Green Wrapping Paper Ideas

Every year millions of gifts are given during the month of December. Christmas, Hanukkah, and a host of other special occasions contribute to more gift wrap being used during the holidays than throughout the entire rest of the year combined.

In the last decade gift cards and envelopes have ruled over the proverbial present kingdom. However, consumers are growing tired of the same old, often times thoughtless gifts that seem to have taken over the “season of giving”.

In order to combat the spread of the infectious gift card disease, and since the great recession started, shoppers have begun to focus more on the thought of the gifts rather than the material value which is represented.

There are numerous ways to wrap a present; some good, some bad, and some just plain ugly. These are some of the trends catching on this year.


1. Personalized Wrapping Paper
If you don’t mind spending a little extra money, personalized wrapping paper is great way to put make your gifts stand out and mean more this holiday season. Sites like Giftskins.com allow you to add up to 8 different images and custom text to create truly unique personalized gift wrap. Prices start around $10 dollars for a roll that can wrap approximately 3 medium size gifts. *You can use the scraps and leftovers for scrapbooking or other crafts.


2. Recycled Wrapping Paper

Because of global warming, high pollution levels, and dwindling natural resources, we are in the midst of a green revolution. What better way is there to show you care than to wrap your holiday presents with recycled wrapping paper? Although more expensive than traditional gift wrap, the environmental friendliness more than makes up for the additional costs. Recycled wrapping paper can usually be found in your local stores.


3. Homemade Wrapping Paper

A great way to combine the personalized and recycled wrapping paper trends is to create your own gift wrap at home. Using old newspaper or other scraps, you can create inexpensive wrap from the comforts of your own home. This can also be a great project to do with your kids. Let them color, draw, or paint on the outside for recycled, custom gift wrap that is absolutely free!


4. The Bad and the Ugly

The gift card and envelope combo, while familiar, has come to represent a thoughtless last minute purchase. While the gift itself may be appreciated, it shows people that you were too busy to put any real effort into your holiday gifts. Gift bags are also becoming more popular. The problem is that you lose the fun of opening a present. There is also an issue of giving someone a present stuffed into the same gift bag that they gave you last year! Be creative this year so that your gifts will be appreciated, and not just expected.


When giving a gift this holiday season, remember to make a good first impression. Do not go out and purchase an amazing present that you worked hard to find, only to detract from its meaning by using thoughtless, generic gift wrapping options. Its time that we start giving better presents from the outside in, one gift at a time!

Christening Ceremony

A baby Christening ceremony is one of the most wonderful events in a child and his parent’s life. Accepting the Lord and Baptizing your infant in his name is a milestone to be cherished and remembered forever.


What is a Christening Ceremony?

Christening, derived from Christ, is an English word and it was introduced in the 14th century. Although undefined in modern dictionaries, it is commonly considered as a ceremony where a young child or infant is baptized and given a name.

There are numerous different methods and ceremonies for infant baptisms. Depending on your beliefs and church affiliations you might not have a christening at all.

Infant baptism or christening ceremonies are practiced by the following churches:

Groups who practice infant baptism:
 Roman Catholic
 Greek Orthodox
 Russian Orthodox
 Oriental Orthodoxy
 Armenian Apostolic Church
 Assyrian Church
 Anglican Communion
 Lutheran
 Presbyterians
 Methodists
 Church of the Nazarene


What happens at a Christening Ceremony?

Baby Christening ceremonies are when a child is named and undergoes a baptism. It is a ritual meant to welcome your child into the world. Family and friends usually attend in order to share their love and pride, give christening gifts to the child, and to witness the infant become christened in the name of the lord.

Although methods and practices can differ slightly, there are normally 3 types of Christening ceremony services:

1. Blessing – Based on what Jesus did when children were brought to him
2. Baptism – A sacrament and the formal acceptance of god and the Christian church
3. Christening – The act or ceremony where a baby is named along with the baptism

Other common practices or qualities associated with Christening Ceremonies include:

1. Poems or music
2. The naming of Godparents
3. Christening gifts and presents
4. Special Christening outfits: gowns, rompers, and shoes
5. Christening favors
6. Unique or elegant decorations
7. Cake
8. Speeches


Christening Ceremony Checklist
1. Decide on a date and time
2. Choose and reserve your church and reception location
3. Contact the priest or officiator
4. Finalize a guest list of family and friends
5. Send Christening invitations
6. Purchase Christening clothes, decorations, cake, and food
7. Prepare any speeches, poems, or verses you would like recited
8. Remember to take lots of pictures!


