What to do with half price Christmas decorations

The last time we were in Australia (Christmas 2008/2009) I dragged my sister along to the sales and stocked up on pink and purple Christmas decorations. Just between us I think my sister thought I had lost my marbles as I was scrabbling around through all the baskets, boxes and piles looking for the sparkliest, glitteriest, pinkest and purplest ones I could find.


Truth be told it is far cheaper to buy Christmas decoration on sale to use for present wrapping than it is to buy a ready made bow.



I managed to find quite a large bag full but they have not sat idle in the depths of my gift wrapping cupboard (yes, I know, sad but true, I do actually have one of these - with three children, it can add up to quite a lot of parties throughout the year).

Ta da! The little girl who will receive this present (this very afternoon in fact) will love that she can keep this spandangly little number and hang it on her door, drawers, bed etc. Sorry about the photos but the light at the moment, and for the past few months for that matter, has been dull to say the very least so the flash needs to be used. It does show how sparkly they are though doesn't it?

B1 is at a party now (two parties in one day is not uncommon in this house!) but he whisked his present away before I could take a photo. I used light blue paper, overlaid with white flowery doilies and finished off with pale pink ribbon for that one - I didn't have a decoration to match.

I sometimes buy packets of big, rainbow, swirly lollipops and tie them on instead. I have been know to use Matchbox cars (for little boys parties) and I did go through a fairy wand stage (for little girls) as well. I suppose now that B1 is getting older I will have to work our some way to tie a packet of Match Attax cards to the front of gifts :) For my Australia friends, these are Football (which is correctly called Soccer) collector cards which the kids can keep in special books, trade with friends or they can actually play a 'game' with them. They are the latest craze at the Bumble B'eers school and like all good crazes have now been BANNED :P

This second gift is for a party B3 is going to in a few weeks but I was in a wrapping frenzy. What can I say? When a girls got to wrap a girls got to wrap!