Gift Wrapping Ideas

We all know, 'It's the thought that counts'.
But it doesn't cost the earth to show that you really care by wrapping your present beautifully.

I've got some great tips and simple ideas to help you make your gifts look stunning and original.

Five tips for a neatly wrapped gift
Don't use too much paper; it will be difficult to create neat folds.
Keep the paper tight, and crease firmly.
Use as little tape as possible, it will be easier to unwrap.
Keep gift in centre of paper so folds are symmetrical when finished.
Fold tatty edges under to keep them smart.
Before you begin wrapping
Find a hard flat surface to work on. This will make neat wrapping much easier.
Collect all equipment together - presents, paper, scissors, tape, ribbon, glue stick ....etc.
Keep equipment within reach, you can cut lengths of tape first to save time.
Once you have decided how you are going to wrap which presents, you are ready to begin!!

How to measure out the paper
Length - Place the gift 2 inches from the edge of the paper; roll the gift along the paper until you meet the edge of the gift where you began. This will give you enough paper to go all the way around the box plus 2 inches for sticking.

Width - The width of the paper should be no less than the width of the gift plus the height of the gift. The paper needs to go at least half way up the two sides of the gift. Much more and it gets messy.

Get Wrapping
Place the gift upside-down in the centre of the paper.
Bring up the two long sides of paper, and tape in place. Try to keep the join in the middle.
Keep the half wrapped gift upside-down.
Fold down the top pieces of paper and crease along the diagonal edge on both sides.
Fold the two side pieces in towards the middle. Crease along the diagonal edges on the bottom piece.
Fold up the bottom piece and tape in place.
Repeat process on the other end.

Finish off with some ribbon.

Some imaginative wrapping ideas
Show how much thought you've put into their gift before they even get it open.

Rainbow Leis
Break up a rainbow lei, or value rainbow lei.
Using a glue stick, either stick individual flowers on the gift wrap or build up the colours like we have here.
For a really girly look, stick over bright pink or red paper, for a more natural looking field of flowers use green wrap. Alternatively you could just tie a complete lei around the box, rather than a ribbon.

Stick flowers onto the card envelope too.

Confetti Sprinkles
To brighten up any plain colour wrapping, stick some confetti to the paper once wrapped. If using tissue wrap, use two or more layers and sprinkle some confetti inbetween the layers as well. Not only with the wrapped gift look lovely, but when it is ripped open there will be a cascade of brightly coloured confetti pieces. Don't forget to put some in the card as well.


Creepy Critters
This is a variation of the above method - more for the boys
As with the confetti, use more than one layer of tissue wrap. Sprinkle a few small creepy critters or other spiders between the layers when wrapping and stick some on the outside when finished. Or, just stick on the outside of any gift.


Jagged Stripes
Wrap the gift in two separate colours. Carefully rip through the top layer to reveal the colour below. Red over orange for flames, white over black for zebra stripes, you can use any colours or just different shades of the same colour.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

List of resources
Keep these in your cupboards at all times and never be caught out by a last minute present again.
You'll save money on expensive gift wrap too.

Scissors - the sharper the better
Sticky Tape - narrow
Glue Stick - useful for tapeless presents and decoration
Wrapping paper - tissue paper and crepe paper is suitable for any occasion so always keep some in your cupboard.
Table Confetti - these colourful shapes cheer up a greetings card and create a sparkle inside any gift wrapping
Curling Ribbon - finishes off any package with a froth of curls

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
But how the fuck am I supposed to wrap this?