wrapping paper. 

I just took an old sheet (that Chester had chewed a hole in...ugh) and cut it into a square. Then I stamped a pattern with a heart stamp and regular ink pad that I already had. After I made the pattern, I let the fabric dry. Then I tied the 4 corners at the top around the gift, and stamped a gift tag to match.

This is a super easy project that makes a gift a little more special. I might do the same thing around Christmas time with a tree or snowflake stamp!

STATIONERY PACKAGING & SHIPPING IDEAS

It took me quite a while to get the packaging figured out for my business, Holly Would Press. I think the presentation of your products is so important (especially with an online business) and I wanted something that would make people happy and reflect the brand. Here is the packaging I decided on.

Every card set gets bound with a belly band that has my logo on it. Then, wedding invitations are placed in a clear box and wrapped with yellow and blue bakers twine.

Stationery sets are bound with twine, and placed in a smaller paper box with a clear cover and a logo sticker. Rubber stamps are packaged inside a muslin bag with a hand stamped logo on it.

I punch my own tags with a paper punch and scrap paper (I have a lot of scrap paper from cutting out cards and invitations), then I heat emboss a "thank you" stamp on the front, and hand write a message on the back of the tag.

I put this smaller box in a more sturdy shipping box with a business card inside.

As far as shipping, it took me a while to organize all of the supplies because my husband and I live in a small apartment. I keep all of the large boxes in a laundry basket stored underneath a table:

Then I have a cart where I keep all of my smaller shipping and packaging supplies:

I string the bakers twine through these little spaces, which makes it really easy to cut a long piece of both of them at once and keeps the twine from getting all tangled:

I make lots of thank you tags ahead of time and keep them in a farmer's market basket so they're ready to go:

Other essentials: logo stickers, heat embosser, a scale for weighing packages, and bubble mailers.

I hope this is helpful for anyone starting a new business and trying to get organized! Do any of you have any other ideas?