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Care Packages: Celebrating the Art and Craft of Thoughtfully Made Packages
Ideas and inspiration for crafting beautiful parcels for any occasion
Michelle Mackintosh is on a mission to encourage people to reconnect with each other. Many of us send care packages without even realizing it – get-well packs, student treats, food packages to expats, clothes packages to charities, family packages to loved ones in the military – the list can be endless. Put together with Michelle's beautiful collage aesthetic, Care Packages brings back the art of crafting packages with love and care. The book is split into several chapters including reasons to send a care package, types of care packages, delivery, what to include and projects on how to design, craft, and decorate your care package. Projects are easy to achieve with step-by-step photography and instructions. This book will inspire a sense of time, love, and affection when corresponding with a loved one.
Michelle Mackintosh is on a mission to encourage people to reconnect with each other. Many of us send care packages without even realizing it – get-well packs, student treats, food packages to expats, clothes packages to charities, family packages to loved ones in the military – the list can be endless. Put together with Michelle's beautiful collage aesthetic, Care Packages brings back the art of crafting packages with love and care. The book is split into several chapters including reasons to send a care package, types of care packages, delivery, what to include and projects on how to design, craft, and decorate your care package. Projects are easy to achieve with step-by-step photography and instructions. This book will inspire a sense of time, love, and affection when corresponding with a loved one.
- GenresNonfiction
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2016
68 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 31, 2023
A few years ago, I adored reading Snail Mail - Rediscovering the Art and Craft of Handmade Correspondence by Michelle Mackintosh so much that it made my Top 5 Books of 2015 list. Snail Mail is all about re-discovering the art of sending cards and letters in the post and is chock full of inspirational ways to beautify your mail. It really is a love letter to snail mail and my review struck a chord with other readers.
A year later, the author published Care Packages - Celebrating the Art and Craft of Thoughtfully Made Packages by Michelle Mackintosh and I've been happy in the knowledge this book has been out there in the world waiting for me. Do you ever feel like that?
The recent overhaul of the inter library system at my local library has reinvigorated my determination to make better use of the resources and finally get to some of the books lingering on my virtual TBR list. Surprisingly, a total of 85 of the 186 books on my TBR list are available via an inter library loan which is terrific news. However, the nature of inter library loans means books can take a few weeks/months to arrive and with a limit of 3 at any one time, it's going to take quite a while to get through this list, but what fun!
Do you read books from the library? Do you have a system or preference for which books to borrow and when? Okay, back to the task at hand.
Care Packages is beautifully presented in a delightful hardback cover, and the content is enticing for lovers of snail mail, mail art and gifts in general. I did find the ideas presented started to sound a little 'samey' and those photographed all demonstrated a very similar aesthetic with a clear Japanese influence. If you're a stationery lover like me, you'll know that the Japanese love their stationery, specialty paper, stickers, washi tape, mini printed paper bags and cute stuff. If I ever get back to Japan, stationery stores and an owl cafe will be top of my list, but must everything be wrapped with string?
The author has lived in Japan and as well as being a writer, she's an illustrator and designer with her own range of wrapping paper, how about that! I understand Michelle Mackintosh lives in my home town of Melbourne, yet her Japanese influences are clearly evident in this book.
Care Packages by Michelle Mackintosh is bursting with attractive colour themes and plenty of care packages on show, but it didn't inspire me in the same way as Snail Mail. The layouts and designs included were appealing with plenty of vintage paper and creativity on show, but the unifying design aesthetic didn't lend itself to plenty of variety in colour palette or ideas.
If you are new to the topic, I highly encourage you to check out Snail Mail: Rediscovering the Art and Craft of Handmade Correspondence by Michelle Mackintosh first. My copy still sits proudly on my shelf having survived multiple bookshelf culls and I'll never part with it.
A year later, the author published Care Packages - Celebrating the Art and Craft of Thoughtfully Made Packages by Michelle Mackintosh and I've been happy in the knowledge this book has been out there in the world waiting for me. Do you ever feel like that?
The recent overhaul of the inter library system at my local library has reinvigorated my determination to make better use of the resources and finally get to some of the books lingering on my virtual TBR list. Surprisingly, a total of 85 of the 186 books on my TBR list are available via an inter library loan which is terrific news. However, the nature of inter library loans means books can take a few weeks/months to arrive and with a limit of 3 at any one time, it's going to take quite a while to get through this list, but what fun!
Do you read books from the library? Do you have a system or preference for which books to borrow and when? Okay, back to the task at hand.
Care Packages is beautifully presented in a delightful hardback cover, and the content is enticing for lovers of snail mail, mail art and gifts in general. I did find the ideas presented started to sound a little 'samey' and those photographed all demonstrated a very similar aesthetic with a clear Japanese influence. If you're a stationery lover like me, you'll know that the Japanese love their stationery, specialty paper, stickers, washi tape, mini printed paper bags and cute stuff. If I ever get back to Japan, stationery stores and an owl cafe will be top of my list, but must everything be wrapped with string?
The author has lived in Japan and as well as being a writer, she's an illustrator and designer with her own range of wrapping paper, how about that! I understand Michelle Mackintosh lives in my home town of Melbourne, yet her Japanese influences are clearly evident in this book.
Care Packages by Michelle Mackintosh is bursting with attractive colour themes and plenty of care packages on show, but it didn't inspire me in the same way as Snail Mail. The layouts and designs included were appealing with plenty of vintage paper and creativity on show, but the unifying design aesthetic didn't lend itself to plenty of variety in colour palette or ideas.
If you are new to the topic, I highly encourage you to check out Snail Mail: Rediscovering the Art and Craft of Handmade Correspondence by Michelle Mackintosh first. My copy still sits proudly on my shelf having survived multiple bookshelf culls and I'll never part with it.
November 19, 2017
I loved everything there is to love about this book; from the immaculately well thought out presentation, to the practicality of the information in the book and also the lovley stories to accompany these well thought out creative ideas put into action. The writer has definetly inspired me to keep up with my care packages I put together for family and friends. Thus has also validated my creativity around the way I package my gifts. I pack my partners lunch every day in neat little packages with suprises in them. People think Im crazy, well at least he won't have soggy sandwhiches for lunch! It shows appriciation of him going to work for us everyday. I look forward to reading "snail mail" in the future. Well done to the author, you sound like a fun person.
October 21, 2019
Amazing rediscovering the lost art of letter writing and snail mail and performing lovely acts of kindness!
May 12, 2020
4.75 stars
August 14, 2021
So many good ideas and a beautiful book. Only way to improve would be with more scenarios and ideas for more common care package scenarios and also maybe some more lower budget ideas.
December 31, 2021
I loved this book so much. It has so many cute and meaningful gift ideas and talks about many aspects I would never of though of about gift giving.
September 23, 2019
This is a very pretty book to look at and dip into, but is also full of great ideas for both things to make and things to pack to send to loved ones. It has recipes and templates, making it practical, yet it is soothing for the soul to look through.
My one gripe is that it is hard to read white writing on pale coloured backgrounds and that’s what lost the fifth star.
My one gripe is that it is hard to read white writing on pale coloured backgrounds and that’s what lost the fifth star.
November 13, 2016
I love doing care packages for people and I just wanted a go to book with lovely ideas and inspiration in it. Which is exactly what this book is. Can't wait to make the care packages in this book
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews