One of the most exciting parts of the holidays is getting gifts to give to your loved ones. You find the perfect thing you know that they'll love and you get it home and now you're faced with the task of wrapping it.
I don't know about you, but wrapping presents isn't a skill that comes easily to me, and I don't want to pay someone to do it for me. Luckily, there are some gift wrapping hacks that will my gifts look like they were wrapped by a pro.
Use Wrapping Paper To Make A Gift Bag
If you have a weird shaped gift, or just want to mix things up and don't have any gift bags handy, you can make your own out of wrapping paper.
Place the item in the paper and cut enough to cover the item. Flip the paper over and fold the left and right sides in so they overlap a little. Tape the seam. Fold the bottom of the paper and flatten the corners so it makes a diamond shape then fold the sides of the diamond together and tape it. Then flip it over and there is your bag!
Use A Picture Instead Of A Name Tag
If you want to add a personal touch to a gift, you can make little cards out of pictures. Find pictures of who you're giving gifts too and stick them to some card stock. Then place them on the present meant for that person in a festive way.
You can use your favorite Instagram pictures or, if it's someone you've known a long time, you can find older pictures to really play up the sentimental angle.
If You Have Multiple Gits Make Them Building Blocks
This idea is great, especially for kids. If you have more than one gift for someone, you can make each gift part of a present statue. If you're feeling really ambitious you can try to make something crazy like a Christmas tree, or if you want to play it safe, you can't go wrong with a snowman.
It adds a little extra fun to unwrapping gifts. It would also be perfect for those Instagram pics you're going to want to take.
Fabric For An Eco-Friendly Option
If you have a friend who is especially eco-conscious, you can use fabric to wrap your gift. You can cut a square out of an old t-shirt, or go to the fabric store and hit up their scraps bin.
If you go to Pinterest and look up tips on how to wrap with fabric, you'll find lots of tutorials and they're pretty easy to do. You can finish off the gift with something festive as a finishing touch.
Use Ornaments Or Little Toys
This is a cute idea for smaller gifts and another great idea for people with a more minimal taste. You can order little figurines or fake Christmas trees from places like Amazon. Then, use them to create little scenes with your gifts as part of it. You can just make cute winter scenes or aim for something sentimental.
You could also use Christmas ornaments to finish off the gift if you don't feel crafty enough to create your own little winter scene.
Paint Your Own Wrapping Paper
You can buy kraft paper at pretty much any crafting store or online. You can use it to create your own wrapping paper.
There are lots of ways you can do this. You can cut stamps out of potatoes and use those to make a pattern. You can paint on your own ribbon and bows or you can use different techniques to make patterns like the end of a pencil for polka dots or flicking paint through a comb for something more abstract.
Use Stencils and Printer Paper To Create Patterned Wrapping Paper
If you don't want to use kraft paper, you can use regular old printing paper. Go to the dollar store and find some stencils that you like and get some paint and a roller.
Lay the paper out on a flat surface where you won't have to move it. Then, place the stencils on the paper and paint over it. Try to avoid watercolor paints because it will make the paper curl. Regular craft paint will make the paper look wrinkly while it's wet, but dries flat.
Use Candy For A Sweet Treat
A nice way to finish off a gift is with a little treat you know your loved one will like. There are a few ways you can add candy to gift.
If the candy comes in a longer bag, you can tie a string around the middle and make it into a bow. You can make hearts out of candy canes or just use some nice twine or ribbon to tie your special treat to the package.
Use Washi Tape
Washi tape is awesome. You can find it on Amazon or in your local craft store and it's never very expensive. It comes in different lengths and patterns so it's perfect to use for wrapping gifts. I like the washi tape idea because I can never figure out how to tie a nice looking bow.
If you want to add a little more pizazz, you can use string and ribbon to add a 3D look to your design.
Use Greenery
Using greenery is perfect for the people in your life who are more minimalist. You can pick some up at a florist, or if you want to brace the cold, you can head outside and find some yourself. You can dip them in paint or use them just as they are.
