Gift Wrapping
December 7, 2005 by admin
Filed under Home Sense
These are great tips that I’ve followed in the past for wrapping gifts, which is an art unto itself. Martha Stewart can annoy me sometimes, but her website is great and, at Christmas time, I’m proud to be called a Martha Stewart – I make my own wrapping paper, cards and even some ornaments!
Though I don’t expect you to follow me in the craziness, I will pass on some tips I’ve found useful from good ol’ Martha:
* After-Christmas sales are the perfect time to stock up on paper and trimmings for the following year.
* Fill a wrappings box with papers, ribbons, and other embellishments you collect all year long; save bits of ribbons, seam binding, and twine, along with decorative fruit and leaves, and tiny ornaments.
* Choose a palette to unify the gifts you wrap—then vary the materials; everything you give will have your signature for the season.
* Use simple, inexpensive materials like tissue paper (we used silver, far left) or kraft paper, then transform gifts with special ribbons and items from your wrappings box. Kraft paper also makes an attractive yet sturdy wrapping for oddly shaped packages (center left).
I’ll add a few tidbits.
- Color co-ordinate kicks ass. I love simple papers in bright colors – gold, silver, blue, bronze, red, green. You name it. Shine says glamour.
- When you are giving more than one present, put them in square boxes and stack them – then put a bow and ribbon around the whole thing.
- Bigger (wider) ribbon makes a bigger impact. Look at big department stores, or Costco, for the best deals.
- Decorate with a candy cane or ornament tied into the bow
When it comes to the actual wrapping, it always surprises me how few people know how to wrap a package, or how people detest it. Really, I love it. I know, I’m probably abnormal that way. But, for the rest of y’all, here is a visual how-to from, who else, Martha – go there for the rest of the steps.
Good luck!
I rather like it too. Gives me a sense of accomplishment. And, you never know if she might ask, “did you wrap this yourself?” Gotta love the the oh-so-smooth answer, “yep.”
Great to know yr wrapping habbit. I should try to it.