Combinations of blue and silver are the hot gift-wrapping colors this Christmas. Think glam Snow Queen.
Iya Santos, general manager of Tie Me Up Buttercup specialty shop, said these colors are easy on the eye and would fit any gift item. Presents wrapped in soft blues and silver will get kids excited, while darker shades like royal blue make for an elegant gift for women.
For men, gifts can be wrapped in a macho mix of navy and gray, with a pop of silver in the tag or ribbon.
Those are the trends; but the classic Yuletide colors of red, green and gold will always be there, Santos said during the recent opening of Tie Me Up Buttercup’s second branch at Shangri-La Plaza Mall.
The shop sports a “special” look—its walls mounted with pastel gift boxes, drawers with embossed papers, and rolls and rolls of silk ribbons. There are also “instant” packaging items such as ready-made paper bags and pretty boxes, making Tie Me Up Buttercup a store for the crafty and clueless alike.
European products
Santos, with sisters Annemi Katigbak and Kat Florencio, opened Tie Up Buttercup’s first branch at Greenbelt 5 in 2009, a kiosk with small items such as wrappers, ribbons and gift tags, plus wrapping service. It has been so well-received that a “proper” branch has been put up at the Shang mall in Mandaluyong City.
“We added pop-up greeting cards, boxes, washi tapes and estampitas different from those in bookstores,” Santos said. “These are items we want to wrap presents in, to give others, and items we want to receive ourselves.”
By “different,” Santos meant hard-to-find items from Europe. The sisters, their mom Bubut and dad Pollie, are regular travelers. They buy novelty items abroad, which make their gifts stand out. They wanted to share their finds with like-minded people who take gift-giving—and wrapping—seriously.
Customized ribbons
“We attend buying fairs in Europe—from the United Kingdom to Germany,” Santos said. These resulted in a collection of items unique to the shop.
The greetings cards with illustrations are from Second Nature store in London. The baby-birth announcements, wedding invitations, cash envelopes are from Busquets in Barcelona, with Estampas de Comunion card given a child having his or her First Communion.
Scotton cut boxes from Italy make gift-packing a breeze, while gift bags from Zowie in Germany make for a sleek presentation.
Quirky notebooks, stickers, fridge magnets, recipe holders, wedding albums and guest books are from ArteBene also in Germany.
Handmade cards and precious gift tins are from Rachel Ellen in the UK.
Goldina ribbons from Germany come in soft colors and wired prints.
Tie Me Up Buttercup goes by the tagline “Ribbons and More,” the ribbons being a consistent bestseller. The ribbon collection alone makes picking difficult, with choices of plain, plaid, checks, silk, matte, even natural items like raffia. Customized ribbons with names or initials can also be ordered.
Cupcake paper
Beyond gift-wrapping, the Buttercup team has expanded to kitchen items. We love the silver cupcake paper set in laser-cut reindeer design. There are even dainty cake stands and wine holders!
Table-setting accents like printed napkins for bridal and baby showers are also available, all in cute designs.
For something local, check out the Rock Candy gift tags designed by Rowena Venturina Orock and Papier d’Art note cards by Kristine Javier Datuin. And, instead of giving cash in traditional teeny red packets, put them in handmade envelopes done by Gigi Abalo Galboa.
One might ask, “Wrappers are meant to be thrown away, why put so much effort in them?”
Santos said it’s about giving the impression that the gift is for a “very special person.” If the recipient finds the gift too pretty to open and materials too nice to rip, her advice is: Recycle.
“Paper may be used to cover notebooks or line drawers,” she said. “Reuse ribbons as hair accessories, and tags as bookmarks.”
Tie Me Up Buttercup (Ribbons and More) is at East Wing, Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City; and Greenbelt 5, Makati City.
