Cozy Chocolate Swirl

Sundae Chocolate Swirl Flush Wall Sconce $139 Rich and luscious, this chocolate swirl glass sconce emits a warm glow.

Choppy Pink Chocolate Swirl Pillow $44.99 Choppy Pink Chocolate Swirl Pillow is available from bedbathstore.com for only $29.99. Shop bedbathstore for the best price and quality with Free Shipping.

Sundae Chocolate Swirl Mini Pendant $154 Rich and luscious, this chocolate swirl glass mini pendant emits a warm glow. Chrome-finished accents lend further appeal to its design. -The bottom of shade is 7.5"W

UGG - Cozy Knit (Chocolate) - Footwear $110 Zappos.com is proud to offer the UGG - Cozy Knit (Chocolate) - Footwear: Keep warm and toasty this winter with the UGG® Australia Cozy Knit slipper. ; Knit uppers fully lined in the highest quality plush, luxurious sheepskin. ; UGG® Australia sheepskin is naturally thermostatic and therefore will keep bare feet comfy in temperatures as low as -30°F. to as high as 80°F. ; Designed to be worn barefoot to maximize the benefits of sheepskin. ; Fit should be snug, but not uncomfortable. Footwear will give a little as fleece footbeds form to each individual's foot. ; Fleece wicks moisture away and allows air to circulate, keeping feet dry. ; ; Heel Height: 1 in ; Platform Height: 1 2 in ; Product measurements were taken using size 6. Please note that measurements may vary by size.

Sundae Chocolate Swirl Torchiere Floor Lamp $235 Rich and luscious, this chocolate swirl glass floor torchiere emits a warm glow. A chrome-finished base lends further appeal to its design.

SnooZZy Chocolate 1000 Cozy Comforter $34.27 Pamper your pet with a new bedPet bed has a plush fabric topPet gift is overstuffed for maximum comfort18 x 12 inchesChocolate color option

SnooZZy Chocolate 2000 Cozy Comforter $62.32 Pamper your pet with a new bedPet bed has a plush fabric topPet gift is overstuffed for maximum comfort23 x 16 inchesChocolate color option

SnooZZy Chocolate 4000 Cozy Comforter $58.18 Pamper your pet with a new bedPet bed has a plush fabric topPet gift is overstuffed for maximum comfort35 x 22 inchesChocolate color option

SnooZZy Chocolate 5000 Cozy Comforter $66.48 Pamper your pet with a new bedPet bed has a plush fabric topPet gift is overstuffed for maximum comfort41 x 26 inchesChocolate color option

SnooZZy Chocolate 6000 Cozy Comforter $67.52 Pamper your pet with a new bedPet bed has a plush fabric topPet gift is overstuffed for maximum comfort47 x 28 inchesChocolate color option

Holiday Gift Wrapping Ideas

Gifts trimmed with flair:

Project creation, article and photo by: Madeleine M Langlois

Skill: Easy.

Materials & tools:

Assorted paper remnants, rice paper, plain coloured papers

Scissors

Glue gun and sticks

Double-face tape and regular adhesive tape

Ribbons in assorted colours, widths and styles

Assorted findings: custom jewellery, belt buckles, quilling paper strips, feathers, sequins, tinsel garland, wire, beads etc.

Fabric remnants, fun fur, taffeta, fuzzy wool, scrapbooking tools, snowflake punch, decorative edge scissors, hang tags, rub-on lettering

Also see each gift wrapping description.

(Materials for this project are available at arts and craft stores.

My favourite part of the holidays is wrapping the gifts. It is the perfect occasion to use up many remnants from various projects and to let my creativity run loose, just for fun. Since my wrapping room is shared with the laundry room, it is a sure place to find some peace of mind during all the craziness of the holidays.

Minimalist with a touch of Ritz, great gift wrapping ideas start with cool findings. The secret to achieve the look of these French bonbon gift wrappings is all in the trimmings. Personalized to make an impact, even simple gifts can look elegant with a little accent. Don’t be afraid to extend the colour palette beyond the traditional; it’s all good because, really, anything goes. Even though I used assorted colour combinations of bright turquoise, greens and blues with soft pastels amidst accents of silver, angelic whites and chocolate brown, the theme is what brings everything together.

