designsgirl

pretty packages: oddments

I like to challenge myself to use bits and pieces and things I already have in my studio to decorate packages. Here, I found a piece of trim and a bottle stopper to make a Victorian-style gift box.

pretty packages: geodes and watercolor

I love how the crackled, fissured texture of the geode magnets matches the texture of the bright-hued watercolor paper I found at Anthropologie.

A metal box makes the magnets secure. To see more gift wrap ideas, vist designsgirl.com.

pretty packages

Love of pretty gift wrap is a genetic trait given to me by my mother who wraps the most exquisite packages.

Because of this, I design my own "hello love" line of holiday wrap and I will be launching a new line of baby-themed wrapping paper in the spring.

Pretty package ideas are shown on my new website in the "Featuring" section, which will be updated regularly.

Please take a look.

interlude: holiday mailings

Most would say that packing items for shipping is an uninspired activity for the shop owner but designsgirl loves the process of wrapping, packaging and mailing customer goodies. 

It must be all of the tissue paper, ribbons, decorative tape and ephemera that surrounds her during the process.

twelve days of christmas gift tags

designsgirl hand illustrated images for "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and made them into Christmas gift tags with red and white twine to accompany designsgirl "Partridge in a Pear Tree" wrapping paper.

Gift tag sets are now available at "hello love".

partridge in a pear tree gift wrap

designsgirl hand illustrated this "Partridge in a Pear Tree" for her "Twelve Days of Christmas" themed gift paper which is a sumptuous vellum for wrapping beautiful packages.

Now available at "hello love".

"hello love" christmas wrap

designsgirl is very excited about her 2012 holiday product launch featuring "The Twelve Days of Christmas" theme.

The line features this luxurious vellum wrapping paper and matching gift tags, postage stamp designs, and rubber stamps with individual hand drawn illustrations of each of images from "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and also calligraphy-embellished plates. 

Gift wrap now available at "hello love". Other products coming in October.

 

 

 

setting new sites

By the end of this year, designsgirl will have a new website- a place of glorious images of all of the things she loves and projects in which she is immersed. 

Some of the new features will be lovely place settings with calligraphy touches and unique paper goods and gift wrapping ideas.

My magazine partner Laura Dombrowski, who is a talented webmaster, will create the new look and contribute her fetching photography.

Images by designsgirl

calligraphy gift tag/sachet

North Carolina client photographer Amanda Churchill asked designsgirl to create calligraphic items for a wedding photo shoot on the beach.

I hand lettered the word "beloved", scanned it and printed it on silk fabric from my printer. So simple.

"the art of embroidery"

A plain cover belies the treasures contained within the book "the art of embroidery: inspirational stitches, textures and surfaces" by Francoise tellier-loumagne. Embroidery like none you have ever seen, created from images found in nature, is shown within the pages of this wondrous book.

Abstract and modern applications, brought to life with 500 marvelous photographs, make me excited to resume my embroidery projects from a whole new perspective.

I shall start with teasel pompoms.

shredded paper bows

Make use of packing materials by turning shredded paper into gift bows.

designsgirl took large shreds of kraft paper from a delivery, wrapped a red velvet ribbon around the bunch and attached them to a Christmas gift. What a fun and inexpensive decoration.

cape knitting

I enjoy knitting because of the luxurious yarns but I tend to stay with simple and fast projects like scarves, purses, and flowers for packages.

When I began taking classes, my ambition supplanted my skills and I dove into this knitted cape with a Louisa Harding pattern and her gorgeous mohair yarn and Kimono ribbon. I was so proud of it and have not done another article of clothing since.

photo by designsgirl