Easy Gift Wrap

Sorry I’ve been a little light on the posts lately. It’s Christmastime! That means there’s a whole lot going on at all times over here.

But I’m proud to say: I’m done with all my Christmas shopping! Now all that’s left is the baking. Christmas goodie recipes to come soon!

Anyway, today’s post is about gift wrap. I’m one of those people who wants all the presents under the tree to coordinate every year. So usually, I go out and buy 3-4 rolls of fancy shmancy Christmas wrapping paper in coordinating colors & patterns. The problem is that we never use up all of them in one year, and I can’t use the stuff from previous years because it doesn’t match!! And then my husband usually goes and spoils the whole thing by wrapping his presents to me in whatever wrapping paper he can find in the bin. I know, can you believe it??

This year, I didn’t feel like buying more Christmas wrapping paper that was just going to end up cluttering up my wrapping paper box and be rejected for use in future years. So I decided to simplify things.Craft paper!

I already had rolls of natural & white craft paper, so I bought a roll of red to go with it. Here are the benefits of using craft paper:

1) It’s versatile. You can use it any other time of year because it’s not holiday-specific.

2) It’s cheaper. For the same price as a nice Christmas wrapping paper, you can get a much larger roll of craft paper. The red has a bit less on it than the other colors, though.

3) It’s heavy-duty. Way heavier-duty than wrapping paper. You’re not likely to accidentally rip this over a corner of a box.

4) The natural & white papers have faint lines in them. This makes it easier to cut straight.

5) You can get it in many (solid) colors. They had green at the craft store where I got these, but I wasn’t thrilled about the particular hue, so I stuck with the three above.

I set up my craft table as a wrapping station complete with…

Raffia! (or wraffia, depending on the manufacturer.) Raffia is a paper ribbon. It’s also fairly inexpensive and lasts FOREVER.

My other new favorite tools of awesomeness: Scotch gift wrap cutter & pop-up tape holder thingy. I would HIGHLY recommend the gift wrap cutter– it makes cutting straight lines a million times easier & faster. The tape thing is super useful as well, and you can use one hand to get just the right amount of tape. It’s not as economical as a regular roll of tape, but worth it in my opinion for wrapping presents.

I also bought this little tag pad for a few dollars. They’re so much cuter than the sticker kind. And easy to tie on with the raffia.

Here’s a look at the final product. Really simple, but I love it. I think it has an elegance to it, and it’s just so clean and neat.

While I’m at it, I thought I’d share some of my tricks for wrapping presents well.

1) Use a box. Boxes are SO much easier to wrap than oddly shaped presents. If you can find a box to fit it in, use it.

2) I always like to use real gift boxes so that the recipient isn’t confused when they unwrap a box from your last toaster.

3) Within the box, I like to use tissue paper to help keep things in place, and to hide them from sight. That way the recipient doesn’t get a peek until they see the whole thing.

4) Use the least tape that is necessary to keep the gift wrap on. I only used 3 pieces of tape for each of the gifts above. The less experienced you are and the weirder shaped your gift is, the more tape you will likely have to use. But, we’ve all been there– watching as someone struggles to open a gift that’s been taped shut at every side with an entire roll of tape. It doesn’t build anticipation– just frustration.

5) I like to have my seams at or near a corner rather than on the back. This way both you, as the giftwrapper, and the recipient don’t have to turn it over a bunch of times. I usually take great care in laying everything out nicely in the box before I wrap it, so I want it to stay that way for when the person opens it.

6) I like to fold the raw edges that show. I think it gives it a more finished look, and hides any less-than-straight cuts you’ve made.

7) I think of a well-wrapped gift as almost 2 presents. I put thought into the gift as I buy it, and then as I present it. A good gift-wrap job can make a humble gift seem extravagant. It’s a present for the eyes first, and then another after they open it.

Maybe I overthink these things.

Ha.