"Bento" is a Japanese term used to describe a single portion of home-prepared take-away food, but what's become really interesting about these little lunches is the way they are packed! Bento boxes are supposed to be as cute as possible!

The rice in this bento box is moulded into the shape of Totoro a popular anime character!

This lego lunch box is perfect for storing all your lunchtime treats!

Surely nothing could be quite as cute as a panda lunch box!

This pokeball rice looks delicious! Muffin cases are a gret way of making compartments in your lunch box.

This adorable strawberry lunch box comes with an extra layer where you can store your cutelery!

Rilakkuma is one of the most popular characters in Japan, show your appriciation with this perfectly little lunch box!

Maru is arguabley the most famous and the cutest cat to have ever lived. His bumbling antics have been caught on film through his whole life, and has been enjoyed by millions on Youtube. It seems Maru the cat just can't get enough of cardboard boxes. He likes to sit in them, to run through them, and to squeeze into them.

Packaging items is an activity that a lot of people engage in everyday.  But unknown to a vast majority of them is that the way you package your items plays a very big role in the way the message is perceived and received. That is why, it is important to carefully choose the kind of material that you use to decorate your padded envelope stock.

These envelopes are an extremely popular mode of packaging items and are robustly built with bubble lined wall construction.  This bubble cushioning aids in the protection of the important objects that may be thrown around during the process of mailing. In addition to this, this cushioning brings about an additional layer of protection, such that the items that are packaged cannot be seen with the naked eye. You can also dress up your package to make it more stimulating to receive and open.

There are a lot of ways in which you can go about the business of decorating your package. But whatever method or material that you may chose to decorate it, you must always remember to keep the postal guiding principles. It is also imperative for you not to get over zealous and end up bringing harm to the objects that you are supposed to mail.

The fact that you are sending mail to your child or a long distance friend should not deter you from adorning your package. You can always put extra holiday flamboyance or a more personal message to your package by putting your creativity into practice.

Some of the materials that you may need to make your own decorated packages include bubble wrap, double-sided tape, stamp pad, gel ink paint plastic placemat, embosser and food colouring. You can easily make adornments to your padding in order to make your packaging more appealing by simply cutting pages from a children’s book and placing them over the padding. This will make your package more alluring and unique.

 It is also vital for you not to use bubble wrap that is so bloated that it will make it difficult for you to fit your objects inside your package. A much smaller bubble wrap with tinier bubbles may work wonders for you.

Before engaging in the exercise of decorating your padded envelopes, it is always important to note that the kind of material that you will use will greatly influence the way your items will be received.

 

Source: thedieline.com via Ko on Pinterest

Here's a few of our favourite packaging pictures currently circling the internet! The packaging above is a beautiful jubilee design made to look like a diamond, it's very luxurious and classy, and wouldn't look out of place on the shelf of one of the finest London bars.
 

This adorable crocodile packaging would be perfect for presents for kids, or even fun-loving adults.

Source: etsy.com via O on Pinterest

This bakery packaging is beyond cute and perfect for housing little cupcakes in their own little french boutique style shop. This is the sort of packaging you really wouldn't want to throw away.

Source: via Melanie Oliveira on Pinterest

Source: via Lelaine Ching on Pinterest

Source: via Paul Wright on Pinterest

Source: blogspot

There are quite a large number of products that require cardboard packaging and transportation to various places which sometimes can prove to be a dangerous and difficult undertaking. In as much as packaging items is supposed to be a smooth, hassle free undertaking, occasionally situations arise when this process becomes a complicated matter. On some occasions you may need guidelines on just how to go about sending them in order to help you minimise the risk of the items being damaged while in transit.

 There are many items which are so annoying and can easily cause packaging problems. One such common object is liquid. Packaging liquids such as wine and flammable products can sometimes prove to be challenging, therefore adequate measures ought to be put in place so as to prevent other articles being transported from getting damaged. Objects such as beer or wine bottles should be safeguarded with bubble wrap and bagged in plastic so that in the unfortunate event where few bottles break; there will not be a spillage of liquid or broken glass all over the package.

