Holiday Gift Wrapping using Foliage and Fabric
Happy Friday everyone!
I'll be first to admit that I am not the best gift wrapper, but I do love to decorate a gift to make up for my shortcomings with straight creases and square edges.
This year I was inspired more than ever to decorate my holiday gifts using beautiful natural Indonesian foliage and fruit foraged in my neighbourhood and in my garden. Over the last few weeks as I've been out running in my neighbourhood I've been noticing new season fruit beginning to grow and ripen on trees and some dropping before it had ripened ....back in my garden the rainy season has encouraged new growth to my citrus trees and generally everything has had a growth spurt. Hence the great outdoors became the inspiration for today's post.
At the same time, Jo has been preparing for the holiday season, and with the same desire to up-cycle, she is sharing her beautiful batik drawstring gift bags here; made from precious leftover batik which the gift recipient can use again.
Holiday Gift Wrapping using Foliage and Fabric
Make it festive with:
Festive coloured ribbon, natural hemp string, plain white or craft paper and batik fabric
Foraged greenery from your neighbourhood
Fresh foliage and fruit from your garden. The gift recipient can enjoy both the look, smell and taste of your seasonal cuttings
That's it! Just a few simple things and you can give your gift a beautiful local touch.
Set the mood with:
Music! Yes! pump up the Christmas or holiday music if you are a fan, or any music at all really, and treat yourself to your favourite snack or drink before diving into the wrapping and decorating.
Keep it simple with:
Plain wrapping paper
String and ribbon in a couple of colours only and craft or white paper
Greenery works perfectly with any kind of wrapping paper, but we particularly like it alongside craft or white paper. Once you have wrapped your gift, it's as simple as threading the greenery through the tied ribbon
Gift Toppers
Foraged in my neighbourhood:
Picked from my garden:
Jo's up-cycled batik gift bags:
These are just a few simple ideas to get you started. Play around with materials, start in your garden or hit the streets and forage. Above all, have fun with this, even if you are not best gift wrapper like me!
Common Sense Caution: Do be careful about collecting plants you are not familiar with and do be sure to follow local regulations. Do some research first to make sure you know what you are collecting. Google image search is your friend! ;)
Suppliers and Stockists:
Hanidas Collection – Handcraft & Textiles
Jl. Pelita Abdul MajidNo. 5B
Cilandak Barat
Jakarta Selatan
Phone: 021 7180606
HP: 0853 11031352
Mandira's Garden - to purchase a butterfly pea plant
Jl. Kemang Timur No. 55
Kemang
Pasar Mayestik
Jl. Tebah 3,
RT.14/RW.3, Gunung
Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta Selatan
Words: Liz McClean Photography: a journey bespoke
Let’s stay in touch on Instagram : @ajourneybespoke
You might also like:
The holiday season all wrapped up! Jakarta Style!
The ajb 2018 Holiday Gift Guide
The ajb 2017 Holiday Gift Guide
The ajb 2016 Holiday Gift Guide
The ajb 2015 Oleh Oleh Gift Guide
Crafty and Cool DIY Paper Diamonds
The ajb Ultimate Guide to preparing your house for a Jakarta Christmas