happy packaging ...

This happy packaging idea is brought to you by Vistaprints.  Find great deals on Vistaprint products, including coupon discounts, and shipping deals over on the Vistaprints deals page!

 I love a good package, they make me happy!  One of my very favorite things in the world is packaging items, especially paper!  Bags, envelopes, tags, twine, labels, you name it.  Have I ever told you that I've always dreamed of opening a fun paper goods packaging shop? That's probably for another day.

A while back, I put together a little package of all my favorite packaging goodies for a friend, and when I was putting it together it made me so happy that I had to snap a few pictures!

Of course I had to throw in a chocolate bar for good measure!  Because, who doesn't love chocolate!

To put together this package, I used:
Glassine bags
Wooden cigar box
Paper tags
Bakers twine
Brown paper bags
Mini clothes pin
Coin envelopes

diy artwork gift tags ...

My children and I worked on some fun gift tags to personalize the gifts they are giving to their loved ones this holiday season.

It was fun to incorporate their artwork into the gift!

You only need a few things to make the gift tags!

For my full, step-by-step tutorial, head on over to my post on Hellobee!

{all photos by me, Caroline Armelle Drake}

review: avery custom product labels + a giveaway...

i am a big fan of avery labels, so when i was contacted by red sky public relations for avery to do a review on their new merchandising products, i was all on board!

avery has come out with an impressive line of new labels that you can use to customize your product, use them merchandising, or just for personal use, like parties or custom packaging for gifts!

they make it easy to create your own label on their website with free templates in their design and print online tool that you can change the font, colors, etc. to your liking.

some of my favorite new labels from avery are the 2 1/2" round kraft brown round labels.  i actually bought a package of them a few months back before i was contacted to do this review.  i love kraft paper, and kraft paper labels are hard to find, so it was nice to see avery come out with some!

i love to customize items, and package them up really cute!  these round labels were perfect for some homemade apricot jam and tomatillo salsa that i made.  how cute would that be delivered to some neighbors!

i just went over to avery's design and print online and typed in my product number.  i was able to choose a template for the style of label i wanted, and customize the colors, fill colors, and fonts.  all i had to do was print it on my printer!  it was pretty easy!  you can also upload your custom logos, or pictures too!  

also, avery is giving away $4,500 in cash prizes in the brand your biz contest on facebook!  all you have to do, is create your own unique label, and submit your design for a chance to win!  it is a great opportunity for small business owners to win prizes to help grow your business!

  

and, i have some good news for you readers!

avery is giving one of you 10 packages of avery's customizable marketing line of products for you to use with avery's design and print online tool!

CONGRATS TO ASHLEY BEYER!!!  you are the winner of the avery labels!!

GIVEAWAY RULES (USA RESIDENTS ONLY PLEASE)- CLOSED

1) enter to win the giveaway by checking out avery's new customizable marketing labels, and making a comment on this post by friday, june 22, 2012.

EXTRA ENTRIES - please be sure to make a separate comment for each extra entry option.

1) subscribe to the armelle blog.

2) like the armelle blog page on Facebook

3) become a follower of armelle blog on twitter @carolinearmelle

good luck!  the winner will be chosen at random and announced monday, june, 25, 2012!

*disclosure:  i was given 10 packages of avery customizable marketing products to review on this blog by red sky publications.  all thoughts and opinions are mine.  if you have a product that you think would be a great fit on this blog for a review, please email me at: carolinearmelle@gmail.com 

packages ...

i realized i never shared my packaging from christmas this year.

i really enjoy putting together a nice package.  unfortunately, i run out of time to do it most of the time, but it is still fun to put together a nicely wrapped gift when i can find the time.

i'm a big fan of the doily.  it is simple, and adds a nice little touch, without taking up too much time.

 i also am in love with glitter.  so, these little glitter ornaments i found last year on clearance were perfect!  i think it added a nice kate spade-y touch!

i put together these fun name banner packages for my nieces for christmas using the celebrate alphabet kit from lifestyle crafts.  it is a pretty fun one, since you can cut out and spell anything!

