Christmas is in just 10 days time BUT did you know National Wrapping Day is on Sunday 20th December?! Are you prepared this year? If not then here’s some handy tips on how to wrap your presents to perfection this year..
Colour Coding
I find this helpful, especially if I have a lot of gifts for example, for my son! He can’t read all the tags because he’s only 2 so we don’t bother, but if it’s in his special Peppa Pig paper, he knows it’s his. I do this with families too, this year we went for W H Smiths paper because I know the quality is nice and thick and the designs are truly lovely. We had gold deers for my partners family and red deers for my family! Even though we like to colour code we always stick to a colour pallet, this year was Kraft brown, red and gold. Match your accessories (ribbon and bows) and bags accordingly!
Straight is Great
I always like to make sure I have lined in the gift so when I turn it over, there’s a nice straight pattern on the front. No one wants a wonky gift! Some people may find it helpful to use a quilting ruler, rotary tool and self healing mat to get this just right, if you don’t have a very steady hand.
Double Sided is Best
To ensure your wrapping is neat at the joints, use double sided or invisible tape. Double sided tape is great for that pesky ribbon too!
Thick Speaks Luxury
When I open a gift, I love a thick gift wrap. There’s nothing worse than picking up a gift and accidentally ripping it open with your nails.. Or worse, getting it out of the gift bag to see it’s already slightly open! Cringe. I recommended W H Smiths, TK Maxx or Clintons for thicker paper, you may pay slightly more but it’s worth it!
Difficult shape? Box it!
Throughout the year I keep boxes, ready for Christmas and sometimes recycle them from Christmases past! If a gift is a particularly difficult shape (this year, I tried to wrap a cuddly Rex from a Toy Story, no chance!) put it in the box. Boxes are exciting to see under the tree! Make sure you wrap the flaps though so your recipient doesn’t have to unwrap a pampers box.. Just open the lid!
More than one? Wrap them as one!
Sometimes if you have more than one gift for someone, you feel obliged to buy them a gift bag.. Save your money and wrap them as one with some decorative ribbon, much cheaper and very decorative for under the tree!
Wrapping Soft
Soft items such as clothing and scarves can be the most difficult to wrap because they have no edges or corners. The best thing to do is to fold the item nicely and then cut a piece of cardboard to the size of the folded item and place it under the garment. This will create a base so you can form sharp edges and keep it looking neat, preventing tearing and sagging.
Washi Tape!
If you read this blog a lot, you’ll know I’m obsessed with Washi Tape. Ribbon can be fiddly and can come undone and not look very neat, however Washi/Decorative tape is very popular and can be the answer to all your ribbon problems.
DIY Tags
This year, to save money and make my gifts look a little more handmade, I made my own tags. You can either buy tag kits in the store (mine were a DoCrafts kit from Create and Craft but they can also be found in The Range right now) or make your own with a little card and some Christmas punches.
Keep Leftovers!
We have a ‘wrapping bag’ where we keep rolls, tape, and all the accessories, make sure you keep them for next year!
I hope my tips help, have a fabulously creative wrapping day this Sunday! Don’t forget to post your creations on my Facebook page, I love to see your makes!
