“The Art of Gift Wrapping, 50 innovative ideas using organic, unique, and uncommon materials” by Wanda Wen

Now that the holidays are upon us, there’s so much to do: the tree, holiday gifts, food and preparations. In the midst of all this hustle and bustle, there are those who are deep into the depths of a depression over a torn hole in the fabric of their life. All they can focus on (or not focus on) is the loss of that someone they loved more than anything in the world, who is gone. Forever and unfathomably gone. Like being numbed from a chill outside, their grief is as painfully mind numbing. And now it’s the holidays.

Your heart goes out to your special friend or family member who has suffered a loss. You know they are cycling through the various stages of grief and you want to give them a holiday gift that helps them heal, but it needs to be presented in a truly special way. So to express the depth of your love and concern, you decide to take the time to make by hand a one-of-a-kind gift wrapping. I greatly suggest a copy of the book “The Art of Gift Wrapping, 50 innovative ideas using organic, unique, and uncommon materials” by Wanda Wen. Her ideas and taste are of the highest caliber and worthy of your greatest labor of love.

Her book is chock-full of all kinds of gift wrapping techniques. It has a surprisingly wide variety of designs so that you can pick just the right one to express your feelings. Each design includes a list of of what to buy and where, along with step-by-step instructions. Wanda presents an amazing range of materials, natural and man-made, to create the most beautiful and lovingly embellished gift, ever.

Here’s a sampling of some of her gift wrapping ideas presented in the book “The Art of Gift Wrapping”.  All images below are courtesy of Wanda Wen’s Facebook page.

These “Stitched Pouches” she designed to be lovingly sent through the mail without messing up the bow.

The “Ola-Hutchinson Suspened Object Tie” gives credit to her friend Billy Ola-Hutchinson, the creator. You can use a found object or a meaningful object that your grieving friend may fondly remember.

“Encapsulated Images” engender memories from the past by using old photos that speak from the heart.

What’s most unique about her 50 innovative designs is how homemade, yet beautiful, her designs are. They give us comfort by showing how anyone can create the same gift wrapping successfully. As you can see by just a few of her ideas above, her book is a gem. Wanda Wen guides you through making a holiday gift a true labor of love—not only for a grieving friend or family member but also for your own cathartic process. Visit Wanda Wen’s Facebook page for more ideas and inspiration.

Some SevenPonds gift ideas for a grieving friend or family member:

• A most unique grief card that addresses the stages of grief one-by-one with suggestions of activities to help one heal.
• Pleasure Healing: The Hand-Sized Guide to Self-Healing, Step-by-step mindful practices for starting a new life after grief.
• Consider a film to aid a friend or family member towards healing. Check out our library of films categorized by types of loss.