Vibrant Colors for Vibrant Friends

I had such a blast with this one!

My mother-in-law, Linda, asked me a while back to wrap a gift for my good friends, Evan and Amy. Evan and Amy were married this past March, and my mom-in-law had a quilt made by Adam’s aunt Sandy (family tradition) to give to them as a wedding gift. I was so excited to get another opportunity to wrap a gift for Evan and Amy because they are such an amazing couple, and are some of the most vibrant, kind-hearted, and witty people I have ever met.

I started the wrapping with this fantastic striped wrapping paper I found a while back at Papyrus. I kept thinking back to Evan and Amy’s wedding day, and all of the beautiful colors that they had incorporated into their day: lime green, orange, red, navy, yellow, white…the list goes on.  I wanted the gift wrapping to remind them of their wedding day, so I continued the look with a bright orange ribbon, and a green damask envelope I made from scratch. I added some pops of color with various buttons, including some amazing wooden ones I bought on a recent antique shopping trip.

I fell in love with this wrapping during the process, and was so thrilled to see the smile on Amy’s face as she exclaimed “this has to be a Jenn Elliott Blake wrapping!!”

Brooklyn

I didn’t know what it was going to feel like to be an aunt. When I got married last year, I was so excited to know that along with marrying such a wonderful man I would also have a new title! I am now lucky enough to be called “Auntie Jenn” and I have two BEAUTIFUL nieces, Izzie and Brooklyn. Brooklyn was born last December and it has been excruciating not to have had the opportunity to meet her yet. My sister-in-law Caryn and brother-in-law Steve live in Arizona with their adorable girls, and I do not get to see them as much as I would like. BUT this weekend, I finally get to meet Brooklyn after 7 LONG months of waiting!

I cannot wait to pick her up and engulf her in hugs and kisses. I have no doubt that she has just as much personality and spunk as her older sister, and I feel so lucky and fortunate to have another niece. Brooklyn is also getting baptized this weekend during my trip to home to CO, and I am so thrilled to be present for such an important occasion.

I decided to get Brooklyn a little gift as a way to say, “so nice to finally meet you!”  While shopping at one of my favorite stationery stores, I happened upon an elephant-print paper and immediately gravitated towards it. I loved the rich colors of the paper, and although it’s not a traditional “baby” looking design, I somehow got a feeling that it would be just perfect for Brooklyn. I had this fantastic orange and white striped ribbon at home that has been waiting to make its mark and I just loved how it looked in contrast to the little elephants.

I can’t wait to meet Brooklyn!

Just For Dad

This weekend has been a great one. Not only is my Dad in town visiting (for the very first time since Adam and I moved to Seattle), but I also get to celebrate Father’s Day with him….IN PERSON! We’ve spent the weekend sightseeing, including a day trip to Vancouver, B.C., shopping the market, riding the duck boat, viewing the Seattle skyline from Gas Works Park, gazing up at the Space Needle, seeing the boats go up and down in the Ballard Locks while the salmon swam the fish ladder, and today riding a ferry boat to Bainbridge. The list goes on and on…

For as long as I can remember, my dad has always had a passion for physical activity and it’s something for which I truly admire him. If I had half the drive he has when it comes to exercising on a daily basis, I would be in the best shape of my life. My Dad is a HUGE fan of biking (and of course Lance Armstrong), and is an avid rider, riding an average of 6-7 days per week. So, imagine how stoked I was when I found this amazing paper with bikes on it! I couldn’t wait to use it on a gift for my pops, and how perfect that Father’s Day was just around the corner!

I love my Dad and am so thrilled that we got the opportunity to spend some quality time together in Seattle. I look up to him for many reasons and am so grateful to have him in my life. Happy Father’s Day Dad!

A New Addition

Our good friends Brendan and Steph are expecting their second child this summer and I couldn’t be happier for them. This past weekend Adam and I drove down to Portland to attend a baby shower to celebrate their new addition, and we had such a great time!

Brendan and Steph do not know whether they are having a baby girl or boy yet (yay for a baby girl!), so I decided to use some pink AND blue wrapping paper to wrap their gift, and personalized it with their last name, “Murphy.”  I found some super fun “fuzzy” letters to include, that seemed to just make the gift pop! No pun intended Steph : )

We had a wonderful time playing games, sharing possible baby names, visiting, chalking the sidewalk with adorable Eamon (Brendan and Steph’s son) and eating great food with fabulous friends. I cannot wait to meet new baby Murphy! Congratulations Brendan and Steph! I’m so thrilled for you!

