Simple but Creative Ways to Gift Wrap

Because wrapping presents is half the fun, in my opinion.

I love buying presents for people, almost as much as I enjoy watching people open them. However I always find it sad (only a slight exaggeration) when the wrapping doesn’t match the thought behind the gift. I used to be awful at wrapping, my mum was always amazing so I used to ask her to do it, when I moved out that wasn’t really an option so I got practicing and now I love it! So if you’ve got a birthday, housewarming or just want to buy someone a lock down gift here are a few tips and tricks on how to impress them with your wrapping skills.

You will need:

• Tissue Paper
• Brown Kraft Paper
• Selection of ribbons
• Cute Tags – I make mine from Artcuts but you can buy them ready made.
• Stamps & Ink – Again most of mine come from Artcuts.

You can buy all of these bits & bobs from Paperchase, Hobbycraft, garden centers etc. but I am one of those people who saves bits and bobs from when other people gift me. I have a whole gift bag full of bags, tons of tissue paper from things I’ve ordered online, PR packages, presents. I don’t tend to save wrapping paper but if I can give it a second lease of life then I will (don’t forget that wrapping paper that’s shiny or has glitter etc. is not recyclable, try to buy Kraft wrapping paper it’s also much cheaper). Ribbon is the easiest thing to save from gifts and can save you so much money because it’s always so expensive. I tend to buy a few in the Christmas sales to top up my box but most of it is re-used from previous gifts.

First thing I do is decide on a colour scheme, most of the time it’s that persons favourite colour or if the gifts have a theme to them (like dinosaurs) then I’ll follow with that. Once you’ve picked one out gather your wrapping materials. I favour tissue for more delicate items and brown paper for things in boxes or sturdier objects. Brown paper is the perfect canvas to get arty and I love stamping with these gorgeous inks to make it unique.

When it comes to wrapping the gifts my top tricks would be. When you take the first piece of paper and fold it over the gift secure it with a piece of tape to the gift (make sure it doesn’t damage it), this will hold it in place and keep the edges tight when you put the other flap on top, so no baggy sides and the gift won’t slip side around. Tissue paper can be thin so I would double layer it to stop any hints peeping through. If the object is an odd size and you’re struggling to wrap it then pop it in a box and wrap that up instead – gift boxes are another thing I keep so sometimes you don’t even need to wrap the box up. If the piece of wrapping paper is too small then twist it and wrap corner to corner rather than straight edge to straight edge (I learnt this last Christmas and it is a game changer). Just take your time with the wrapping, a rush job is never going to look as good. So no last minute wrapping – if you do have to then I suggest popping it all in a gift bag and covering the top with tissue paper.

Once they are all wrapped up it’s time to get fancy with ribbons, labels, present toppers the lot. I am a big fan of natural twine especially with the kraft paper, and these wooden tags make great labels or present toppers. I love writing little clues with a hint to whats inside but you can also leave them blank so that the person you gift to can re-use it on another present. These particular tags I made using items from Artcuts, my sister discovered them and got the whole family hooked, I don’t think i’ll use anything else for tags. Plus they are wood so can be recycled or would breakdown if thrown away.

Once everything is looking beautiful then I’ll pop them in a gift bag and eagerly await the person to unwrap them. If all of this sounds like a right faff then why not check out these sustainable fabric gift wraps.