TREASURE HUNT
By now you’ve probably picked up a couple of rolls of wrapping paper, clear tape and a package or two of pre-made bows from the discount store. When you’ve finished wrapping all those gifts you shopped so hard for, they’ll be neat and pretty. But will they look any different from any other package under the Christmas tree?
If you’re a treasure hunter you probably run across interesting trims and notions as you search for antiques and collectibles. I do. And I like to add those things to the gifts I wrap to make them unique.
It’s always hard to resist the chance to poke around in a basket full of vintage millinery flowers and netting. Made of rich fabrics like silk, velvet and satin, the hand-made, often hand-painted, flowers and leaves were occasionally decorated with beads and lace. They once made pretty trims for hats, so why not re-use them as embellishments for gifts?
If you want to use other vintage items to decorate the presents you wrap, there are plenty of options.
In the 1950s and ‘60s women and girls often wore small Christmas corsages on the lapels of their coats. Often these inexpensive little accessories had sentimental value and were put aside and saved. Now they frequently show up at estate sales or in antique malls. Because they were made to be pinned to clothing, and are flat on one side, they’re perfect for adding to the top of a package.
Post World War II, mass-produced, holiday cards, postcards and decorations made of colorful metallic foil-covered paper, are also common in antique shops this time of year. They too are inexpensive, often sold in bags full of other assorted vintage treasures.
Spools of ribbon and rickrack and packages of seam binding tape from an estate sale, lengths of silk ribbon and fabric from the antique mall, rolls of wallpaper and old maps from the thrift store are all easy to find and cost next to nothing. They may be the remnants of sewing, craft or home improvement projects done long ago, but they can all be used again to wrap and decorate holiday packages.
I rescued a big white box last week, too pretty to discard, and took it home.
The glossy white box was attractive just as it was and didn’t need to be wrapped in paper. After rummaging through my collection of vintage odds and ends, I added a vintage foil and chenille ornament from the 1950s to the top and secured it with a bow tied from narrow red ribbon. I cut the ribbon from a large spool I found at a local thrift store this summer. I added an old card as the gift tag.
The big white box already stood out among the other packages under the tree, but now it’s one-of-a-kind.
It’s fun to pull out the little things that catch my eye at the flea market or at a sale, things I’ve put aside for a special occasion, and find a way to use them. And I like to watch someone open a gift that I personalized.
Like everyone else this time of year, I’ll get busy and run out of time. I’ll look for the fastest way to get the job done when I’m wrapping presents at the last minute.
But by tying on one of my vintage finds, or adding my signature to a vintage card or postcard to use as a gift tag, I can make any gift more heartfelt.