A Friendly Visit

I cannot wait for tomorrow! I’m finally getting the opportunity to visit one of my girlfriends Vanessa in the land of Chicago. Vanessa and I have been best buddies for almost 9 years, meeting each other during college at CU Boulder. She is someone I not only admire, but strive to be more like. She is both intelligent and beautiful, possessing a charisma and wit unmatched by most – the girl is just amazing.

I haven’t seen Vanessa since she was a bridesmaid in my wedding last August, as she is a very busy gal currently completing her obstetrics residency in Peoria, Illinois. We do not get to see each other as often as I would like which is why trips like these are so special. I can’t wait to see Chicago through the eyes of my favorite midwesterner…Cubs game, Sex and the City 2 premier, sailing, Chicago style pizza, antique markets and girl time here I come!

When Adam and I were on our honeymoon last year I bought a gift for Vanessa in Italy that I had ALWAYS wanted to deliver in person. Of course, since the gift got “misplaced” about 4 times since my last move and we haven’t seen each other in a while, I am just now delivering Vanessa’s gift on this visit. I wanted the wrapping to represent my good friend, even personalizing it with her initials. I actually felt quite accomplished last night when Adam said “that gift looks like Vanessa.” Ding ding ding! Mission accomplished! Can’t wait to see you tomorrow V!

Wee One

It’s not too too often that I get to wrap a baby gift, but when I do I am over the moon! Babies are awesome. They just are. And lucky for me I am surrounded by babies on most days; yes I do have a fantastic job! : )

I haven’t had too many close friends give birth yet, so when Amanda told me last August that she and Ryan were expecting in March I was so thrilled! Amanda was one of my closest friends in nursing school and boy did we go through a lot together. There were so many ups and downs, and highs and lows throughout school, and Amanda was right there beside me to either cry/whine with me, study beside me or doodle during class right along with me. We even held some of our first nursing school babies with each other during our rotations on labor and delivery.

Adam and I were fortunate enough to be invited to Amanda and Ryan’s wedding a few years back and I just couldn’t wait for them to get pregnant. And hip hip hooray! They did, and now baby Oliver is here!

I got to meet Oliver today during my trip out to Colorado and he is SOOOOO cute!!  Here’s a few pictures of my gift for Oliver. LOVED wrapping this one! Congratulations Amanda and Ryan!

The Map

My father-in-law Pete, and mother-in-law Linda are coming into town to visit Adam and I today! We’re very excited to have them and are looking forward to a weekend full of relaxing and catching up!

One thing we will be doing this weekend is celebrating Pete’s birthday. When I sat down a couple of weekends ago to figure out how I wanted to wrap Pete’s birthday gift, I realized how many amazing things have happened for Pete in the past year.

One of the most major things was that Pete retired from Continental Airlines after 26 years of service as a pilot for the airline. Adam and I, including Adam’s 3 brothers, his mom, and my sister-in-law Cindy were able to accompany Pete on his last trip. Over Thanksgiving weekend last November Adam and I met the Blake Fam in Houston and then we flew (Pete was the pilot) over to Honolulu for a little getaway. Although short lived, the trip was AMAZING! We hung out at the beach, soaked up some rays, and ate some fantastic food. We then hopped back on the plane and accompanied Pete on his very last flight as a commercial pilot. It was emotional to say the very least and I felt so honored to share the trip with my husband, and my new father in law.

I have always wanted to use maps as wrapping paper and thought what better way to celebrate Pete “the pilot,” who has flown all across the U.S., than by using a map to wrap his birthday gift! I bought one of those HUGE wall maps of the United States and cut it to the shape of Pete’s gift. I then added a very “masculine” looking ribbon (tweed looking actually) as the finishing touch.

Happy Birthday Pete! I’m looking forward to celebrating your birthday this weekend! What a year you have had and I hope you have many more years of monumental and amazing events to come! Love you!

A New Home

I couldn’t be more excited for our friends Emma and Jason who bought their first home together this month down in south Seattle. Their house is absolutely beautiful and is the envy of everyone who knows them! I got the opportunity to stay the night over at Emma and Jason’s a few nights ago and I just fell even more in love with their new home. I have no doubt in my mind that Emma and Jason will create the most amazing memories in this house!

As a means of congratulating them, Adam and I made a trip to Crate and Barrel (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE) this weekend to pick out a little housewarming gift. I was so excited to wrap their gift and include one of my seed packet envelopes to the package. Take a look!

Congrats E and J!

