Wednesday, August 26, 2009

[Spotlight: Eco-Friendly] Gift Wrapping without Paper


I first met Jenn a few years ago at the National Stationery Show in NYC. She was our booth neighbor across the aisle. Instantly I was smitten with her illustrations. They were bold and gentle and beautiful all at the same time. It was also the first time I've seen her product launch Furochic(TM) What is this? Furochic is a modern take on the traditional Japanese wrapping cloth idea furoshiki. It's a great idea because it promotes caring for the environment and reducing waste (each year millions of tons of paper and plastic gift wrap are dumped into landfills). I'm talking about furoshiki for wrapping gifts, it can also be used to create handbags, little baby slings for your child's stuffed animal, or even used as a hankie. Check out Jenn's reuse page on her site for more ways to reuse her awesome and stylish Furochic gift wrap.


Wrapagami by Jenn Playford

Check out Wrapagami for more fun and great ways to wrap all sorts of things. For those of you who are not in Canada, the book is available in most book stores in the US. Be sure to support your local booksellers! Below are more images from Jenn's book:


Wrapping up baby bottles in this fashion and then putting it in the diaper bag is stylish and would probably keep warm formula warm for a while.


Great way to wrap up flowers for a hostess gift at your next dinner party.


This one is my favorite. Kasie, who is 4, is very much into taking care of her little stuffed animals and this is perfect for her to tote along her little 'babies'. Come September when Kasie starts Pre-K4, I'll be sending her off to class with furoshiki wrapped snacks. Maybe this will inspire her friends to do the same.


Order yourself some Furochic and check out the techniques page on the site and you can instantly learn how to wrap Furochic style.

[photos: Jenn Playford, Furochic]

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Spotlight: Creative - Breakfast Jewelry

Breakfast necklace

I had some Fimo left over from a project and Kasie and I spent the afternoon making 'breakfast' beads... bacon, eggs, bagels, blueberries, strawberries and even a croissant! Got some dress shoe laces from the local pharmacy and our little girl strung them up. She was most happy making this for her aunt, my sister whom she calls yee-yee (Cantonese for sister on our mother's side).

If you're not familiar with Fimo, it's a plastic polymer clay that you mold and then once finished bake in the oven, 260 degress for 30 minutes. Not the best smelling kitchen afterward but they bake to a hard finish that can also be painted. I would suggest Fimo Soft for little kids hands. The original version is quite hard and takes a while to get pliable.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

[Spotlight: Handmade] Nutty sock friends


Bunny Monster, handmade by BlinkyMuffin via Etsy

We have a birthday party this weekend and I want to give something special to my good friend who has two wonderful young kids, vibrant, smart and beautiful. They are very lucky children to two of the most dedicated parents I know. I thought it would be sweet to give them something handmade... so I am browsing on Etsy. One keyword search led to another and then I found him. Bunny Monster. I saw him and just smiled. Like something out of a kooky kids drawing, his bug eyes and jumpsuit just made me smile. He also has a crew of the most adorable friends...


Artemis, handmade by BlinkyMuffin via Etsy


Millie, hand made by BlinkyMuffin via Etsy

These little guys are just the sweetest. They are all hand made, using 100% new material with eco friendly bamboo stuffing. If that wasn't great enough, the profits from the sale of these great characters will help support the MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Society of Canada.

[photos: blinkymuffin]