My good friend - 'the other Mrs M' always gives the most thoughtful gifts - a handmade box covered in Japanese paper, personalized stationery in her own calligraphy - always thoughtfully presented with carefully selected wrapping and ribbons and of course a beautifully scripted card. The thought, time and consideration she put into those are a big part of her gift to you - and never fail to make you feel so special - which is gift-giving is all about! So who better to share some tips and tricks to make your presents very presentable...
Greetings Darling Escapade Readers!
The lovely Ms. M ask little ol' me to share some inspiration and tips for dealing with what can quickly become a high stress point for many during the holidays: the gift wrapping. I am incredibly addicted to paper goods, stationery and wicked cool packaging, so I jumped at the opportunity to share some ideas. The most important things to remember about gift wrapping is that one, it need not be stressful and two, you do not need to break the bank to put something together that the receiver will just love. I am a huge advocate of heading to the crafts section of my local dollar-store. They have loads of ribbon and wire that I pick based on how inspiring I find the colour or texture. Have fun with it. That gold lamé ribbon that looks tacky in the store might be just the shine you need for simple white paper.
I tend to avoid the "holiday" sections because, well, it can look like Christmas threw up. I instead look for classic colour combinations that, if I have any materials left over won't scream a particular season. That way nothing is wasted!
The top two images are from the wealth of inspiration that is
Sweet Paul. I like these examples because they are excellent demonstrations about not taking gifting too seriously. It can be light and humourous. Remember who you are giving the gift to. You can use everyday objects like tiny toys, a vintage spoon or cinnamon (if you want to get more festive) and wrap them in the bow on top. Or even repurpose different kinds of paper such as Sweet Paul did above. Old book pages work for a vintage feel, newspaper always look graphic and why not doodle on some kraft paper for one-of-a-kind wrapping paper? In this case, you can keep the ribbon pretty simple and let the paper be the star.
I love this look because it is bold and simple. Let the gift be the point!
The brown ribbon is rich and beautiful, just enough glamour for a sweet gift.
You can find the tags at Anna and Blue Paperie.
If you are feeling particularly crafty, experiment with twine.
Above, Paperphine shows us that braiding twine makes it look very cool.
Twine is pretty cheap in terms of the yardage you get for the price.
You'll likely have tons left over after the holidays, which is great because trust me, once you have some supplies on hand, you will be more inspired to get inspired!
This last image from Paperglitter made me smile because it is both very holiday-esque and yet not too much. I love the colour combinations. They are fresh and joyful. Kraft paper is easy to come by at lots of different stores, I even saw some at my local post office. For those less artistic (or with a lots of gifts to wrap) why not take advantage of the internet? There are tons of downloadable tags and other accessories or you can make it easy and order a kit for the look above from etsy.
The point is to have fun with wrapping. You took time to pick the gift. Take time to give it.
Be honest with yourself. If you get overwhelmed by doing everything at once, then don't. Pace yourself and wrap in small bunches. You'll feel more inspired if you don't have to think about twenty different ideas all at once. Trust me when people get gifts that are thoughtfully wrapped, they SEE the thought that went into it. And it feels really nice to have the people you love know that you love them!
Happy Wrapping! Thank you for reading!
{Images: , 2 - Sweet Paul; 3 - Anna and Blue Paperie; 4 - Paperphile; 5 Paperglitter}