i also customized this fringy gift for my niece with her name on it using the manhattan alphabet mini set from lifestyle crafts.  very fun!

as always, you can get 20% off all lifestyle crafts products by typing ARMELLE in the coupon section at checkout!

and, there you have it!

some fun little packages!

welcome sponsor: urban scarlet ...

i am so excited to share with you our newest sponsor: urban scarlet.

this amazing one-stop-shop for pretty things just had it's grand opening!  and, it is full of all your party favor, japanese masking tape, and pretty packaging needs.

as you know, i am such a huge fan of packaging goodies, so it was hard to choose only a few, but here are some of my favorite items in the urban scarlet shop.

washi tape ($9 for a set of two)
striped paper straws ($7, box of 144)
bakers twine ($15 for 240 yards)
cloth bags ($4 for ten cloth bags)

also, you'll want to be sure to check out the urban scarlet blog, where justine shares pretty things, DIY's, inspiration boards, and recipes!

*if you are interested in becoming a sponsor on the armelle blog, please email me for current rates.

goodie packaging ...

here's a few more goodie packages i put together.
i loved using some pretty yarn, doilies, and ornaments with tiny tags.

i got these clear plastic boxes from paper mart.

and, remember the chocolate covered cinnamon santa's i made?
i put a few in a glassine bag, and topped it with a felt ornament, a doily, a tag and bakers twine.

tomorrow, i'm going to share another fun holiday treat we made, as well as the packaging!
are you sick of my packaging and goodie posts yet?

repost: christmas packaging ...

here is another re-post of my christmas packaging / wrapping from last year.

a big part of the fun of gift-giving for me is the packaging.

i used a lot of my favorite things: vintage music sheets, paper doilies, lots of lace, buttons, ribbon, kraft paper, my old school type writer, and bakers twine.

i am hopping to get all our presents for this year ready and wrapped in the next few days.  wish me luck!

how are you wrapping your presents this year?!

repost: christmas goodie packaging ...

just wanted to do a little re-post of some christmas goodie packaging i did last year, if you are still looking for some ideas.

i made some caramel popcorn to fill the bags for friends and family.

click here for the how to.  and, click here for the recipe for the caramel popcorn, it's delish!

this weekend i hope to get some goodies together and packaged up, so i hope to share those soon!

christmas gift boxes ...

packaging gifts is definitely on my mind lately.  i have a pile of gifts to be wrapped, and hopefully i will get to them soon.

here's a little pillow box gift box i made using my die cut machine from lifestyle crafts.  they have a fun little pillow box die cut that you can make any kind of paper into this little pillow box.  i topped the pillow box with a topper that i made from folding up vintage music sheets accordion style, then i glued on a simple circle and snowflake.

a perfect little box to gift your tiny treasures, like jewelry.   and, speaking of jewelry.  i've been working like crazy, but i have sent out all my orders that i have received since yesterday.  i still have been getting them out within about 1-2 business days, and it takes 2-5 days to mail in the usa.  so, there is still a little time for last minute gifts from the armelle jewelry shop for your holiday needs.

anyhow, i hope you are enjoying all the hustle and bustle!
i hope to share some more fun holiday packaging soon!  and, maybe some fun treats and other DIY's!

bread in a bottle ...

i saw this great homemade christmas gift idea on nice package via sunset magazine.

this would make a great neighbor gift!  i love that they are packaged in glass milk containers!

for recipe and how-to, click here.

{photo via sunset magazine}

justin's nut butter ...

no surprise that i am a sucker for good packaging.

that is why while at the grocery store a little while back i picked up some justin's nut butter. pretty much based solely on the packaging.

but, lucky me, it was really good!

i love all their unique flavors!

spoon ...

i love the simple packaging of the products from spoon nyc.

makes me want to make a batch of lemon curd.

packaging ideas : baby gifts ...

my sister's friend laila [hi laila!] asked me the other day about wrapping up a baby gift for her friend.

i recently came across two fun ways to wrap up baby gifts. these would be perfect for a baby shower!

the first idea i spotted on design mom, this great company lolly makes darling tee's and onesies for kids. the best part is they wrap up your gift like a lolly, naturally.

how to make your own:

supplies needed:

• cardstock or cardboard cut in a circle, the size you want.


