Hello Friends,
I guess it’s no secret that I’m really not much of a farmhouse kind of gal. I mean, I do LOVE farmhouse decor, but other than a few touches of the farmhouse look here and there, my house is pretty much a traditional on its way to super casual.
With this, WHY on earth would I be going all farmhouse when it comes to gift wrapping?
Well, this week, I saw a Christmas tree decorated by Joanna Gaines. It was, as you can imagine, the usual brand of Joanna Gaines perfection. But it was more than just perfect. It was soft and gentle, and totally neutral. But even with all of the neutrals, the tree and the packages under it had such a powerful presence.
And so I decided to dissect the Joanna brand of gift wrapping magic and recreate some of that “presence” in my own home.
Here’s what I learned.
Farmhouse Style Holiday Gift Wrap: A Lesson from Joanna
Brown Paper Packages
First, all of the packages were wrapped in brown paper. Yes —every single one. She did not mix in companion papers. It was all paper bag brown. To create this look, I got a roll of this paper from HomeGoods and from the Dollar Tree, but for heavier and/or oversized packages, I used the thick brown paper found in the paint section of the home improvement store. It measures 35-inches wide with unlimited length and is tough as nails.
Tied Up With Strings
And, from what I could tell, Joanna mainly used brown twine with a hint of red on all of her packages. She may have had some ribbon on packages underneath or in the back, but there wasn’t any that I could appreciate in the photo. It looked like all of the packages were wrapped exactly the same –in brown paper with the same colored twine and name tags. The only thing that was different was the size of the box.
But, honestly, as lovely as that is, I really didn’t want to just use brown-on-brown or light-red-on-brown under my tree. So I respectfully opted to put a simple twist on Joanna’s beautiful idea and make it my own.
My Favorite Things
To make this happen, I gathered stiff, two-sided, red and black plaid ribbons, different twines, and solid-colored textural ribbons that co-ordinate with each other. And I love that the red and black plaid also works with black chalkboard name tags.
Then, although I’m not sure why, I got a red and black buffalo checked wrapping paper. Maybe, just maybe, it’s because I thought I just couldn’t live without it. ~~~Shaking my head~~~I’m like that, you know. 🙂
Actually, I’m not sure if I will end up using the buffalo checked paper under the tree, but since I wanted a cohesive look with lots of red, I wanted it at the ready —just in case.
Plaid Ribbon with Twine
My hat tip to Joanna’s packages begins by slipping a simple plaid ribbon between the twine and paper. And if a long piece of twine is used, it can be threaded through the name tag, wrapped around the box, and then taped together on the backside.
By doing this, it gives the illusion of being tied around the box —just like Joanna would do.
“Burlap” With a Twist
For a visual change, a wide ribbon that looks like a loosely woven burlap provides texture and color in one. And it looks great stretched across the paper, don’t ya think? The only problem is that it’s not very stiff, so it’s best to confine this ribbon to smaller bows.
Plaid Over Burlap
For burlap ribbon that is so wide it is difficult to tie a bow, consider layering it for great neutral texture. As long as the impact color (red) is in the ribbon that goes on or near the top, the burlap will provide a great background. I opted to tie one plaid ribbon on top of this package…
The Triple Decker
And then added another textural ribbon between the burlap ribbon and plaid ribbon on the next.
The key, I think, to capturing Joanna’s look-with-a-twist is really pretty simple. It seems to take on a life of its own when packages are wrapped in brown paper and then made unique by adding a different combination of coordinating ribbons.
Presence ~~Not Presents
When I came to the end of my gift wrapping session, I was thrilled with the stack of pretty Joanna-inspired presents. But as they were being arranged under the tree, my mind wandered back to what really caught my eye with Joanna’s Facebook photo and comment. And it was her “presence,” not her “presents.”
I’ll add the link to her Facebook photo below, but what she said was that she planned to give the gift of herself to all of her loved ones and home decor fans. She planned to put away the phone and minimize other distractions so she could look people in the eye, smile at them, and love them in an old-fashioned way.
And just like that, Joanna had, once again, found the secret.
So here’s to tackling December ~~and Christmas ~~the Joanna Gaines way.
More presence and less presents.
