If you are looking for some creative ideas for wrapping your cosmetic creations, then you should read Gift Wrapping: Creative Ideas from Japan. In this beautifully illustrated book, author Kunio Ekiguchi demonstrates how to take a little bit of paper or cloth, string and sometimes tape, and turn them into beautiful gift wraps. Especially valuable are the ideas on wrapping odd shapes - a description which fits many cosmetic items. Kunio Ekiguchi has a chapter on basic boxes and cylinders, a chapter for odd shaped gifts, a chapter wrapping flat gifts, a chapter for wrapping gifts for special occasions and a chapter titled “Furoshiki” which is wrapping gifts in cloth. Also valuable are numerous tips throughout the book for selecting paper, determining what kind of paper to use, and for solving problems with gift wrapping. Gift Wrapping: Creative Ideas from Japan is recommended for anyone who needs new and exciting ideas for wrapping gifts.

One of the easiest ways to promote your handcrafted soaps and cosmetics is through specialty gift baskets that you design and sell yourself. Many different types of businesses use gift baskets to thank customers and reward employees. By creating specialty gift baskets you can help your customers accomplish their goals and they can help you accomplish your business goals - more sales! Here are four gift basket ideas to get you started:

Basket name: “Welcome To Your New Home” gift basket.
Market: Real estate companies looking to give a gift to customers, or home decorators looking for new accessories to decorate a house with for a home show.
Basket description: This gift basket can contain soap and cosmetic items needed by the new homeowner. Such items can include bath soaps, guest soaps and kitchen soap. Throw in a couple of washcloths or dishcloths as an accessory.

Basket name: “Welcome Baby”
Market: Obstetricians who want to thank their customers, hospital gift shops, maternity stores.
Basket description: This gift basket should contains items to help welcome a new baby such as baby powder, baby oil and baby soap.

Basket name: “Kids Bath Basket”
Market: Stores that sell kids clothing
Basket description: This basket should contain fun shaped soaps. Add a funny shaped bath mitt or scrubbie as an accessory.

Basket name: “A Gift For The Bridesmaid”
Market: Individual brides and bridal stores
Basket description: This basket should contain a selection of pamper products like soaps, lotions and bath salts, scrubs or milks. It should be affordable so that a bride can afford to purchase several to give to her wedding party as a way of saying thank you.

In addition to making nice gift containers, baskets also make attractive storage containers when you are displaying your products at gift shows and bazaars.

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What is the best way to package your soap? For some soapmakers, the choice is easy - don’t package the soap at all! But for others, packaging is an important part of soapmaking, especially if you plan to give away or sell your soap. But soap packaging shouldn’t take more time than making the soap itself. If you need ideas for attractively packaging your soaps, but don’t want to spend a lot of time packaging them, here are some choices for you.

Gift Wrap and Wallpaper
Gift wrap and wallpaper are wonderful materials for wrapping soaps because they comes in so many different designs. Be sure to match the gift wrap or wall paper design to the type of soap you will be wrapping. Here are two ways to wrap soap with these papers:
1.Wrap individual bars like a gift and tie with a ribbon.
2.Use the gift wrap as your soap label. Wrap a strip of gift wrap around your soap. Affix a label on top of it.

Copy And Laser Paper
Copy and laser printer papers come in many beautiful textures and colors. A simple way to wrap soap using copy and laser paper is to simply wrap a strip of paper around your soap. If you use plain paper, instead of fancy paper, try one of these ideas for variety:
1. Embellish with rubber stamp designs. Use a design that compliments your soap.
2. Decorate with colorful stickers.
3. Emboss a design onto the paper for an elegant effect.
4. Make your label out of white paper and add color using metallic foil.
5. Layer a thin strip of paper on top of a wider strip. Use a pair of scissors with fancy edges to make an interesting border.

Cellophane and Polypropylene
Cellophane and polypropylene are clears plastics that are used to wrap many items. Cellophane and polypropylene come in sheets and bags. Cellophane and polypropylene bags can be used to wrap odd-shaped soaps and scented soaps.
Cellophane and polypropylene sheets can be wrapped around soaps like gift wrap. Select in colors or patterns to add visual interest.

Fabric
Wrapping fabric around soap gives a lot of visual interest to soap. Fabric can be wrapped around soap like a gift and tied with a ribbon. Experiment with a variety of fabrics for different effects. Here are some ideas:
·Corduroy and velour for a rich, plush look.
·Silk, for an elegant look
·Denim for an all American look (If you use denim, consider tying it down with a thin strip of leather instead of ribbon for a western look).

Boxes and Baskets
Boxes and baskets are nice containers for soap. Consider filling your box with one of these materials:
1. If you are making an herbal soap fill the box or basket halfway with an herb that matches the scent of your soap. For example, if you are making rose soap, fill the box or basket with dried rose buds. If you are making lavender soap, fill the box or basket with dried lavender. Put your soap on top of the herb. Wrap in cellophane.
2. Fill the box or basket with excelsior or gift basket filling. Place soap on top.
3. Place one or several washcloths or sponges in the basket with your soap.

Adding a tiny pressed flower to your packaging is a nice way to dress up your cosmetic products. Here are some ideas for adding pressed flowers to your packaging:

1. Glue a tiny pressed flower on your hang tags, soap labels and self adhesive labels.

2. Decorate the edge or lid of a powder box with pressed flowers. Glue several flowers around the rim of the powder box or glue them in a pattern on the lid of the powder box. Seal with Mod Podge® or a similar substance.

3. Attach a tiny pressed flower to a bar of soap. To do this you will need to prepare the surface of your soap by applying a tiny bit of melted paraffin wax on your soap over the area where you want to put the flower. Put the flower in this area. Seal the flower with additional melted paraffin wax.