Christmas Gifting / 31 October, 2022 / Ellie Thompson

Gift Wrapping: The Tips And Tricks You Need To Know

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.

Tips on gift wrapping

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.

• Ensure that you buy your materials early so that you have plenty of choice. A perfect tool kit would include sharp scissors, a handy Scotch tape dispenser, double-sided tape, wrapping, tags and ribbon.
• Avoid buying Christmas patterned paper so you can use it throughout the year. Choose an alternative like dots or check.
• Make sure that you write your tags first, so you don’t forget what you are wrapping.  This is one of the most common mistakes people make when wrapping multiple presents at Christmas.
• Always have a roll of brown paper. It is a classic favourite and can be teamed with pretty much any colour ribbon or accessory. It also looks great with foliage and is environmentally friendly.

Christmas wrapping trends

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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Christmas presents: wrapping tips

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.

How to wrap tricky shaped presents

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 the finishing touches to your wrapped present

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.

• Tie in some fresh greenery to give some fragrance and a fresh twist to you wrapping.  The best greenery to use is Ivy, Laurel, Bay and Rosemary but only tie it in at the last minute.
• If you run out of gift tags, fresh leaves can be written on with a metallic gel pen.
• Rather than throw away old Christmas baubles, recycle them and add them in to your gifts for a festive touch.
• For a more natural and masculine look opt for twigs and cones from country walks. Cones can easily be wired with some craft or florist wire or attached with a glue gun.
• Recycle old tassels and fringing by tying them on with narrow ribbon. Tassels are still a huge trend even at Christmas.
• To personalise your gifts glue some wooden initials or scrabble letters on to the gift tags.
• Spritz your gifts with some festive room spray. Your gifts will not only look great but smell delicious too.

Eco-friendly gift wrapping

• Utilise corrugated cardboard as an additional layer around gifts wrapped in brown paper. Embellished with some twigs tied with ribbon, it will be really eye-catching.
• Keep old cracker gifts as these often make great decorations on the outside of a gift.
• Recently redecorated or renovated? Wallpaper remnants make great gift bags and gift envelopes
•  Try and avoid foil, glitter or plastic coated gift wrap which can’t be recycled. Opt for natural papers printed with vegetable ink (such as ours!)
• Boxes can be wrapped without using any tape. Opt for a slightly thicker paper and crease it as you go along. Finish with string or ribbon which will keep the paper tight around the gift.
• Get crafty and make your own shred by popping old wrapping paper through a shredder (remove the sticky tape). It makes a great filler for hampers.
• Pre-made bows from crackers can easily be added on to gifts. Just tie them in with a neutral colour string or twine.

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

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