2012 D*S Gift Guide: Pretty Packaging

http://assets4.designsponge.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/designsponge-2012-gift-guides-culinary.jpg If you're anything like me, you are a GIANT sucker for pretty packaging. It's okay to admit it; in an endless sea of products, each one promising to solve all of your consumer woes, why wouldn't you opt for the most visually appealing? If it sounds dubious to judge a book by its cover in regards to products, let me just say that in my experience, products that are thoughtfully and beautifully packaged are usually equally well designed on the inside. You might be paying a bit more for these items, but often they end up rewarding you several times over: You can skip wrapping them because they are pretty enough on their own, and after you enjoy the item, you can usually reuse the packaging somewhere in your home. I like to cut pretty paper wrappers into bookmarks and notecards and use old tins to store jewelry and buttons. I've rounded up some lovely packaged items in several categories, from gourmet treats to luxurious soaps and scents, so hopefully you'll find the perfect gift for everyone on your list. Enjoy! — Kate Image above, clockwise from top left: Laguiole Cheese Knives Set, $39 | Kusmi Russian Tea Blend Set, $24 | Hammond's Old Fashioned Sour Balls, $9.95 | Branches Wild Blackberry Flower Honey, $13.50 | Handsome Coffee 12oz. Roaster's Choice, $18 | Abbaye de Flavigny Orange Pastilles (similar to shown), $4.25 | Oleum Viride XV Olive Oil Tin, $20 | Taza Mexican Chocolate Discs, $4.50 each | Hanukkah Break-apart Chocolate Bar, $32 | Le Sanctuaire Cloves, $8 | Old Field Farm Maple Syrup, $12 See over 30 more pretty packaging gift ideas after the jump . . . (more…) via Kate Pruitt http://www.designsponge.com/2012/12/2012-ds-gift-guide-pretty-packaging.html tagcakedesignnews

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