live. breathe. design.

today i am proud to be introducing a new feature to my blog. every thursday there will be a piece of well designed packaging featured here. there are so many cool items out there and we encounter them in our everyday lives. i think these items create inspiration, whether that is inspiration to purchase then and there or to create something new and exciting ourselves. sometimes they just make us smile, which is pretty nice too.

to kick off the series i am featuring a great local brewery’s packaging, southern tier brewing company. i noticed their beautiful new packaging when i was shopping at consumer’s beverages a couple weeks ago. this photo is blurry because i had to snap it on my cell, but you get the idea.

what’s to love:

• bright colors, different for each brew so you can easily grab what you want
• large text for the type of beer, again makes it easy to find what you are looking for
• unfamiliar with this brand? no problem – on the right side of the box, next to the type of beer,  the box lists what it’s brewed with
• a slightly different than normal six pack box shape. definitely a step above what you normally see. it draws your attention to the brand, especially in a sea of everything else that feels the same.
• logo in same color banding all the way across the box, creates an impressive shelf display and keeps the brand top of mind
• beautiful patterns. different for each brew of course!
• boxes made from 100% recycled paper. eco-friendly packaging = major bonus points. even cooler, they have a 422 earth day brew, packaging is printed with soy based inks, and lists simple ways to be greener. awesome.

i grabbed some images from wegmans.com to show off the design a little better than in the above blurry shelf shot!

these retro love bird owl cards are a great way to say happy Valentine’s day this year. printed on a heavy stock with 30% post consumer waster content they are sure to be a hit with your loved one! available now in my etsy studio shop.

“owl be yours. will you be mine?”

*as always custom text and quantities are available. these cards could easily be converted into party invitations, thank you cards or even blank inside notecards for just saying hi! just ask me about what you are interested in.*

know someone who loves their volkswagen? want a creative way to say happy Valentine’s day this year? this card has the perfect retro feel and is now available in my studio shop on etsy.

das auto. das love.

*as always custom text and quantities are available. these cards could easily be converted into party invitations, thank you cards or even blank inside notecards for just saying hi! just ask me about what you are interested in.*

paper is a bright white linen mohawk brand cardstock. it is created using wind power and has 30% post-consumer waste (pcw) content.

i had so much fun creating these retro ladies night out invites for my sister-in-law’s bachelorette party. i am proud to now offer them as a custom invitation set in my studio shop on etsy.

perfect to set the tone for any party they are easily customizable – just ask!

they are printed on a mohawk via stock with 30% post consumer waste content and paired with a crisp white envelope (also 30% pcw content). mohawk uses wind power in their paper production as well – so the paper adds a nice eco-friendly touch to this stationery.

this year i decided to move towards being more eco-friendly with my gift wrapping, and i have to admit i had a lot of fun with it. it was a great way to use existing items i had in my house already and save some money too!

some eco-friendly wrapping tips (also check out the photos below for how they turned out!):

• buy reusable totes instead of holiday bags, they are often made of recycled materials and can double up for the recipient as an encouragement to use their own bags when shopping. most of the bags i purchased were just $1 – that can be even cheaper than a lot of gift bags out there these days.
• on the inside of the bag use reused tissue as packing – most people do not even notice the tissue inside the bag at all. if you have some saved tissue in good shape use it for the outside of the bag too!
• save ribbons leftover from projects or from presents/packaging you receive and use them to add a festive and free touch to your gifts.
• instead of purchasing gift adornments or new ornaments, check out your local thrift stores. many of them sell bulk bags of ornaments for a few dollars and you can decorate you gifts with a nice extra touch and a little add on gift for just a few cents.
• for gift tags – purchase tags made from recycled paper. the tag pictured here was adapted from cards i designed and is printed on 100% post consumer waste paper (available in my etsy shop). another idea for gift tags is using the fronts of the cards you received last year as gift tags, you can cut out shapes or characters and add the to and from with a marker or nice pen.
• use the black and white pages from the newspaper to wrap up gifts and decorate with saved ribbons – they add a great splash of color.