If you don't have the budget or desire to be outside, you can go to a craft store or dollar store and get plastic pieces, which will be just as cute.
Use Tissue Paper To Make Designs
Tissue paper is another great thing to use if you have something to wrap that is a strange shape. It's more pliable than wrapping paper and you can use it to make pretty designs.
By placing folds in the tissue paper, you can get a neat wavy look. You can also layer different colors of tissue paper since it's thin enough not to get super bulky. Tissue paper is perfect for wrapping something like a bottle of wine you can't wait to share with your bestie.
Use Old Shopping Bags
This is another great choice for people who are eco-conscious or on a budget. During the holidays, lots of shops will start giving you your purchases in paper bags with various holiday scenes on them. If you carefully take apart these bags and cut your lines straight, you can use the bags to wrap gifts in.
The trick is keeping the bags in good condition while you're trying to navigate your way through a super busy shopping center.
Wrap It Like An Old-School Package
This is another good idea for wrapping presents for children, or for a secret Santa gift exchange. Wrap the packages up in kraft paper and tie a little bow around it. Instead of wasting real stamps, you can just use stickers.
But, on the address labels, you can put the return address as Santa Claus up in the North Pole. Of course, you can use the same idea and just include your name and a cute little message instead.
Use Newspaper
Most of us get our news from various online platforms, but if your parents still get the newspaper, it's a great idea for wrapping presents with. A lot of people like to use the 'Funnies' section, but any of it will do.
After you've wrapped your presents, you can dress them up as fancy or unfancy as you like. Just be careful when you're handling it because the ink sometimes rubs off. So make sure your gift is placed safely in a box.
Use Left Over Wrapping Paper And Old Cards To Decorate
Once you've wrapped all your gifts, you might have some scraps lying around. You know, pieces of wrapping paper that are too big to throw out but also too small to really wrap anything? There are lots of tutorials on Pinterest with how to use wrapping paper scraps to make things like bows!
You can also use old Christmas cards from last year to make name tags for gifts. It's more eco-friendly than throwing them out, plus you might feel a little less guilty for getting rid of them.
Use Old Sweaters
If you're an extra crafty person, you can make reusable gift bags out of old cable-knit sweaters. All you need is an old sweater, ribbon, a sewing machine or hot glue gun, and some Christmas embellishments to finish it off. You can find at the whole tutorial on the website, A Homemade Living, where she calls the project the 'Christmas Treat Bags'.
When you first read over the instructions, it seems overwhelming, but it's actually pretty easy.
Left Over Toilet Paper Rolls For Small Gifts
As the holidays approach, start saving your toilet paper rolls. Cut off the stops in a semi-circular shape and then fold them down. The sides will pop out a bit and make a really cute little box. They're perfect for small gifts or gift cards.
Finish them off with some wrapping paper or some pretty ribbon and a bow and no one would ever know it used to be a toilet paper roll.
Make Your Own Envelopes
If you have any extra card stock lying around, you can make your own large envelopes. They'll work great for any heartfelt letters you might want to write. They would also be a great idea for wrapping things in an envelope friendly shape, like books!
If you go over to Pinterest, you can find lots of tutorials on how to make the perfect envelope for your gift. It's a great way to use up materials you have around the house instead of buying new stuff.
Homemade Treats In Chip Cans
This is a pretty genius hack. Empty out a chip can, by eating them while watching your favorite Christmas movie, of course. When it is empty, give a quick rinse to get rid of that chip dust and then line it with parchment paper. Then put your homemade treats in paper cupcake wrappers and stack them on top of one another.
When you're done packing your treats, you can wrap the can however you want! You can use wrapping paper, or even string!
Paper Bags For Odd Shaped Items
One of the biggest struggles is wrapping a gift that isn't a perfect square or a rectangle. Inside of finding a box to put the gift in, or struggling through trying to wrap it, just use some brown paper bags. You can get a bunch at the dollar store.
Since they're a blank canvas you can decorate them however you want. To seal them, you can use your favorite holiday stickers or poke little holes in the top of the bag and use string or lace.