With inflammable liquids, proper notification and labelling should be offered to the firm that will be used to transport them to prevent the risk of a catastrophe. In addition to this, they should be covered in a bag or a package that can prevent the leaking of the highly flammable liquid in case of an accident.

Heavy objects can also cause packaging problems. These objects can be hazardous to the person who is transporting them as they can easily fall on people or the other packages thereby destroying them. Where necessary, you should add some padding to such objects so that in the event that they fall their weight will be evenly distributed as they hit the ground. Some of the materials that you can use to pad these packages include bubble wrap, blankets or even Styrofoam peanuts. Packing heavy objects tightly is only prudent as it prevents them from moving too much thereby ensuring their safety.

Other annoying objects that have the knack of bringing about packaging problems include fragile goods such as paintings, porcelain or glass. Individually packaging and safeguarding each of the objects plays a vital role in ensuring that these objects remain safe and sound when being transported. The fourth annoying objects that can cause packaging problems are irregular objects which do not fit easily into conventional packaging.

Packaging Supplies are truly necessary at home. Indeed, it is in these package materials that we are able to keep important items, especially if we are merely starting a family.

If it is important for domestic use, then it is more important when you have a business; especially so if that business has something to do with running small stalls. Basically, businessmen generally come from scratch. In other words, the great entrepreneurs of today all started from the bottom. However small or big your stall might be, how you manage or run it will define your future.

That being said, it is important to understand that stalls need package materials. These materials are highly important especially in delivering your goods to your costumers. So, what are some important packing materials that you need to have in your stall?

Source: modernhomedesign.org via Misha on Pinterest

First of all, you need to have packing boxes. Boxes are always important – even those without businesses need to have boxes in order to organize some things. For entrepreneurs, boxes play far more important roles than simply storing things. In business, boxes are used for packing and delivery. Boxes vary in sizes – each size is for specific kinds of items.

Of course, if you have boxes, you would also need packing tapes. There is no way to seal your box other than by sealing it with the packing tape. You must confuse packing adhesives with other domestic tapes; the former are more industrial, while the latter do not really stick well nor last long. Boxes and packing tapes always come together; one cannot really be effective without the other.

Another vital packing material that you might want to consider are bubble wraps. Indeed, bubble wraps are highly critical in order to make sure that the quality of the items that you transfer is not damaged in any way. Bubble wraps are cushions which protect your sensitive items from breaking.

There are more packaging supplies that you need to put in your list. However, the aforementioned things are some of the most important of the packing materials in starting a stall.

Canadian Company Loyal Luxe know how to treat a pet right. Cat's like luxury, but they also crave the simple pleasure of a cardboard box. These box homes combine the best of both worlds in a stylish and chic way that cats just can't resist! With genuine drawn-on wood grain effect, and authentic teepee cultural stylings, your cats will love their new home, and might even give you back your side of the bed.

Source: livestrong.com via Deanne on Pinterest

We live in an age were time just isn’t enough. People are constantly rushing around and have no time to stop and reflect. Work is normally a major contributing factor but in this economic climate, so is the continuous search for employment. The majority of young adults in the UK are stressed but do not have any outlet for it. Bubble wrap is a effective method of stress relief but there are others to explore.

Stress is a major health issue, with thousands of people in and around the UK taking time off work due to stress related illness. It can cause lack of concentration, emotional problems including being irritable and snappy as well as being life threatening as it can lead to heart attacks.

There are a number of methods of dealing with stress but sometimes these are great in theory but not always a reality. One of the obvious ones of course is to try and relax by taking a long walk or having a power nap but again these are not favourable to some people. One method which has been recommended is through origami.

Origami has many health benefits and is taught to young children and the older generation traditionally in Japan but it can be used by anyone. It involves the folding of coloured paper to make beautiful elegant objects such as a crane or a basket. Due to the amount of concentration needed it stimulates the brain and has calming effects. You can learn origami yourself online, following step by step guides or in some parts of the UK, there are origami workshops and classes. It can be a private and highly beneficial method of stress relief.

If bubble wra p doesn’t work for you, why not try something different to tackle stress before everything gets too much. Take a deep breath and relax because tomorrow is another day.

Article By Hazel Miller