When attending a Christening ceremony remember to dress appropriately, bring a camera along with any gift or present you may have bought, and be prepared to offer lots of support, joy, and happiness!

For personalized gifts and party supplies for a christening or any other event, check out Expressionables.com!

Unique Bat Mitzvah Invitation Ideas

Bat Mitzvah invitations are an important part of your Bat Mitzvah party. It is the first impression that your guests will receive. This being said, it’s very important that you make your invitations reflect your personality, mood of the party, and your own personal style. You also want to make sure that they are conveying the right message. Here are some popular Bat Mitzvah invitation messages with some unique examples and styles that convey these messages.


Sophisticated: For the serious and classy Bat Mitzvah party, sophisticated invitations are needed. I would suggest you use very traditional colors and minimal graphics or design elements. Use a script style font. For an added touch of elegance you should layer your invitations using a different color background. Sophisticated invitations are a great way to show your class and maturity for this once in a lifetime occasion. Check these out!


Fun: If you want your Bat Mitzvah party to be laid-back and informal, I suggest that you start it off with fun invitations. Try to pick a design with many colors. You could go with an abstract design or pick out an invitation that is in line with your theme. Try using a fun font and keep the cards simple and catchy. Here is a fun Bat Mitzvah invitation


Modern: For modern invitations try to incorporate trendy colors and design elements. Chocolate and lime green is a great pair. Orange and pink are also great for Bat Mitzvah invitations. Keep the graphics clean and simple. Modern invitations convey your sense of style and the fact that you are fashionable and keep up with what’s new and hot. I love this modern Bat Mitzvah invitation


Unique: Unique invitations are a great way to put your personality into your cards. This event will be remembered for your entire life, so why not have fun with it and make your invitations a reflection of your personality? Unique invitations come in all shapes and sizes, they can be classified as anything that doesn’t fit into any of these other categories. Here are some unique Bat Mitzvah invitations


Classic: Classic designs are a safe bet when choosing your Bat Mitzvah invitations. Classic colors include blue and white and are usually more toned down as far as graphic elements go. The Star of David may be featured as well as other familiar graphics. Choose a classic Bat Mitzvah design if you want to be sure that your invitations are right for the occasion. Here is a great example


Blend of Tradition and Modern: This is my favorite type. I feel that it is important to incorporate classic ideas and traditions and blend them with a more modern outlook. A great example of this concept can be found in this tree of life invitation.


Picking the perfect Bat Mitzvah invitations can take time and patience. Just remember to consider your theme, the people attending, and the mood of the party when choosing your invitations. As long as you try to put your own style and personality into your Bat Mitzvah invitations, you can never go wrong

Personalized Christmas Wrapping Paper

Every year countless amounts of time and money are spent trying to find the newest most popular Christmas gifts. Making your gifts unique and meaningful can be a difficult proposition. It is not always about the amount spent, although most people seem to think it is. Meaningful gifts are directly proportional to the amount of time and thought put into them.

The way the gift is wrapped is an often overlooked aspect of Christmas presents. Some well thought out, personalized wrapping paper can often turn a mediocre gift into a memorable one.

I will now walk you through the steps of how to make your very own custom Christmas gift wrapping paper.


1) Decide who the present is for. With many different styles and designs to choose from, you want to make sure that the recipient is accurately represented in the style of wrap that you choose. (ex. For a child, a spaceship or fire truck design is perfect. For his/her mom, a slightly more elegant design would be suitable)

2) Decide if you want to personalize the Christmas wrapping paper with a single picture repeated, multiple pictures, or no picture at all. Most personalized wrapping paper styles are designed to accommodate one of these choices. Once again, depending on the recipient, one may be more appropriate then another.

3) Decide what you want to say. Is this going to be funny? Or is it sweet? Reminiscent? Or sentimental? There are many different avenues you can take. If you will be giving multiple presents, it might be a good idea to make a few different rolls.

