Green & Spring Product Packaging

I am completely enamored with bath and body brand Green & Spring's product packaging (Marichelle is not such a fan of birds and will have to avert her eyes for this post). I don't know about you, but looking at a cheery flock of feathered friends lined up in my bathroom each morning would certainly put me in a chipper mood every day.

UK shoppers can purchase Green & Spring products here, and US shoppers can find a selection of their goods available at Barney's online.

DIY Little Library Card Notebooks

A nice stack of these little library card notebooks tied together with twine and topped with a selection of these would make a great present for any occasion.

 Images: Packagery

Festive Jam Jar Holiday Decor

A visit to Tif Fussell's blog (Dottie Angel) never fails to leave me feeling inspired. Her recent post on creating DIY Covered Jam Jars using repurposing materials has me dreaming of a holiday home filled with the warm glow of flickering candlelight (peeking out from beneath whimsical little jam jar votive covers of course). Pop over to Dottie Angel to see all of her clever ideas for this project and more.

Repurposing Vintage Wooden Spools

A beautiful and simple idea for repurposing old wooden spools. I bet sprigs of pepperberries would look just as lovely! Via Happy Things.

Image: Vania Leroy-Thuillier/Marie Claire Idees

Pi'lo's Eco-Friendly Gift Packaging

I'm really loving the sweet eco-friendly appeal of these lovely packaging solutions found in etsy shop Pi'lo. A Linen Advent Calendar, Buttoned Felt Gift Bags and Reusable Party Crackers...what's not to love! See more lovely from Pi'lo right here.

Illustrated Plastic Seal Bag

Wouldn't it be more fun to store your buttons and other crafty supplies in illustrated plastic zip bags?

Images: babalisme

Sundance Catalog Gift Wrapping Supplies

It was such a nice surprise to discover a wonderful selection of gift wrapping supplies available through Sundance Catalog this year (and off topic...you just have to check out the gorgeous boots they carry too). We are loving the vintage feel of their offerings...how great are the wooden spools of assorted ribbons?! See the whole collection of holiday packaging goodness right here.

Small stump + Studio Choo

Small Stump + Studio Choo.
A shared love for flowers and an art studio. LOVE!
(Wooden Bow, Studio Choo / Ribbon Collection, Small Stump / Natural Gold Collection Box, Studio Choo)


Images: Small Stump and Studio Choo

Simplesong Holiday Goods

Receiving and order from Simplesong in the mail is like experiencing Christmas morning as a kid all over again. The quality of Suann's work is exceptional and if you love packaging as much as we do (that's why you are here, right), then I know you'll go just as gaga as I do when you see each special detail she works into her designs/packaging.

The Simplesong 2010 holiday collection does not dissapoint, with sweet gift giving and gift packaging solutions for both Thanksgiving and Christmas (such as her adorable Sweet Treat Kraft Paper Bags - love them). You can see the full Simplesong range right here.

Inspiration: Welcome Box

Okay so I know we just posted about our favorite goodies from SIMPLESONG Design but look at this beautiful welcome box for out-of-town wedding guests also designed by Suann Song! I'm so inspired and can't wait to try and make a version for future house guests!
(via it's mary ruffle)

Loving Bracket Cards + Labels

Today we are loving these assorted bracket style cards and labels (perfect for putting the finishing touches on your special gift packages): Velvet Cards from Burke Decor (found via Coco + Kelley), Chalkboard Labels from Terrain, and Exacto Labels (available in tons of colors including metallic and textured versions) from Envelopperinc.

Draw Your Own Gift Bows

We love the idea of drawing your own gift bows directly onto your gift wrap (as seen in yesterday's J.Crew newsletter - Marichelle was the clever one who spotted this genius idea first).

Of course we couldn't wait to try it out so I ran to the craft store in search of the perfect marker/paper combo and ended up settling on a Sharpie® Metallic Silver Poster-Paint Marker (the water-based version) and a solid red gift wrap from Target. Since the pen is water-based it isn't as inclined to soak through your paper and ruin your gift below. Even so, we recommend nice quality solid-color wrapping paper (the thicker the better) - they have some suitable varieties available at Michael's craft stores and Target too. You could also use the reverse side of a kraft paper grocery bag, and any other art supplies you have laying around (such as crayons, gel pens, or colored pencils). Simply wrap, draw, and give. Perfect!

