David Mikush, a student at Creative Circus in Atlanta, created the below Burt & Bumble handmade honey products and packaging as an extension of Burt’s Bees line of earth-conscious, natural beeswax products. He and another designer, Samantha Schneider wanted to capture the right aesthetic for new products of the environmentally responsible brand. The designers chose beautiful bottles and jars with copper tops and I adore the wood box containing an assortment of honey, even the handle looks like the honey dipper. The finished result - super sweet!

spotted on thedieline.com

I have been asked by a friend to help create a bottle label for a home brewed beer. In the initial stages of research the focus is leaning toward a vintage feel. Below are some of the inspiration finds: old labels of the beverage, cigar and condiment variety…

1. lovelypackage.com, 2. The Graphics Fairy 3. philcoffman.com, 4. Dr. Whisky, 5. esnarf.com

There was something about this packaging that grabbed me when making a gift basket for a friend at Chelsea Market Baskets. Most cracker packaging is bland, like most crackers taste, and this was fun and inviting. Now I didn’t give them a tasting before gifting but anything made in the English West Country by 20 year cheese specialists has got to be tasty. These paired with ginger beer, brie, and chocolate truffles hopefully made my recipient happy.

The Fine Cheese Co.

If only spelling and wine pronunciation or mispronunciation for that matter could be made this easy. Wine labels created by designer Caroline Gilroy using phonetics and basic typography are simple and yet so clever.

Spotted on commarts.com

Upgrade from the standard pillow case to one of these festive tote finds. Or create clever and memorable treat bags for all your ghosts & goblins. Easy DIY options that include instructions… go on give me some sugar!

1. free printables from Love. Obsess. Inspire spotted on, i-diy 2. Sherri Osborn’s tips for using felt to punch up a plain tote, bat & cool pumpkin, About.com, 3. Recycle an old Halloween t-shirt into an easy-to-carry tote, craftzine.com, 4. Handmade favor bag, all you need are a brown or colored treat bag, scissors, a hole punch, and ribbon, marthastewart.com, 5. the most clever halloween favor bag I have sent yet made from brown paper bags and twigs - bewitch your guests, marthastewart.com, 6. punched slime and stamps sealing takeaway treats, marthastewart.com, 7. stamped Jack-O-Lantern Muslin treat bags, marthastewart.com

I was in the food store the other day and came across Siggi’s yogurt.  Created by Siggi Hilmarsson in 2006, this yogurt is made to taste of skyr, a the traditional yogurt of Iceland. It is subtle, not-so-sweet, and contains all natural ingredients. The fabulous cup design by Sveinn and Boris uses 40-50% less plastic than regular yogurt cups and is supported by a recyclable cardboard sleeve. I find the delicate illustrations charming and the overall simplicity of the cup reiterates the natural essence of the product.  Take a taste and let us know what you think.

find out more at skyr.com

A perfect accessory to any package, letter, or invitation wax seals look handmade (even if they are not), expensive and they add a touch of old world charm.  After finding yesterday’s jewelry version I came across Design Sponge’s recent post on handmade wooden wax seals. Designer Kim from Ragehaus has graciously given us, by us I mean those willing to toil with crafts, step by step instructions for creating your own wooden wax seal. For instructions click here.

Photo courtesy of Ragehaus

If making your own stamp seems too aggressive for you, there is wax-works.com who can create a custom 1 inch Wax Seal Hand Stamper for $55. And if the ‘Easy Button’ is your best friend, a peel and stick faux option is available at waxseals.com. Prices range per quantity but custom designs and colors are available. One guarantee with the peel and stick option, no Mr. Miyagi needed.

As a designer first - wine connoisseur second, labels are usually my deciding factor for purchase.  Crazy I know, but great, innovative labels get me every time.  A friend brought to my apartment The Maitre D Mollydooker Cabernet Sauvignon which I loved both the look and taste of. To my surprise Sarah and Sparky Marquis creators of this fabulous wine had an easy tear-off label so that one like myself could remember what it is called.  However, I liked the actual bottle label so much I spent 15 minutes peeling it off as well.  This lead to investigation of who they are and what other wines they have.  Check out the amazing vintage inspired labels below and their great “Party in a Box” and “All you need is love” gift ideas.  Cheers!