4) Decide what goal you are trying to accomplish with your wrapping paper. If you want to make your gift unique or more meaningful, that will be accomplished with little effort. If you are making custom wrapping paper to differentiate whose presents belong to whom on Christmas morning, pictures might be the way to go. (hint – a good example of this can be seen here.)

5) Get a list of all the people who you would like to give custom Christmas wrapping paper to, and make them all in one shot.

6) A great place to find personalized Christmas wrapping paper is GiftSkins.com. Here is a link to the Christmas section. (hint – birthday, any occasion, or other categories often contain designs that can also be configured into wonderful Christmas paper. Do not limit yourself!)

7) Give your presents and be prepared for the questions. Where did you get this? How did you do this? How did you think of something so amazing!? Why are you so smart, thoughtful, and wonderful!?

8) Give yourself a pat on the back for thinking of such a good idea. Enjoy your presents, family time, and holidays. Merry Christmas!!!

Difference Between Baptism and Christening -FINALLY!

There are a lot of different answers, depending on who you ask, when it comes to the difference between baptism and christening. Most of these answers are incomplete or just plain WRONG. Some say the difference is the amount of water, some say it’s a matter of age, others still that it varies depending on the type of church. These alone are all wrong! While these play a factor in the overall difference, none of them is the true, full, and complete answer.

Most people use the words “baptism” and “christening” interchangeably. This is OK in the sense that the connotations mean basically the same thing. However there are significant literal and historical differences often forgotten, overlooked, or misconstrued.


History:

Baptism: Baptism is a Greek word. Prior to Christianity, baptism was the ritual use of water for purification. Christian baptism is defined as a sacrament marked by the ritual use of water and admitting the recipient into the Christian community. This is the traditional term used and is an official sacrament of the Catholic Church. Baptism practices vary between churches, however it almost always involves the Trinitarian invocation (“I baptize you in the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit”). In some cases recipients are fully submerged in water, and in other cases it may be poured or sprinkled over the head. The earliest non-biblical forms of baptism were referred to in the Didache around 100 AD. This reference speaks to the baptism of adults rather than children. Around the same time we have references from others about infant baptism being customary. From the 3rd century, onward, groups of Christians baptized infants as standard practice (although some families preferred to wait until the child was older).


Christening: Introduced in the 14th century, Christening is the ceremony of baptizing and naming a child. It comes from English culture and isn’t properly defined in the modern day. Many dictionaries will refer to “baptism”.



Differences:

1) Baptism is a traditional sacrament, christening is not.

2) Baptism can be done at any age, christening is traditionally for babies and young children

3) Christening usually involves a naming ceremony, baptism usually does not

4) Christening is when water is poured or sprinkled on the head, while the method for baptisms vary

5) Baptism was practiced and mentioned by name before Christianity, christening was first referenced in the 14th century

6) Some churches believe christening is an act of submission to god, others don’t. Yet all consider baptism a submission to god.

7) “Baptism” is a Greek word, “christening” is English



Groups who practice infant baptism:

 Roman Catholic
 Greek Orthodox
 Russian Orthodox
 Oriental Orthodoxy
 Armenian Apostolic Church
 Assyrian Church
 Anglican Communion
 Lutheran
 Presbyterians
 Methodists
 Church of the Nazarene


Groups who normally reject infant baptism:

 Baptists
 Apostolic Christians
 Old Time Missionary Baptists
 Pentecostals
 Mennonites
 Amish
 Seventh-Day Adventists
 Jehovah’s Witnesses
 Mormon Church


Based on interpretations on biblical passages, these churches have decided to either undergo, or postpone baptism until later in life. The arguments are made that baptism is supposed to be the act of turning yourself over to god, and that infants are too young to be able to do that. Although there is no literal scriptural passage about infant baptism, advocates of infant baptism interpret some biblical references in support of their beliefs (ex Acts 16:15).

To sum it all up, christenings are baptisms, but not all baptisms are christenings. You can use the information in this article to decide whether the event is a baptism or christening.

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Baptism Vs. Christening

Christening invitations and Baptism Cards..new design now available!

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