With Christmas just a month away, I thought I’d share some wrapping paper alternatives to help you create less waste this year. And these ideas will not only help you be more environmentally friendly and leave more space in your bin, they’ll also make your gifts look gorgeous!
Use fabric gifts to wrap the rest
If you’re giving gifts like scarves, tea towels or any other fabric based items, you can use the fabric to wrap the rest of the gift up. Once wrapped, tie it up with a beautiful ribbon or some lovely twine or string and it’ll look fabulous when you hand it over.
Start a furoshiki wrapping tradition
Furoshiki cloths were originally used in Japan to wrap up treasures, store belongings and transport gifts, but are now a popular way to wrap gifts worldwide. There are lots of different ways to use a Furoshiki cloth to wrap gifts of all shapes and sizes. Take a look at my blog post on Furoshiki Techniques for some ideas.
When you receive a gift in a Furoshiki cloth the recipient can then reuse the cloth to wrap gifts in the future, so it doesn’t end up in landfill. And the more you do it the more likely you are to encourage other people to do the same – especially when they see how gorgeous it makes gifts look!
Seed papers
Using seed papers is another gift wrapping alternative that not only looks beautiful but can be planted afterwards to grow wildflowers. You can find a good variety of seed papers on Etsy. If you’re going to use it for wrapping paper it’s best to choose one that’s not too thick, so it’s easy to fold nicely.
Other wrapping paper alternatives
For even more eco-friendly wrapping paper alternatives, check out this blog post: Eco Friendly Gift Wrapping Ideas. You’ll never need to buy ordinary wrapping paper again 😃
I’ve always preferred cards that are blank inside so I can write my own message. It can sometimes be a challenge to know what to write in a Christmas card though, especially if you send a lot of them! Here are some suggestions to help you along.
What to write to your significant other
Your main choices here are to declare your heartfelt love or to be a bit naughty. You’ll know which one is right for your relationship! The main thing is to write a message in the same tone you’d speak to them in. Of course you if you find it hard to say certain things out loud then this is also the perfect opportunity to let them know how you really feel. Here are some ideas to get you started…
Even after all this time, all I want for Christmas is you.
Christmas is so much better now I have you to share it with.
I don’t care about the mistletoe – I’m going to shower you with kisses all day long!
Never mind the mistletoe – you can kiss me anytime and anywhere!
Is that a candy cane in your pocket or am I getting my Christmas treat?
What to write in a Christmas card for family
Whether or not you see your family regularly, you can use your Christmas card either to let them know how much you love and appreciate them, or to make them smile with a funny message. Some families love the sentimental stuff and others prefer to maintain a sense of humour. Of course you can sometimes do both…
Having you as my parents/Mum/Dad/brother/sister/etc is the best present I could wish for. Wishing you a happy Christmas with all my love.
Family is what makes Christmas so special and I’m so happy I can spend it with you this year.
Christmas is all about spending time with your favourite family – aren’t you glad you can spend it with me?
Merry Christmas from your favourite daughter/son/brother/sister.
Happy holidays form your superior sibling.
It’s so great that it doesn’t bother you that I’m the favourite. Happy Christmas bro’!
You’re the only one who understands why it’s more tempting to deck the family than to deck the halls…
What to write in Christmas cards to friends
Whether it’s your bestie, your running buddy or an old friend you occasionally meet up with at the pub, it’s always easiest to write a message that refers to what you have in common. Here are some suggestions which you can adapt to your own friendships.
Your friendship is the best present I could ever wish for. Hope your Christmas is as special as you are!
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, but we can drink the red when it runs out!
Happy Christmas! See you in the new year to run off those mince pies…
Happy holidays to the person who helps me cycle off the Christmas pudding!
Merry Christmas to my favourite person to misbehave with – just don’t tell Santa what we got up to this year!
Christmas messages to colleagues
Christmas cards are a great way to let your favourite colleagues know how much you appreciate them. Whether you see them over the Christmas period or not, here are a few suggestions for what to write.
Coworkers like you make work easier and the office much friendlier. Enjoy Christmas with all your family and friends and see you in the new year!
Remember what happens at the office party, stays at the office party… Merry Christmas and see you next year!
Merry Christmas to the only reason I’m still (fairly) sane at work!
It’s a shame we’re having to work through the holidays but I’m so glad we’re together. Happy Christmas!
I hope these ideas have helped. Even if none of them are exactly right, they should at least have given you some ideas and gotten your creative writing juices flowing! Don’t forget you can get Christmas cards in my shop to suit a wide range of people and interests and you’ll save with my Mix and Match bundles. Also available on Etsy for international customers.
With Father’s Day coming up on 20th June 2021, I thought you might appreciate some personalised gift ideas for Dads. Show him your appreciation for all the years he drove you around, paid your way and sorted out your problems for you by giving him a present that is made specially for him!
I’ve tried to include a wide range of prices to suit all budgets, whether you really want to splurge or things are a bit tight right now. Some of the ideas contain affiliate links – this means if you click and buy I’ll get a small commission. But it won’t cost you anything 😇
Treat your Dad to this personalised trim-fold leather wallet. It comes in a variety of colours, is made from buffalo leather and has RFID to stop his cards from being activated whilst in the wallet. You can also add a photo of you and your Dad in the photo sleeve if you like 😃
Or if your Dad likes a little tipple in his coffee, how about this coffee mug with a hip flask attached? It can be personalised with his initials on the strap.
Perhaps your Dad would appreciate a set of personalised BBQ tools.
Does your Dad have a sweet tooth? If so, there are so many options to have sweet treats personalised too. Here are just a few examples with a variety of price points…
I hope these have given you some good ideas to spoil your Dad with! Don’t forget to order a Father’s Day card too – click the image below to shop with free UK delivery.
