Creating beautifully gifts is easy to do, and the little bit of extra time you spend making the gifts you give look special will make them all that much more dear to the people who receive them. Use your imagination combined with the ideas listed below as a stepping stone to get your started down the path to creating fabulously wrapped gifts.
Wrapped Up Gifts:
Packing Paper Gift Wrap- If you’ve just moved this idea is a great way to get rid of excess packing paper. Even wrinkled sheets work well since it just adds texture to the look of the wrapping paper. If you don’t have packing paper on hand, it can be purchased inexpensively at moving supply stores. This lovely, heavy white paper comes in large sheets and is ripe with possibility! Used plain and wrapped with gold metallic ribbon it is elegant and simple. Jazz it up by stamping with cute holiday themed stamps in multiple colors, or elegant single metallic colors like gold, silver and copper to create wonderful holiday gift wrap. Let the kids paint pictures on whole sheets, or individual packages… this is sure to please doting grandparents and will almost be a gift in and of its self! Paint name tags onto the paper and save yourself the hassle of having to wrap, and then apply name tags during those busy last minute holiday wrapping sprees!
Paper Bag Wrapping- If you’ve been saving paper grocery bags and haven’t been sure what to do with them here is a great idea. Use them to wrap gifts!! Wrap with the plain brown side of the paper exposed and the print hidden towards the inside of the gift. Embellish with wrapped around the box and tied in a loose bow. The addition of cute package topper such a baby rattle, a poinsettia sprig, pre-cut felt shapes, etc can make the package appropriate for any event or holiday. The simple brown paper of the grocery bags makes this wrapping particularly suitably for achieving a down home country feel! The packages can also be embellished with stamps, stencils, stickers, or hand painting.
Gift Wrap Collage- If you find yourself stuck with an assortment of odds and ends pieces of wrapping paper from years gone by (none of which are large enough to wrap your package, of course) there is hope! Place your gift inside a box, or paper bag. Then use the various paper scraps to decoupage your gift! Using either a decoupage medium, or white glue diluted with a bit of water until it is easy to apply with a paint brush simply glue piece after piece of wrapping paper (overlapping the edges a bit) onto your package until it is completely covered.
Fabric covered packages- Before paper became inexpensive and readily available packages were wrapped with fabric. For a touch of yesteryear, or just to do something unique try wrapping a package with fabric! Lightweight woven cotton fabrics work best (and come in a wide variety of prints!). Wrap the package just as you would with paper and embellish with ribbon and bows!
Make the ordinary, extraordinary- With all the beautiful wrapping paper out there it would be silly to not use it. Take an ordinary looking package to extraordinary by adding fun package toppers such as small toys, candy, holiday ornaments, cookie cutters, etc. Use curling ribbon, raffia, twine, or anything that strikes your fancy to tie the package topper onto your gift. Embellish with a prettily tied bow, or a store bought bow.
It’s A Bag (and not gift wrap!):
Gift bags are a great way to cover oddly shaped gifts, or to work around less than wonderful package wrapping skills! Don’t stop with just a gift bag though; use some of these fun ideas to jazz up your bagged gifts!
Tissue paper explosion- Place a small gift in a big bag and surround it with loads of brightly colored tissue paper! It’ll be fun to find the gift, and your gift will look fabulous!
Custom Made Bag- Use a plain colored bag and make it custom by decorating it with stamps, stencils, stickers or hand painting.
Get a handle on it- Adore the handle of the gift bag with an abundance of curling ribbon curled into ringlets. It’s easy to do… just run a sharp blade down the curling ribbon and viola… curls! It looks cute, and is so easy to do.
Cats out of the bag!: Using curling ribbon, or any other method that strikes your fancy, tie an assortment of fun little gifts and decorations to the handle of the gift bag so that they hang around the outside of the bag.
Cool Containment:
If you want to branch out from traditional gift coverings all together try a unique container instead! It is best if the container fits the theme of the gift, for example, giving someone who loves to fish a new set of hooks and lures inside a fancy new tackle box. Look for creative containers for your gift, and your gift will actually become two gifts in one. A thoughtful gift is one that will be remembered for years. Make the people you care about feel special by giving them a gift that is thoughtful and unique from the outside in.
