Washington D.C. may seem like it’s full of politicians in suits, and it kind of is, but it’s also home to an enclave of creatives.  And that’s one of the things I love about living in in the D.C. area.

The downside? I live about an hour outside of the city (and that’s without traffic) and because of my homebody ways, it’s not too often I make the trip to the District.

BUT! Through Instagram, events, and the creative industry in general, I’ve found that there’s a number of creatives living right here in Loudoun County! While many of them work in (and post to social media from) the city, they call this half suburban/half rural county of ours home. It seems like all of us communicate with one another via Instagram, which is fun of course, but given our geography, I thought that we needed to get together in person. And so I invited a bunch of girls to brunch at Magnolia’s At The Mill in Purcellville.

We bonded over champagne cocktails and commiserated over corporate ‘real job’ life, either past or present. We talked about our creative endeavors, and about which part of the journey we’re on. Some are using theirs as an escape from a boring job (I think this is how most of us started). Others are working only as a creative, but it’s part-time and they’re seeking more work to keep busy. Either way, every single one of us agreed that we’re so lucky to have this part of our lives where we can have a creative release, be our own bosses, and be a part of a community that is so supportive and helpful.

Our own Loudoun County creative enclave.

As a little favor, I picked up some adorable succulents the day before at the Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival (via J Lynn Nursery), wrapped them in kraft paper, and finished with ribbon and calligraphed name cards. I couldn’t stop staring at these beauties for the rest of the day, and thought that this could become my go-to party favor and hostess gift. I could be “the succulent girl”, and people would look forward to having me over so I could bring them a new succulent to add to their collection.

Or maybe I’m delusional.

Anyway, I think these would be adorable wedding favors. So simple, and relatively cheap to purchase. Even cheaper if you propagate your own succulents! Read on for instructions how to wrap your plant favors, though I apologize that I didn’t take pictures of the actual wrapping process.

Tools:

• Kraft paper, or any other decorative paper that has a bit of sturdiness to it
• Hot glue gun or double sided tape
• Exacto knife or scissors
• Pencil/pen
• Ruler
• Succulents or small potted plants – these were 3″
• Decorative ribbon or twine

Instructions:

You’ll need to find the ‘right’ size for your paper squares based on the size of your potted plant. Mine were sold as 3″ potted succulents, and after trying 6×6″ and 8×8″ squares, I went all Goldilocks and found 7×7″ to be just right. You can experiment, or measure the height of your container and add an inch or two, depending on the look you want. Cut as many squares as you have plants.

Find the dead center of each square and mark it. You can be precise and use a ruler, or just eye it up. The more accurate the center mark is, the more even your sides will be, so keep that in mind.

Place your plant on the center of the paper, but off-set the corners. In other words, the corners of the pot should not be aligned with the corners of the paper, and instead should be pointing toward the center of each side. Secure with hot glue.

Take two opposite corners of the paper and bring them up, flattening them alongside the plant. You can use a dollop of hot glue here to keep them in place.

Here’s where it gets tricky. Once the first two sides are up and secure, you’ll want to do the same to the last two sides, again sticking them in place with hot glue. As you bring the paper corners up along the sides of the pot, it will create flaps, kind of like you are wrapping a present. You can use your finger to crease them so they’re easier to fold in the next step.

Now, each corner of the pot will have a flap/corner of paper sticking out. Take two adjacent flaps and fold them inward, pointing toward each other on the same side of the pot. You can see this in the picture below. Secure in place with hot glue. Do the same on the opposite side of the pot.

Finally, take some pretty ribbon (I went with a lace ribbon and a pale blue velvet ribbon, both from Hobby Lobby) and wrap around your plant. The paper is held in place by the hot glue, but the ribbon makes it look pretty. If you are using name tags, use a hole punch and then tie them on when you knot the ribbon. Or equally as cute would be to make name flags, using pieces of skewer or toothpicks.

In case anyone asks, I learned calligraphy via Melissa Esplin’s class at I Still Love Calligraphy, but there are plenty of in-person workshops to learn from, too (1, 2). And for the record, I received my kit and class subscription for Christmas, so four months in and I think I’m doing pretty well.  Therefore, I wholeheartedly recommend Melissa’s class if you want to learn modern calligraphy!