Pretty as a Package
Valerie Courtney doesn’t believe that what’s inside is all that counts. At least not when it comes to giving presents. An associate product designer at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and a recent graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology’s packaging design program, she’s been obsessed lately with everything on the outside — boxes, wrapping, you name it.
“It’s the packaging that makes something really special,” Ms. Courtney said, adding that it need not be expensive. “You have to shop with a different set of eyes to find certain things and think of unexpected ways to use them — that’s the trick.”
These days, a philosophy like that may be worth more than its weight in wrapping paper and bows. As many people cut back on extravagant shopping, Ms. Courtney says it is the right time to give creative packaging some extra thought.
Her favorite way to wrap a gift is to take the most practical everyday packaging and make it special.
“A great on-the-go wrap idea for anyone that picks up a small gift on the way to a party is a good old-fashioned Kleenex box,” she said. She used a decorative sticker to mask the logo on a box purchased at Target and topped it with a gold bow. The gift inside, she said, could be nestled in shredded paper from an office recycling bin. “It’s silly to buy shredded paper or those pesky packing peanuts when you can reuse it and get it free on the curb,” she explained.
At the Dollar Store in Little Italy, she chose a classic round foil takeout container for carrying holiday treats or small gifts, topping it with a glittery plastic ornament from Target. Red lunch bags from Target could also be used for transporting baked goods, she noted, with a pine tree air freshener attached to the bag for a seasonal (albeit pungent) touch.
