By Lisa Martin
Have a pile of holiday presents waiting to be wrapped? Kick your gift giving into high gear by using interesting, eclectic materials. Literally think outside the box and you’ll no doubt wind up packaging the prettiest presents this holiday season.
“The wrappings can actually be little gifts in themselves,” writes Rachel Ashwell in her book, The Shabby Chic Gift of Giving. “I always have a drawer filled with tattered flowers in muted colors and all sorts of silk, satin, and velvet ribbons.”
Recycling is a naturally eco-friendly gift-wrapping idea. So, too, are the fabulous packages created by Wanda Wen, founder of Soolip, an upscale paperie in Los Angeles, and author of The Art of Gift Wrapping: 50 Innovative Ideas Using Organic, Unique, and Uncommon Materials. Wen finds abundant natural resources just outside her door.
“I encourage going outside and finding stones and leaves and twigs,” she writes. “Step outside, go out into nature and find your gift toppers there.” Wen adds that she often stumbles upon the most enticing items right after a good rain.
Paper chase
Looking for an innovative alternative to your typical pre-fab rolls of wrap? Cut to the chase with some stylish options, many of which you may already have:
- Old maps
- Comics
- Newsprint and magazines
- Sheet music
- Calendars
- Dishtowels
- Wallpaper samples
- Cheesecloth
- Bubble wrap
- Aluminum foil
- Butcher paper decorated with stamps, stencils, or stickers
- Inexpensive bakery boxes or take-out cartons
- Knee socks (sensational for wine or other bottles)
So you’ve wrapped your treat in an innovative way. Don’t just slap a mundane gift tag on the top! Instead, use these items to make your presentation all the more extraordinary:
- The flip side of old business cards
- Paint chips
- Buttons, to glue in the recipient’s initial or monogram
- Photos of the gift-getter—perfect for a pre-reader
Those amazing extras
Now that your box is covered and labeled, the following embellishments will make your present pop. Instead of ribbon try:
- A bandana
- Colorful rubber bands or hair bands
- Cooking twine
- A jump rope
Then jazz up your bow by tucking or wiring in:
- Real holly (snippets retain their color for more than a week)
- Twigs you’ve spray painted gold, silver, or white
- Seedpods or dried flowers
- Farfalle or “bow tie” pasta (uncooked, of course!)
Consider adding one more element to your gift: scent. Sande Chase, a Canadian designer and blogger who also runs gift-wrapping boot camps, says, “When you see scented sachets on sale, grab them. Not only do they make for stylish embellishments when it comes to gift wrapping those special gifts, your gift will smell really, really good.”
Other heavenly smelling additions for your package:
- A small pomander, such as limes studded with whole cloves
- Cinnamon sticks
- Sprigs of pine or fir
- Dried orange or lemon wedges
- Star anise
- Licorice ropes or vines
Delightful gift wrapping ideas
Have a pile of holiday presents waiting to be wrapped? Kick your gift giving into high gear by using interesting, eclectic materials. Literally think outside the box and you’ll no doubt wind up packaging the prettiest presents this holiday season.
“The wrappings can actually be little gifts in themselves,” writes Rachel Ashwell in her book, The Shabby Chic Gift of Giving. “I always have a drawer filled with tattered flowers in muted colors and all sorts of silk, satin, and velvet ribbons.”
Recycling is a naturally eco-friendly gift-wrapping idea. So, too, are the fabulous packages created by Wanda Wen, founder of Soolip, an upscale paperie in Los Angeles, and author of The Art of Gift Wrapping: 50 Innovative Ideas Using Organic, Unique, and Uncommon Materials. Wen finds abundant natural resources just outside her door.
“I encourage going outside and finding stones and leaves and twigs,” she writes. “Step outside, go out into nature and find your gift toppers there.” Wen adds that she often stumbles upon the most enticing items right after a good rain.
Paper chase
Looking for an innovative alternative to your typical pre-fab rolls of wrap? Cut to the chase with some stylish options, many of which you may already have:
So you’ve wrapped your treat in an innovative way. Don’t just slap a mundane gift tag on the top! Instead, use these items to make your presentation all the more extraordinary:
Those amazing extras
Now that your box is covered and labeled, the following embellishments will make your present pop. Instead of ribbon try:
Then jazz up your bow by tucking or wiring in:
Consider adding one more element to your gift: scent. Sande Chase, a Canadian designer and blogger who also runs gift-wrapping boot camps, says, “When you see scented sachets on sale, grab them. Not only do they make for stylish embellishments when it comes to gift wrapping those special gifts, your gift will smell really, really good.”
Other heavenly smelling additions for your package: