Balunywa Bytes: 10 Ways to Wrap a Gift

Friday, July 13, 2012

10 Ways to Wrap a Gift

Make your next gift stand out with unique and beautiful wrapping instead of blending into the gift bag crowd. The possibilities are endless, so take these 10 ideas and make them your own.

Traditional wrapping with paper, a bow, and a twist. Sometimes all it takes to make gift wrapping special is to attach something extra to the top of the box. The items you can attach are almost endless. For example, at Christmas you can tie in a stem of fake evergreen or a star ornament to add some flair. A bonus: by tying on an ornament the receiver gets an added gift that they can use on their tree and that they can remember your great gift by. For a baby shower you can tie on a rattle. For a fall birthday you could tie on a sprig of fall leaves. Use your imagination.
Use a basket for organizing smaller items. Baskets are a great way to corral a bunch of smaller gifts and make them feel tied together. Maybe everyone at the office is going in on a baby gift for a fellow co-worker, and everyone is bringing in something small for the baby. Take some tissue paper and gently cover each item and attach a sticker or a piece of tape to hold the tissue. Then line the laundry size basket with some pretty fabric and place the smaller gifts inside. Now wrap some tulle around the whole basket and tie it together with a beautiful wired bow. You now have a stunning presentation and the receiver has a way to carry her wonderful gifts to her car.
Wrap a kitchen themed gift up with a new towel and ribbon. When you can, try to tie in the wrapping as part of the gift. For example, if you are going to a bridal shower with the theme of kitchen items, you can gather items like measuring spoons, measuring cups, and a spoon rest, place everything in the largest measuring cup, wrap the whole gift with a large kitchen towel and tie it together with a pretty ribbon.
Give some bar tools in an ice bucket. Sometimes guys are harder to buy for, but giving them some basic bar tools in an ice bucket always works well. Tie the top onto the bucket by wrapping the whole bucket with ribbon. If you’d like to spend more, add a bottle of his favorite liquor.
Grilling tools can be tied together with a hot mitt. Another idea for a manly gift is grilling tools. You can find great hot mitts that will go well with a grilling theme. Get him a grilling fork, spatula and tongs and lay them on the hot mitt. Tie the whole gift together with ribbon and tuck a meat thermometer into the center of the bow as an added touch.
Fill a pretty diaper bag with essential diapering items. A diaper bag is a must have for any new mother. Use the diaper bag as the gift bag and fill it with baby essentials like lotion, travel wipes in a pretty case, diaper cream, bibs and maybe a cute onesie. Tie a big bow matching the theme of the shower or the sex of the baby and you have a thoughtful gift for the new mom.
For a wedding gift use a pretty table cloth to wrap the box. For a young couple just starting out there are many things that are needed. Choose something from the gift registry and have the store put it in a gift box for you. Now go pick out a pretty table cloth that you think the couple would like. Iron the table cloth and then place the gift box in the center. Pull the sides up and tie with a large wire ribbon to hold it together and tie a bow. Now you have a well wrapped gift and no gift wrap to go to the landfill.
Small gifts can be given in a coffee cup. Many times you want to give your friends a little something to let them know you are thinking of them. This type of gift also works well if a friend is sick. Find a pretty mug and remember, the bigger the mug the more stuff you can put inside. Take some flavored coffee or tea and put it on top of some colorful tissue paper or crinkle paper. Add some sticks of honey and maybe some cough drops if the gift is for a sick friend. Top it off with a small package of tissues and you have a thoughtful gift. If the gift is not for a sick friend just add chocolate covered spoons and maybe some rock candy on a stick. Wrap the whole cup in cellophane and tie it off with a bow. You haven’t spent a ton of money, but you’ve let your friend know you care.
Wrap the gift using the comic section of the paper. What do you do when you have a gift to wrap and no gift wrap paper? Grab the comic section out of the newspaper. Tape sheets together if you need a bigger piece, and then wrap the present the traditional way. Now the gift is wrapped and the receiver can get a laugh when they read their present.
An extra piece of cloth can turn into lovely gift wrap. In Japan people use fabric to wrap their presents. The cloth squares they use are called furoshiki. These cloth squares are reusable so there is no need to add any more trash to the landfill.