Now that I've become enamored with candy making, there's more of the stuff around the house than usual. I only wish I could eat it all without losing all my teeth or gaining 500 pounds, but alas, that is not the case.
So I end up giving most of it away to friends. As you may know from previous posts, I cannot give a gift without putting a great deal of thought into its wrapping. I've been experimenting with some various types of packaging that I thought I'd share.
In the photo above, I embellished a flip-top metal box with an acrylic window (top left). An origami box (bottom left) got an origami flower on top. Printed burlap was sewn into a reusable pouch (right).
What I love about packaging is that you can tailor the look to the gift and the giftee. The flip-top metal box has some Victorian details, the origami box is very bold and elegant, and the burlap sack has a somewhat rustic feel. And all are reusable.
For the flip-top box, I first cleaned it, then lined it with a page from an antique French book. Luckily it fit almost exactly (I just rounded the corners). You could also line it with a page from a vintage dictionary, map paper, ledger paper or recipe book for a similar old-world look. Make sure whatever edibles you put inside are wrapped well.
The belly band was made from a piece of scrapbook paper cut to 1 inch by 10 inches (bottom). I adhered it to a piece of coordinating cardstock, then trimmed it with pinking shears to the edge of the scrapbook paper. That was folded around the box and adhered with double-stick tape at the back.
For the ribbon rosette (top and center), I cut a piece of 7/8 inch grosgrain ribbon to 10 inches, then sewed a running stitch along one long edge (I did it with contrasting thread so it would show, but you should use matching thread).
After finishing the running stitch, I pulled the thread gently to gather it, then knotted it to hold the ruffle in place. All that was left to do was twist it into a rosette and tack it at the bottom. I sewed a vintage button to the center and adhered the rosette to the belly band with hot glue. A stamped tag was added--I used the confectioner stamp from the Tim Holtz Adverts cling stamps collection.
I planned to make a sack out of plain burlap until I spied a gorgeous brocade print at Joanns. The drawstring closure is easy as pie. Since the fabric is such a loose weave you don't need to sew channels for the cords or add grommets. I just cut some 1/4 inch twill tape, threaded it onto a yarn needle and did a running stitch around the bag.
The patterns for the origami box and flower pattern were from the book "Paper Fold It," but there are copious examples and tutorials to be found via Google or Pinterest. I don't do a lot of origami, but when I do I remember how much fun it is.
After making these three I thought it would be nice to throw in something a bit more masculine, so I made this:
I found the template in "The Packaging and Design Templates Sourcebook." Although a CD of templates comes with the book I thought the design was straightforward enough I could make my own. I plotted it on out on 140-lb art paper:
The short sides are 4 inches wide, and the box is 8 inches long. After drawing the box I cut it out, stamped a design and scored the folds. These are a more structured version of those sour cream containers that are super simple to make.
I sealed one short side and left the other open. For a closure I used an acorn nut and a screw, because dudes like hardware:
Since I started making books several years ago I've found a lot of inspiration from the graphic design world. Books and websites are great sources for ideas for book and box designs. After all, a brochure is a book, right?
If you've been inspired to make some food packaging, let me know!
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