Red Ferrari - Gift Box

Dad likes cars. Dad likes nice cars. Unfortunately I have zero expertise in this arena. Enter Mr. P, who also likes nice cars. I asked him for his input. I wanted something specific and something exciting. After just a few moments of thought, he pulled out his phone and did a Google image search: "Ferrari badge." 

I was sold immediately.

Stark Direwolf - Gift Box

I wanted to do something special for my brother A. There are many, many directions I could have gone for him: dragons, medieval sorcery, mythology, Star Trek, Star Wars, Marvel Superheroes, and the list goes on. Once again, Mr. P to the rescue. I related my indecision to him and he said, without skipping a beat, "Stark direwolf."

Parisian Chic - Gift Box

I know that the most obvious theme for Miss N's box is birds of prey. However, I couldn't get my mind around how to execute that quickly and beautifully. Aside from her birding skills, I consider one of Miss N's prominent attributes to be her impeccable style (among many other attributes worthy of admiration). The idea of Parisian chic occurred to me. Enter Google image search.

The Sun - Gift Box

My mum is like the sun of my life: ever present, ever needed. She is a special woman.

Brampton Fire and Emergency Services - Gift Box

My cousin T works for the Brampton Fire and Emergency Services. His job is to maintain the fire engines. Cool, right? Having looked up their emblem, I decided to employ their colour scheme for T's box.

Trendy Colours - Gift Box

My cousin R is a beautiful woman, always fashionable and on trend. While scrolling through contemporary fashion images, I was struck by this pair of earrings. I thought they would look great on her so I used them as the colour scheme for her box.

The inspiration

Renaissance Colours - Gift Box

My aunty A often visits for Christmas. Since she is travelling quite a distance, I needed to do something small that wouldn't be a challenge to transport. She is a devoted Christian and I wanted to follow that direction. Having just seen a replica of the Sistine Chapel in December, I recalled the colour scheme that was often used: blue, pink, yellow, and white.

Detail of The Last Judgement, Sistine Chapel, by Michelangelo

Blue Polka Dots - Gift Box

A dear cousin from out of town was visiting for Christmas. I knew her box had to be small and easy to transport. I decided on a black background with blue polka dots...in part because polka dots are fun.

Painted boxes for Christmas

Christmas snuck up on me in 2017. More so than previous years. I decided some time back that I wanted to make gifts for my family this year rather than buying things. I chose to get little (and not so little) wooden boxes and custom paint each one to suit the individual it was being gifted to.