Present & Correct Christmas Crackers

I have to admit that the concept of party crackers has freaked me out since I was a kid (something about unknown objects exlploding in your face) but these Christmas Crackers from Present & Correct have me rethinking my phobic ways. Aren't they so great (and if you are squeemish you could always just snip open the end and take all the goodies out, right)?! See more from Present & Correct on their website and etsy shop.

Fabric Envelopes + Custom Stamps

Shut the front door! I landed on Megan's shop Mae Mae Paperie and instantly fell head over heels with her fabric envelopes and custom stamps. Especially this initial rubber stamp - love the way you can offset it a bit for a entirely different vibe (see tag above)! By the way, she's also available for custom work.

DIY Waxed Paper Pom Pom Flowers

Back in the good ol' Nice Package days when Marichelle and I worked together out of her home, I arrived one workday morning to discover the prettiest white pom pom embellishments twisted onto a vase full of winter twigs that Marichelle had collected. It turns out that my clever business partner decided to get creative with supplies from her kitchen drawer and had whipped up a festive arrangement of lustrous blooms using waxed paper. Genius, right?!
Since we no longer live close enough for me to force her to recreate the magic (wink) and since she has her hands full with a cute little baby bundle, I decided to put together a tutorial to show you all how to make your own waxed paper pom poms. What is so beautiful about the use of waxed paper in this project is how it looks frosty and perfectly suited for holiday decorating elements and packaging. Enjoy!

Supplies Needed:

• Waxed Paper
• Scissors
• Covered Floral Wire (found in craft stores) or flexible metal wire (found in hardware stores).

Step 1: Gather your supplies.
Step 2: Cut two segments of waxed paper into squares that are roughly 12” x 12.” Lay them on top of one another and cut them at the same time down the center (this will give you four rectangles (approximately 6” x 12”). Stack the rectangles on top of one another and cut in half again to create a pile of 6” x 6” squares.

Step 3: Make sure your sheets are laying in one straight stack and begin accordion folding all sheets at once (like a paper fan). Each fold should be about 1/2” to 3/4” wide. Make sure sheets are sharply creased before proceeding to the next step.
Step 4: Take a segment of floral wire that is at least 12” long and wrap it around the center of your folded stack of paper. Twist wire together at the edge of your paper (like a twistie-tie) until secure.

Step 5: Using your scissors, trim both ends of your folded paper into desired shape. Be creative. The shape of your cuts will define the petals of your pom pom bloom (they can be curved, pointed, scalloped, etc).
Step 6: Begin giving your pom pom shape by gently opening folded shape up until it resembles a bowtie. It looks really charming at this point, and would make a great gift topper as is if you find yourself in a pinch for time.

Step 7: Continue shaping your pom pom by delicately but firmly pulling up each folded layer to separate it from the layers below it. To do this, pinch one fold from your first layer and pull towards you. Move to the next fold on the same layer and pull towards you again. Repeat until the first layer is no longer laying against the accordion folded layers. Continue to the next layer and repeat this process with all layers on one side before proceeding to the second side. Repeat until all layers have been separated from one another. It’s okay if you have a few tears in your paper here and there. It’s not going to look perfect at this stage, so stick with it. Tip: Holding the wire like a stem while you work will you give you better leverage.
Step 8: After releasing all layers from one another you can give your pom pom a more finished shape by going through and straightening and shaping your petals until they look how you like. Use your pom poms as gift toppers, ornaments, wrap them around napkins as napkin rings, arrange them in a vase for an unexpected floral arrangement, string them onto low-heat holiday lights, and more!

Additional supplies used in the bag topper above: Small kraft paper bags - Target | Hole punch - Michael's | Kraft gift wrap - Michael's | Fabric covered florist wire - Michael's | Pinking shears - Grandmother's | Glue stick (for the leaf tag) - Michael's.

Luxe Wrappings

I like to wrap gifts in good ol' kraft paper as much as the next gal, but I'd be pretty psyched to receive a gift wrapped in this luxe grey wrapping paper by Hello Cornelia!
Image: Cornelia O'Donovan

Sweet Paul Holiday Wrapping

I adore blogger Paul Lowe - well known as the man behind Sweet Paul blog, Sweet Paul e-magaine, and a popular stylist for publications such as Country Living (yes, he's talented - and he truly is sweet too). His latest Holiday e-mag just hit the virtual shelves yesterday and it is brimming full of inspiration, tasty treats, and projects galore. His DIY gift wrapping ideas are my personal favorite (of course). The publication is free so if I were you I'd hurry your little self on over to soak in the eye candy right away. Enjoy!

