Christmas Gifting / 31 October, 2022 / Ellie Thompson
If you’re looking for gift wrapping tips, you’ve come to the right place. Jane Means, gift wrap and ribbon designer and exhibitor at this year’s Spirit of Christmas Fair shares her top tips for wrapping presents this year. Read on for tips on eco-friendly gift wrapping, how to wrap a tricky shape to the finishing flourishes.
It’s always such a thrill when you find the perfect present to pop under the Christmas tree for a friend or loved one. However, that excitement can quickly fade when you realise that it’s not as easy to wrap as you first thought.
Christmas trends this year include green, traditional colours and rich hues such as navy and aubergine. Sustainable packaging is now very much in the news as this will be a trend set to continue in to the future. Papercraft still remains a popular trend and remnants of gift wrap can easily be transformed in to pinwheels or fans which can be added to gifts. Pom-poms are another favourite and can be easily made with wool – They also make an extra gift for your cats to play with!
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Always fold the edges under to hide away rough paper edges and for boxes, try and disguise the seam on the edge of the box and always use double sided tape.
Ready-made bows are a great choice for non-creatives and those with insufficient time. Go that extra mile by adding personal touches such as a favourite colour bauble, a bunch of herbs for a keen gardener or tying a silk scarf around a box for that special lady.
The biggest mistake is people using too much paper and sticky tape. Visually measure the gift beforehand and try to disguise your tape under ribbon if you aren’t using double sided tape. Presentation is everything.
If you have to wrap some awkward shapes such as a circular tin, opt for a busy patterned paper as it will disguise any unwanted creasing or mistakes.
For large items use a paper tablecloth. These easily mould around large objects like luggage and can easily be purchased from party suppliers and supermarkets. Awkward shapes are best wrapped with flexible materials such as tissue, crepe paper, cellophane, netting and fabric. Tissue and cellophane are easy to work with and both can be purchased from your local florist.
Potted plants are best wrapped with fabric or paper tablecloths as they don’t disintegrate when soggy. If you are using paper or tissue ensure that you cover the base with clingfilm or tin foil.
Small gifts or favours can be wrapped using paper napkins. Gather round the item and secure with string or ribbon.
Adding decorations to your gifts makes an eye catching feature. It’s also a great way of distracting the eye if you make a mistake with your wrapping.
After 20 years of providing gift-wrapping services and courses around the Globe, Jane Means has sourced and designed beautiful products which are made to the highest quality. Designing gift wrap and ribbon collections, Jane Means will be exhibiting at Spirit of Christmas Fair, which returns to Olympia London from 1 – 7 November 2021.
The UK’s largest and leading shopping event, the Fair has over 600 independent boutiques with an extraordinary breadth of product ranges under one roof. To find out more about Spirit of Christmas Fair please visit www.spiritofchristmasfair.co.uk