Wrapping presents is an important part of gift-giving. Taking that extra time and care to give your friends and family a surprise to look forward to is worth it for the look of joy when they finally open their presents. Give your loved ones something extra thoughtful, and your home a fun and festive environment for the holidays with these gift wrapping ideas!
Choose the Perfect Paper
You can have fun matching wrapping paper to your friends and
family’s interests and personalities. Choose a cat or dog print for the animal
lover in your life, a fun and whimsical pattern, or something more reserved and
traditional. A mix of patterns and textures under the tree will make for a fun arrangement.
The options are endless!
Getting Started
Before you start wrapping, don’t forget to take the price
tag off your gift! Measure out the right amount of wrapping paper. Too little will be hard to work with, but too much will make it difficult to fold neatly on the short
ends of the paper. The paper should be long enough to cover all sides of the
item, but not much longer than a 1-2” overlap. Lay the gift near the edge of
the paper and mark off where to cut. For a perfect and clean cut, try a cutting tool like the Little ELF Gift Wrap Cutter. After measuring and pulling out paper to the desired length, the cutter fits around your gift wrap or craft paper roll and creates a perfectly straight and speedy cut.
Wrapping a Box
Once your paper has been measured out and cut, place the gift in the center for wrapping.
Bring the long sides of the paper up around the box, pulling them taught and taping them down. For invisible "seems", try using double-sided tape. For a crisper fold, lightly crease the paper by running your fingers along the edge of the package each time you bring the paper around an edge. With the taped side up and a short end facing you, fold the
top side down flat against the box. Fold the left side onto the edge and do the
same with the right. Lastly fold the final bottom triangle up flat against the box,
taping it down. Repeat the process on the other side. To hide any uneven edges and the back of the paper, fold the ends of the paper before taping them down.
Wrapping Odd Shapes
If your gift has a lumpy or awkward shape, you can place it
in a gift box or bag before wrapping, choose a busy paper pattern to distract from creases
and mistakes, or opt for a fabric or flexible wrapping material such as tissue paper. Another more
creative option is to wrap the gift like a tube, twisting the paper at both
ends like a piece of hard candy. Just make sure there will be plenty of paper on
both ends before twisting!
Finishing Up
Finally, in addition to a name tag or sticker with a heart-felt note, try topping gifts off with an eye-catching decoration. Candy canes, dried flowers, and laurel sprigs will look festive attached to
or simply slid under a ribbon wrapped around the present. Not only is this an easy way to make a gift
look extra cute and luxurious, but it will also help distract the eye from any
wrapping mistakes or visible tape!