Homemade Holiday Gifts & Packaging

Featured image/story from Tartelette

I was delighted to have a recent project of mine (a gift of homemade caramel sauce with printable labels) featured in this week's iVillage roundup of Homemade Gift Ideas. There are 24 scrumptious gifts to make (with a lot of sweet packaging ideas included), ranging from savory to sweet. So there really is something for everyone. Hop on over for some inspiration and have a weekend filled with crafty gift-making fun!

Gel Medium Magic

Check out this super cool technique on how to transfer an image onto fabric by Jessica Jones of How About Orange! I'm so excited to try this!

Hanging Twine Dispenser

In our dreams we own a cute little shop... and in this shop we have one of these hanging by our vintage cash register where we carefully wrap each purchase with kraft paper and twine. PS. We also fly to Japan every other month to buy all the cool things (from shops like Billet) we can't buy here in the U.S.

Ballard Gift Wrapping Goodies

I have to admit that I've never purchased anything from Ballard Designs before, but when their catalog arrived  couldn't help but leaf through it. To my surprise I discovered several festive gift wrapping goodies that I'm dreaming of using to package up Christmas gifts this year (the Capiz Button Garland and Document Gift Wrap is my favorite). Find more / buy these goodies at Ballard Designs.

Holiday Gift Tag Demo with Miniature Rhino

Love love love these colorful holiday inspired embroidered paper gift tags by Jessica of Miniature Rhino!! Well guess who is going to be at Kate's Paperie (57th St NYC) this Thursday sharing her handmade goods and teaching how to make these super awesome gift tags...

What: Kate's Paperie Trunk Show & Demo with Miniature Rhino
When: Thursday November 11th 12- 7PM, Demo 5-7PM
Where: 140 West 57th Street, NY (212) 459-0700
Image: Jessica Marquez

A Friend in Need Emergency Kit

We love this sweet A Friend in Need Emergency Kit that Masha of Ornamelle put together. Who hasn't had one of those days where a good cup of tea, a nibble of delicious chocolate and the thoughtfulness of a friend couldn't cure all.
Put your own kit together with handmade fabric bags (using the tutorial link from Masha's post) or muslin bags, your friend's favorite chocolates, individually packaged tea bags, and any other little tokens you think your friend will love.
Images from Ornamelle blog.

Tinseltown

Antiqued Silver and Gold Tinsel Garland available at Jayson Home and Garden.

Found: DIY Paper Pouches

We just love these DIY Paper Pouches we found on Black Eiffel and IS•LY|I Still Love You!. Perfect for candy, jewelry or just about anything. Easy to follow step-by-step instructions and free artwork/tag download can both be found on Melissa's blog.
Images: Melissa Esplin of IS•LY|I Still Love You!

Photo Friday

Ez (left) | Marichelle (right)

Hello and happy Friday everyone! We thought that it would be fun (for us and hopefully for you too) to have a post each week that shows a bit more of the personal sides of our lives. It seemed the best way to do that and to help bridge the many miles between us would be to each capture an image during the week (subject completely unplanned) and then share it with each other and you all here each Friday.

Marichelle...
Fall is definitely upon us here in NJ and although it's a sure sign that Winter is just around the corner I've actually been enjoying the crisp air, the rainbow of autumn colors all around, the sound of crushing leaves under my feet and watching Emma's face as she stares in wonder of it all. On the flip side, my poor hubby will soon be raking raking raking and raking! But enough about the weather! I'm SO glad this week is over, my little bean has been way crankier than usual. She has discovered how to shriek, scream, flap her arms and has been practicing all three at the same time. I'm hoping it's just a growth spurt thing and that it'll soon pass. For those of you who have seen Sex in the City 2, I've had a couple of Charlotte-in-the-pantry moments this week! Anyway, I hope you all have a great weekend. I gotta go run and try to take a passport-friendly photo of little Ems. Oh yes, apparently infants are now required to have passports for intl travel. xo Marichelle

PS. I spotted these vines growing on my neighbor's wall and I just loved the golden heart leaves (it reminded me of something Ez would stop for and appreciate!)