Because it truly is a “present” to take the time to love others in that old-fashioned, Joanna Gaines kind of way.
For Joanna’s Facebook photo and comment click here.
As for the red and buffalo checked paper. Remember that? Well, it ended up —along with some of Joanna’s twine– in an entirely different post. You can click here to see the Cozy Christmas Out By the Fire post on this blog.
And use this handy graphic to pin these ideas for later…
But for now, let’s check out more fun and festive wraps from my uber-talented bloggy friends..
Special thanks to Nancy from Slightly Coastal for organizing this hop!
| The Crowned Goat | 10 Simple Gift Wrapping Ideas |
| Diva of DIY | Burlap Wrapped Presents |
| Dixie Delights| How To Tie The Perfect Bow |
| Slightly Coastal| DIY Paper Tassels |
| Thistlewood Farms | DIY Galvanized Metal Tags |
27 Comments
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[…] | The Chelsea Project | DIY Farmhouse Style | […]
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I love plaid too! I adore gift wrapping.
Such a great post and reminder for this season! While your gifts may be wrapped to perfection it’s your sweet and giving heart that is the true gift. Love the festive touches you’ve added to your home and packages, they’re all so pretty. Have a fabulous day, CoCo
Thanks Coco! Writing this post was a great lesson for me. Yesterday, I stopped my “busyness” and went to lunch with my husband. I really made note of Joanna’s words to smile and look them in the eye. Funny how we have come to think that sitting at the table scrolling through email is a “presence.” So wonderful hopping with you today! I’m off to grab some coffee and visit all of the posts! Happy Holidays! ~~Susie
Love the brown craft paper with the pops of red! Thanks for the reminder on having a presence with my family, more than just giving them presents. A lesson well spoken. I hope you have a fantastic weekend Susie! It was so great to hop with you.
Nancy
Thanks Nancy! This was a great post to write for many reasons. The most important one, of course, is the important lesson learned for our best girl, Joanna. As always, great hopping with you! Happy Holidays! ~~Susie
Susie,
Wow….just wow! You TOTALLY delivered! I love all your ideas and it’s perfect timing because I have so much wrapping ahead of me.
Merry Christmas!
karianne
Thanks so much, KariAnne! Great hopping with you! Happy Holidays! ~~ Susie
I love the tips and tricks esp the layering of elements. I’ll have to try a few of these this year for sure. They all look stunning Susie. Terrific job!
Thanks Carolann! Always love having you stop by! Happy Holidays!
Good job, I love them, and i love gift wrapping or I should say designing the wrap? Homegoods and Marshalls are my favorite place to get gift wrap and ribbon.
I am going to check out joanna gains tree and wrap immediately! Lol
Thanks June! Happy Holidays!
You did a beautiful job. The packages look just right.
Thanks so much Debra. Appreciate you so much! XO
That all looks so lovely, I love the brown paper with the pops of color and the different ribbons. I especially love the chalk board gift tags.
Thanks Toni! I do, too. I would never have guessed that brown paper was my fav for this season, but here we are. Thanks for stopping by. Happy Holidays!
Great lessons, Susie! And your wrapping… Fabulous! I’ve been wrapping my presents with brown and plain white paper and I love how the ribbons and accents take them to the next level. I love the plaid and burlap ribbons you used.
Thanks Christina!! I just love the thoughts from Joanna. In my mind, I’m smiling at you and giving you a holiday hug! Happiest of Holidays!! Susie
I love this Toni!! The plaid ribbon is perfect on the kraft paper!!! xo
Lol…. I’m Susie…from The Chelsea Project.. Thanks so much for stopping by. It was great sharing the gift Hop with you!! Happiest of Holidays to you and yours! —Susie from The Chelsea Project
I was glued to every photo and sentence. I adore your packages. They are perfect. I did a theme last year of silver and gold last year and know how it makes all the difference in presentation. I will always remember your wrappings and you hacked Joanna Gaines to perfection.
Thanks Sue! Love having you stop by! Merry Christmas!
I just love the plaid, red ribbons. It’s so festive and looks amazing.
Hey Vanessa and thanks so much!
[…] Chelsea Project shares some fun updates to the classic “brown paper packages tied up with string”. […]