I really wanted to make the unwrapping of the package to be a "process"... unique to baum-kuchen. Also it was important to make sure that the method was flexible and simple enough to be applied to all kinds of shapes and sizes.
When we were visiting Japan few years ago, I bought these books about traditional Japanese gift wrapping. Both of these books have beautiful examples of paper folding as a way to wrap items and also talk about "a way of giving". One phrase from the book really resonated with me...
"To wrap an object by folding a paper is to capture the true gratitude and appreciation inside of the paper".
Isn't it just beautiful? (I really love Japanese culture... can you hear me sighing with admiration...?) I thought it would be really meaningful to go through a ritual of paper folding each time someone purchases an item from my little shop... It will be a way for me to thank my customers and be a part of the experience.
I also looked for materials that felt true to baum-kuchen. Something simple yet distinguished.
At the end I decided to use a craft paper with a special edge fold as a base and a strip of Japanese washi paper as a simple decorative layer all wrapped by a string of red/white bakers twine (which my hubby swears that it very much reminds him of a string that holds a little clothe over a canning jar in Germany). I liked how the bakers twine give a dash of color... red is a symbol for celebration in Japan.
You can see the last two photos to check out how the wrap came out!
I really enjoyed the design exploration in this... Life is busy but I need to be always designing "a way of living" everyday:)
