Gift-wrapping as art

Stores specialize in packaging 'outside the box'

By Jane Asper
Special to the Denver Rocky Mountain News

Before you run out and buy yet another roll of flimsy red and green patterned Christmas wrap, and another pack of stick-on bows, stop and think.

When you have taken so much time and thought to find perfect gifts, why should your presentation be ho-hum?

Some of Denver's trendiest gift shops have broken the mold on gift-wrapping. Why not emulate them?

On Denver's Old South Pearl Street, owners of 5 Green Boxes (1596 S. Pearl St.) and Manorisms (1575 S. Pearl St.) pride themselves on creative packaging.

Carrie Vadas and Charlotte Elich, co-owners of 5 Green Boxes, rarely use traditional gift-wrap materials, including boxes.

A 3-inch-long green plastic high heel — a party favor — becomes the "box" that holds a tiny white envelope, inside of which is a a small gift such as a ring or bracelet.

The women use children's rubber stamps to imprint a green "5" for the name of their store on the little envelope. You could hand-write or stamp the recipient's name on the envelope instead.

"We love to use little give-aways, such as the plastic shoes in our gift wraps," says Vadas. "That way, the wrap becomes part of the gift, something the person will keep for herself, or maybe use next time she wraps a gift for a friend or relative."

And forget about the invisible tape. Their wraps always incorporate chartreuse masking tape, torn, not cut, straight from the roll. This way, the tape becomes part of the design.

Vadas' inspiration is her mother. When Vadas and her three siblings were kids, her mother transformed their home into a visual extravaganza. "In one corner, there would be beautifully wrapped lime green and turquoise gifts, and next to them a huge glass bowl of real limes. The whole house was like that ... "

Across the street at the more traditional Manorisms, owner Samantha Falletti-Robinson wraps gifts that look as light and refreshing as a sip of champagne. She also prefers a lighter green (somewhere between sea foam and olive) for the holiday. And this year her paper is embellished with dragon flies. "I love the way they look in the metallics," she says of the crisp white paper printed with golden insects.

These papers form just the right backdrop for her specialty: the "bows," if you want to call them that. They are really more like corsages. ach is composed of ribbon or raffia combined with a vintage bunch of berries or leaves.

She makes gift tags from regular tab board tags from the office supply store. She trims them with pinking shears and adds a vintage holiday sticker. An integral part of the present's "corsage" is the standard-issue clothespin which holds the tag in place.

"We rarely use boxes in the store," add Falletti-Robininson. "It would be impossible to store them all and then put your fingers on the right one."

So, before you head out for more wrapping materials, check out your craft cupboard, your sewing room, your junk drawer and your child's art box.

You'll have fun. Not to mention all the the brownie points you get for recycling.

Jane Asper is a Denver artist and free-lance writer.

December 24, 2000