• cellophane clear wrapping.


• long wood stick [found at craft stores]


• ribbon, twine, to tie the lolly pop.

you could do this easily by cutting a piece of thick cardstock paper in a circle, then placing the item of clothing over it and tuck the extra fabric around back. even using tape if needed. then, you would wrap the item in cellophane clear wrap and place a long stick and tie the bottom with ribbon.

another cute idea i came across was from lost button studio.

jess wrapped up some burp clothes to look like little candies.

click here for instructions.

just darling!

hope this helps with your baby gift wrapping!

christmas packaging tips ...

people think i'm silly, because i almost like wrapping gifts as much as giving gifts. most of the time i don't get enough time to wrap all my gifts so pretty. so, this weekend i tried to wrap as many as i had ready.

if you've been to any of my jewelry shows, you'll know i love to use vintage music sheets. i decided to incorporate the music sheets in my wrapping this year. plus, it's nice to re-use/recycle paper.

i also love all the paper doilies i've seen all over lately, and i've been using them like crazy. so pretty.

if you like this style of packaging, here's a few fun tips + things you'll need:

• brown kraft paper for wrapping gifts, or white gift boxes.
• embellishments/trimmings- buttons [a new favorite], lace, ribbon, twine.
• music sheets- i love to get most of my supplies at thrift stores. my favorite find was a vintage christmas caroller song book. on some, i was able to use actual christmas songs for the wrapping!
• paper cake doilies. the mini ones are so darn cute!

• paper tags. i use tags, or i make them with my paper cutter.
• use a type writer. i had a fun time using my old type writer to type my gift tags. i wrote the basic to's and from's. and, some i got silly and wrote random things like "do not shake."
• don't forget to layer, layer, layer. i think the more layers the better!
• try something new! i pretty much didn't wrap one gift exactly the same. it was a lot of fun using different materials and colors on each gift!

i hope this helps inspire you to get all your holiday wrapping done!

sadly, i still have a lot more to do, but this is a start right?!

tutorial: christmas goodies + packaging idea ...

for neighbor gifts this year, i decided to make caramel popcorn. {check out my recipe on my latest zupas post, here.}

i had these darling window bakers bags i've been wanting to use. so, the packaging just kind of fell into place!

i love how they turned out!

here's what you need for a cute christmas goodie package:

• bakers twine or string [bakers twine is available in my shop!]
• labels
• snowflake ornaments or box toppers [i found these cute ones at target]
• bakers bags [or lunch bags will work!] *if you are intersted, i can list a few in my shop.
• a goodie to fill the bag!

just fill the bag, and tie the top with twine and secure your ornament and tag!

..now, i'm off to make more! i've delivered a few, but still have more to go..

{caramel popcorn}

ingredients

2 sticks butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

2 gallons popped popcorn

directions

preheat your oven to 250 degrees.
pop your popcorn and place in a large brown paper grocery bag. {add 1 cup of nuts if desired} pecans are great!  cashews too!
place butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan.  bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.
remove from heat, and add vanilla, and baking soda.  it will bubble and foam.  stir.
cover popped pop corn a little at a time and have some one help shake and stir the popcorn.  coat well.

bake on 2 cookie sheets covered with parchment paper for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the caramel has harden up.  be sure to stir every 15 minutes.

enjoy!

chalkboard gift tags...

with chalkboards being all the rage, i'm surprised i haven't seen chalkboard gift tags before.

genius!

check out these ones by heart of light. a great way to re-use tags!

nice package...

i'm sure that by now you've heard of the new shop, nice package.

it's a darling shop of various packaging goods.

oh, i just love pretty packages and supplies. i've had dreams of opening my own supply shop... maybe one day..

check out their goods here, and here, and their very cute blog here.

packaging...

i came across this amazing scandinavian deli called sis. via twig and thistle.
i'm in love with their packaging. so simple and clean.

more pics here + here.