Fuzzy wool for a cozy warm feeling: Super easy yet stylish. Once a gift is wrapped, affix one or two ribbons around the box and then wrap a few lengths of fuzzy wool as decorative trim around the package. Assorted fancy yarns provide an inexpensive and chic way to dress up bonbon or cracker-shaped gifts.

Rows of ribbons: Create basic plaid patterns using satin, grosgrain and velvet types of ribbons in assorted colours and widths over a tissue-paper wrapped gift. Garnish with dash of white tinsel garland. A length of wide satin ribbon looks stunning when applied over the centre of larger gifts and plain paper bags. Secure the ribbons at the back of a package using hot glue. Wide ribbons can also be adorned with lengths of fuzzy wool.

Bejewel using recycled jewellery and belt buckles: Recycle odds and ends jewellery pieces, earrings, and charms. Glue these onto a ribbon to create an elegant centre ornament. Paint plain or wooden buckles silver or gold (or any colour) and fasten a length of ribbon around a fabric-wrapped gift. Top it all off with a single feather.

Dazzling with sequins: Make your gifts sparkle and dazzle with sequins. Use by-the-yard sequins as you would ribbons. Double rows of brightly coloured sequins look spectacular onto plain silver-wrapped gifts. Further embellish by randomly gluing individual sequins on wrapped presents.

Quilling for snowman: Quilling, also known as paper filigree, is the art of rolling thin strips of paper into different shapes and using the shapes to form designs. Quilling papers comes in packages of assorted colours. Creative accents, such as plain snowman shapes or monograms, can be crafted to garnish plainly wrapped boxes. Affix designs to gifts using double-face tape. You can even apply the papers in flat strips or fashion a checked pattern. Simple swirls make wonderful gift garnishes.

Cut-it-out with paper snowflakes: So easy to make and yet so enchanting. They make magical trimmings onto gifts, in assorted sizes. Just cut snowflake shapes using scissors with folded plain or assorted types of recycled papers. You can even have the kids help you out with this one. Paper garlands can be quite stunning too.

Punched snowflakes: Paper punches with holiday designs are wonderful to use and incorporate into gift trimming. Using a snowflake design punch and assorted papers, from velum to silver, punch out snowflake shapes and glue them onto gifts, ribbons and cards, in a row or randomly. I even used the punched out negative to make decorative bands around gift boxes, and trimmed the edges with decorative scissors.

Monograms letters: Letters, initials make delightful gift topping accents and can be shaped with wire of various colours or beaded wires.

Fabric remnants: Excellent for wrapping larger gifts, and to use up fabrics that you know you won’t use within the next year or so. I utilized fun-fur remnants to make a snowman decoration onto a larger gift box.

Hang-tags embellished with rub-on decal lettering, clip art, micro beads and photos of the gift recipient also make fantastic gift trimmings.

Get wrapping and happy trimmings!

Tips: For all gifts wrapped using fabrics, make sure to iron out any creases out first and wrap the gifts as you would with paper wrapping. Use hot glue to secure the folds instead of tape.

Variations: Other creative gift wrappings include holiday dishtowels, table cloths, fabrics, and wallpaper. Or, you can opt to make the wrapping part of the gifts using a variety of household and clothing items.

Older Christmas tree ornaments that you are no longer using also make fun gift toppings.

Don’t be bashful to use colours such as lime green, hot pink, bright orange, mauves, vibrant turquoise and blue; They are very “in” and trendy colours this season.

Pretty packages can be integrated into your table decorations, to grace a mantel, or even used outdoors. Double them up and use as name card holders.

Copyright MaddyLane Designs © 2006

For more Miy articles visit www.maddylane.com

About the Author

Madeleine has over 25 years design experience. She studied fashion merchandising and design. The fist part of her career was spent in the fashion industry designing ladies and children's wear to fashion accessories. Maddy then went on to design giftware products, Christmas decorations, packaging concepts as well as illustrating for Canadian companies. She has even published a bilingual children's book that she both wrote and illustrated. Maddy's designer talents, from fashion to decor and her love for crafts has directed her to produce and write “how-to” step-by-step décor articles. For the last five years, Madeleine has been creating innovative home decorative décor items for her weekly syndicated “make-it-yourself” Miy at home articles. Maddy work has is presently featured in Magazines and newspapers.

For more “Miy” articles and a more detailed artist bio, I invite you to visit my; www.maddylane.com