Ez...
It feels like I've been looking for signs of Fall here in our new home city (Tulsa, OK) since mid-summer (but can you blame me, it was about 120 degrees all summer long). Now that the Fall season is officially here I have to admit that the lack of colors in my neighborhood have been a letdown. The one good thing I can say about the patchy bits of color here and there is that I've really started to pay attention everywhere I go to any potential burst of color. And when I finally find it, it feels like a moment of magic created just for me. These pepper berries were one of the first vibrant things I discovered while out at one my daughter and my daily trips to the park, and even though they are incredibly sappy and and ooze all over the place once their stems have been cut, I couldn't resist bringing a little sprig home with me to enjoy.

My hunt for Fall is sure to continue this weekend, starting with a wilderness walk with my littlest sister and my daughter later today. We're going to look for acorns and pinecones so that we can make these adorable little mice. Aren't they so cute! Have a stupendous weekend however you spend it.  xo Ez

We're Baaaack!

Hello everyone! We're baaaack! As most of you know Ez moved from NJ to OK last year due to personal reasons. Unfortunately, at that time we realized that it would be impossible to run our Nice Package shop from two different locations and made the tough decision to close our virtual doors. In the end it worked out for the best as Marichelle was also in the midst of her first pregnancy and was unsure as to how her new life would pan out...

Eight months later, all Ez's boxes are unpacked and she and her daughter have settled into their new home quite well. Marichelle has a beautiful 3 month old daughter; is getting more and more sleep and finally starting to feel human again!

So a lot has changed since we last worked together but one thing remains the same - our love (some would say obsession) for all things related to gift packaging! As shop owners we learned that we are not alone — that there are a bunch of you who share our little obsession. And while we can't reopen our shop with so much distance between us, we decided that we can do the next best thing and are officially relaunch our Nice Package blog today! Woohoo!

We hope that Nice Package will be the place where you'll come to find fresh packaging ideas, helpful tutorials, free useful downloads, and resources for the best packaging products out there. We can't wait to share our finds, faves, and creations with you!

It's so nice to be back! xox Ez + Marichelle
Psst...stay tuned for a brand new tutorial (coming up in just a little bit).

DIY: Paper Pom Pom Gift Toppers

Hi everyone! We created this fun and festive gift topper using our colorful free printable gift tag sheets (download found below) and a few supplies. The result is a sweet project that you can modify and use over and over again in multiple elements of your holiday wrapping and decor. Finished pom poms can be used as simple toppers for your holiday gifts or party favors, to string in a grouping for a festive garland, or even tied around your dinner napkins at your next party. Our free printable downloads also include patterned gift tags that are perfect for gift giving this holiday and all year round. So let's get started!

You'll want to begin by downloading your PDF tag files. These are large hi-res files, so depending on your internet connection and computer they may take a little while to download (they are worth it - we promise).

Free Tag Downloads:

• Free Diamond Tag Set
• Free Dots Tag Set
• Free Quatrefoil Tag Set
• Free Stripes Tag Set
• Free Vines Tag Set

Gather your supplies:

1. Patterned Gift Tags Sets printed onto cardstock (you can use your own patterned cardstock if you'd like)
2. Seam Binding Ribbons (in whichever colors you'd like) - We love the colors carried in the Caramelos etsy shop.
3. Craft Paper Punches in assorted shapes/sizes. We used a 1 1/2" circle punch by EK Sucess purchased at our local craft store.
4. Scissors
5. Ribbon Puncher purchased from our local craft store.
6. Double-sided tape (the permanant variety is recommended)

Step 1. Punch out 5 circles per pom pom using your craft punch or by hand. You can use multiple patterns and colors as we've done here, or all one for a classy monotone effect.  Measure and cut ribbon into the length needed to wrap around a gift box.
Step 2. Once all of your circles have been cut, punch the center of each circle using your ribbon puncher.
Step 3. Fold each circle in half, making sure the fold lines up vertically with your ribbon punches and the fold is in between the two slits.
Step 4 - 6. Thread ribbon through your ribbon slits while your circle is folded in half. In one slit and out the other.
Step 7. Repeat steps 3 through 5 for each piece (5 total per pom pom). You may choose to stick double sided tape in between the circles to keep them in place.
Step 8. You're done!

We hope you will enjoy creating these just as much as we did!  xo Ez + Marichelle

*Please note that we are unable to email files to you if you are unable to download them here.