Being good at remembering birthdays is one of those things that some people are great at and others suck, but most of us are somewhere in between. I’m generally quite good but have had a couple of really serious gaffes where I’ve forgotten a friend’s important milestone birthday and these still haunt me! This post is to help both of us out – I never want to forget again, and I’m sure you’d love some tips on remembering birthdays too.
Make sure you KNOW the important birthdays
This is the obvious first step – if you don’t even know when someone’s birthday is, you’ve got absolutely no chance of remembering 😁
Make sure you have a record somewhere of all your friends and family and their birthdays and fill in the gaps. I went through a stage where I got used to Facebook reminding me about birthdays, so I stopped adding to my own list. This is how one of those gaffes I mentioned happened! I stopped using Facebook as much and missed a good friend’s 50th birthday as a result.
These days it’s probably easiest just to keep a record on your phone – because we pretty much have our phones with us all the time… As soon as someone mentions their birthday just take a few seconds to check whether it’s on your list and if not add it right there and then.
This will help you avoid another ‘learning the hard way’ experience I had (I’m telling you these things so you know I’m not judging you!) I asked someone when their birthday was, it turned out to be in a couple of week’s time, but I didn’t make a note. So although I knew their birthday was coming up but couldn’t remember the exact date and felt too embarrassed to ask again…Luckily we had another mutual friend who could fill me in but how bad would it have been if I’d not sent a card when I’d specifically asked for the date?!
Set reminders for remembering birthdays
It’s all very well having a list of birthdays, but you still need a reminder. Unless you fancy memorising them all, in which case here’s how to do it. For most of us though, reminders are definitely the way to go.
If you use a calendar then the easiest thing is to just add all the birthdays to this together with a notification. You can usually also make them recurring, so that you don’t have to add them in again every year.
This little reminder just popped up while I was writing this post!
For friends and family that I would send a card to or buy a gift for I always add a notification at least a week beforehand as well as on the day. For those I just want to remember to wish happy birthday to a reminder on the day or just before is fine.
If you don’t use a calendar then something like Remember the Milk is great for this. You just make a list of everyone’s birthday and say when/how you’d like to be notified about it. It will then send you an email or notify you on your desktop or the app. You can make these recurring too. It’s also useful for remembering other stuff like dentist appointments, booking MOTs, etc. There are also dedicated birthday reminder services and apps around so hunt around until you find one that suits you.
Non-digital reminders
Would you prefer a more paper based system? Perhaps you’re trying to move away from all the digital clutter that sucks you in. Perhaps you’re not as attached to your phone as most people. Or maybe you just get so many digital notifications and reminders that end up missing some of them….
In this case an actual paper calendar, planner or diary is just as useful. As long as you remember to check it regularly! Write all the birthdays in before the beginning of each year. Perhaps use a highlighter or stickers to make them stand out too.
You could also write all the birthdays on separate mini post-it notes. If you include the name and date then you can just move them across each year.
A lovely perpetual wall calendar from Not on the High Street that would be perfect for birthday reminders (this is an affiliate link)
Otherwise a perpetual calendar like the one above works well, and saves you the hassle of updating each year. You can also get desktop or printable versions, so choose the one that’s most likely to work for you. It only works if you actually see it, use it and pay attention to it regularly!
I read somewhere that in the Netherlands you’ll often see a list of birthdays opposite the toilet. It might seem a bit strange, but at least you know you’ll definitely see the list several times every single day 😆
Become the best at remembering birthdays
It’s worth the small amount of effort it takes to find and set up a system that works for you. Decide whether a digital or paper based system will suit you best and sort it out. Believe me, it’s so much nicer when you’re no longer living in fear of forgetting a birthday. We all like to feel special on our birthday and when someone remembers mine it always gives me the warm fuzzies 🥰
Giving or sending a card to show you’ve remembered someone’s birthday (and cared enough to do something about it) is one of the simplest ways to make someone feel special. So set those reminders now, shop for the perfect birthday card and spread the joy!
You don’t want to give your favourite person just any old valentine card… You love them because they’re completely unique and so the card you give them should be just as special! A card that shows that you get them, they get you and that there’s no one else in the world quite like them 😍
I’ve tried to create a range of Valentine cards to help you find the perfect card for your person. Here’s a selection to give you an idea, but you can check out the full range in my Etsy shop in the Love & Valentine Cards section.
Valentine cards for the obsessed
If your other half (and/or you) are obsessed with golf, tennis, running or cycling, then these cute cards from my Sportsy collection could be just the thing.
Or perhaps your obsession is music?
Cute and romantic valentine cards
If your thing is more cute and romantic, then perhaps you’ll find the perfect card below.
A slightly irreverent valentine card
If you’re one of those couples who roll their eyes at anything too soppy, then I’ve got you covered too. Perhaps this is more your thing…
A traditional valentine card
And if you like your cards more traditional, then you can’t get much more romantic than a red rose!
Galentine cards
And last but definitely not least, you can even find a fab Galentine card for your bestie. Galentine’s Day is usually celebrated on the 13th February and I love the idea! Friendship love is just as important (actually even more important) than romantic love, and it’s our best friends that see us through all the ups and downs of romance, whether we have someone to celebrate Valentine’s Day with or not.
I hope you’ve found the perfect Valentine card for that special person in yourlife, either here, in the rest of my range or even somewhere else. Either way I wish you a Valentine’s weekend full of all the good stuff: love, friendship, wine and chocolate 😘
If you’d like to stay in touch about new cards and products I’m adding to my range, sign up for my VIP newsletter – you’ll also get a great discount and a freebie or two.
