I had an opportunity to put my new philosophy of present wrapping [1] in action this weekend!  In an attempt to cut down on my large collection of wrapping papers (oddly enough, no matter how much I have, it seems like I can't find a good one for the occasion), I've decided to wrap with plain paper and accent with pretty ribbons, greenery, yarn, etc.  Things that I have around anyway and are smaller and easier to store than lots of rolls of wrapping paper and matching ribbons.

Basic craft paper, some lace, some feathers, and a sparkly crystal.  Oh, and some glitter.  Glitter makes everything better.

I bought a large bolt of pink ribbon for $10 more than a year ago, and I've used it many times since then.  It made up the bulk  of the butterfly badminton net [2].   It was all over the Neapolitan Ice Cream April Fool's Day party [3] and the Blush Tea Party [4]. I'm pretty sure it's a magical bolt, because no matter how much lace I use, there's always more.  Best $10 I've spent in a long time.  It was the perfect thing to use for my bow.

A scrap of venise lace, a pretty crystal bead, and a few feathers made the bow even prettier.  

I used a Martha Stewart glue pen [5] and some fine glitter to write the To/From directly on the package.  No confusion because of a lost card, and we just like glitter in this house.  I couldn't resist.  

I'm liking this new philosophy!