xmas in july :: creative wrapping

It's been said a million times before, but definitely deserves to be said a million more times.  The presentation of a gift can be as important as the gift itself.  The way it is wrapped can build even more anticipation of what lies beneath the paper. The recipient will appreciate, and feel special, for the extra effort.  Here are a few examples/ideas of taking your gifts to the next level.

(images via goodhousekeeping.com)

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xmas in july :: christmas card

My husband and I design our Christmas cards every year. (And every year I say "why do we do this to ourselves?!") We are usually up until wee hours of the morning designing, printing, trimming, embellishing, etc. for several nights trying to get them out the door.  Last year I came so close to ending the annual tradition of making our own. Especially after I saw this simple, but funny card on etsy.

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Oh and for any new readers, if you're interested, you can check out a few of our past cards here, here, here and here.

xmas in july :: decorating with ribbons

Almost all of my Christmas trees have ribbon incorporated as part of their overall decoration. I wrap wide ribbon, thin ribbon, even curly wrapping ribbon around and around for depth and more color. They are all wrapped horizontally around the tree starting from the top all the way to the bottom. Until now! In last year's Grandin Road Christmas catalog, I torn out this picture. The vertically oriented ribbons give a whole new look. I love it! As you can see from my scribbles, I also love the feather plum topper.  

xmas in july :: ornament display

In last year's series, I shared a space-saving ornament display that I had seen at the National Stationery Show. At this year's show, I spotted a similar idea, yet even simpler, at the MoMA booth. It's ideal for apartment dwellers who are tight on space, yet still want to decorate. Also, look at those beautiful ornaments! I lust after them every year in MoMA catalog. So bright and cheery!

xmas in july :: pink tree inspiration

I have a decorated tree in every room of my house - each with it's own theme.  Some are big and some are small.  After Christmas last year, I found a pink 6' tree for $8! Not that I needed another tree, but it was only $8! How could I pass it up!? And it was pink! You should have seen the look I got from my hubby! I still don't know which he was more upset at - the fact that it was pink or that we don't need yet another tree. :)

So, since this will be the first year I'm putting it up, I'm on the hunt for inspiration.  I gathered a few ideas.  Which one do you like best?

A)  Iridescent and Glass Ornaments

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B)  Candy/Sweets

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C)  Pink Ornaments

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xmas in july :: mantel decorations

One of the first things I do when putting up my Christmas decorations is to decorate the mantel. It gets me in the holiday spirit, plus it's a small enough area that can be completed fairly quickly. Quick is not the case for this beautiful display I spotted via desire to inspire! 500+ glass ornaments hand wired and twisted together - WOW! Now that's a mantel!!!! I definitely have a new inspiration for my own fireplace. Simply stunning!

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xmas in july :: annual series

It's baaaaack... last year I did a little series called xmas in july. Throughout the month, I shared Christmas traditions, ideas and crafts from my own family as well as showcased some other great ideas I had stumbled across. If you are anything like me, the holiday season sneaks up so fast and I feel overwhelmed. So, in an effort to alleviate those stresses and actually enjoy the season, I thought I'd get a jump on things. It worked last year, so I wanted to do it again. (If you like it, we can turn it into an annual thing???) I know it's weird to be thinking of Santa Claus, white Christmas' and eggnog while the thermostat soars outside, but just think how nice it will be to be one step ahead.

To kick us off, I go to the amazing Martha Stewart team.  I have had this idea saved in my Christmas inspiration folder for years, but unfortunately I only have one tree in my front yard.  If you are blessed with trunks, check out the supplies needed and how-to here.

And wait, I just had an ah-ha moment.... Since we just celebrated the 4th of July, stars and stripes are on my mind.  This project would work for Independence Day too!  You could use red and white lights for the stripes and blue lights for the star.  To do this, make sure to plan ahead and buy the colors this holiday shopping season.