Something Nontraditional

Now this may sound like an odd statement coming from a person that outwardly expresses a love and passion for all things paper, but I have to admit that I am not a fan of the envelope. Yes, I said it. Envelopes.

Envelopes are boring. Plain. Usually one color or solid white without character, expression or attitude. Envelopes are lame.

Now, my mama didn’t raise no fool either. I am fully aware of the importance of the traditional envelope. How would the postman know where to send a thoughtful greeting card if it wasn’t wrapped in a plain envelope with the receiver’s location on it. And of course the infamous stamp that is needed on top of the envelope in order for the card to make it to its final destination. An envelope may also be necessary atop a birthday, wedding or shower gift in order to denote who the gift is for, right?

Well yes of course, BUT in my eyes there are other ways to personalize a gift, a card or just about anything else that needs to “traditionally” fit inside an envelope.

A couple of blogs ago, I don’t know if anyone noticed but I never mentioned using an envelope for the birthday card I created for Alexis or the thank you card for Emma and Jason. The envelope wasn’t mentioned because (eek!) I didn’t use one. These cards were hand delivered and I felt that the envelope would only take away from the personality of the cards themselves.

I am the biggest fan of leaving out the envelope all together or replacing it with something unexpected.  Every time I wrap a gift or make a card I make every effort to avoid the traditional envelope. I want every detail of a card I create or a gift I wrap to be seen in its entirety. We spend so much time and love trying to find the perfect card to go along with our gift or capture whatever moment is going on in the life of the person receiving our card, only to then cover it up by a solid and plain envelope. Why?

So, I encourage you to skip the envelope the next time you give a gift. Just tuck the beautiful greeting card into the top of the ribbon on the gift and let it sing in all of its glory. Or come up with a way to omit the envelope all together, by putting something new in its place such as a gift tag, or something that could be substituted as the envelope.

For example, a couple of weekends ago Adam and I drove to a little town called La Conner up in northern Washington to do some antique shopping (one of my all time favorite things to do…you find the BEST stuff!)  While rummaging through one of the adorable antique shops I came upon a large basket full of old empty/never used seed packets. You know the packets you buy that hold the seeds of either vegetables, fruits, or flowers so that you can plant them in your garden?

I immediately fell in love with the bright colors and vintage look of the empty packets and bought as many as I could before Adam cut me off. I thought the packets would be a lovely addition to a birthday gift or housewarming present and the perfect substitution for the traditional envelope. I couldn’t wait to get home and attach one to a gift with my greeting tucked inside.

Here’s a few pics of the adorable seed packets that I picked out. Keep an eye out for my use of these nontraditional  “envelopes” in my next blog! : )

A Lime Green Affair

When Evan and Amy’s Save the Date came in the mail a few months ago my first thoughts were:

1)     “Hooray for these two!  They are perfect for each other!  Can’t wait for their big day!”

2)     “Aaahh I LOVE their color combo: lime green and white!” and

3)     “I cannot wait to wrap their wedding gift!”

Well, the time is here!  Evan and Amy are getting married next Saturday (March 6^th) and I just finished wrapping their gift.  I knew from the get go I wanted to include shades of green in the wrappings, but it wasn’t until I found some adorable lime green buttons that I was truly inspired.

Now as far as wedding wrappings go, I will admit that I love a traditional beautifully wrapped wedding gift in all it’s glory (white, maybe shades of gold or silver, with a big white bow on top).  BUT I also love plopping a wedding gift down on the gift table that is unexpected in detail, bright and vibrant in color, and represents the couple and (perhaps boldly) celebrates the amazing commitment they are making to one another on that day!

If you were to ever meet Evan and Amy one the of the first things you would notice is the complete charm, comedic wit and outgoing personality of Evan and the cheerful, ambitious, and optimistic personality of Amy. This is a couple that will entertain the crowd for hours…they are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

So…here is their wedding gift all wrapped up:

Congratulations Evan and Amy!  I wish you a lifetime of love, laughter and happiness!  I see only the most amazing things in your future together as husband and wife!

Wrappings to Represent a Personality

I spent some time this evening uploading picks to my facebook page from the past fall, winter and spring months.  I often times forget many of the pictures I take, and was so excited to fall upon some pictures I took of my bridesmaids gifts.

When choosing the wrapping paper, ribbons and gift tags for these “thank you” gifts, I really wanted each of my girls’ personalities to be represented by their wrapped gift.  Although all of the packages had a pink ribbon and a tag attached, each was different and unique in its own way.  I am so in LOVE with this Eiffel Tower paper… bold, yet simple.