Wrapping presents is one of my favorite things to do. I love presenting my gift recipients with beautiful presents and seeing their faces light up! To me presentation is almost as important as the gift itself. So many of my friends and family have said “how to you make your gifts so pretty”? It actually is quite easy with just a few simple tricks!
The first thing I always do is purchase quality paper. I prefer gift wrapping paper that is thicker and does not tear easily. I have never liked the thin, printed generic paper you can find almost anywhere because it tears so easily! I like thick paper because it also creates nice creases on the package. When selecting gift wrap, also avoid busy prints. I tend to stick with more classic colors and prints. My two favorite places to buy gift wrap from are Paper Source and TJ Maxx.
My biggest trick for elevating the look of a gift is ribbon. I have always preferred ribbon over stick on bows. Ribbon adds a touch of elegance and class to any gift. I love ribbon because there are so many colors and shapes to choose from. You can really transform a gift with ribbon. For instance, take a plain wrapped gift. It looks presentable right? Now take that same gift and add a printed or glitter ribbon and it is transformed! I think many are afraid of using ribbon because they don’t know how to make fancy ribbon bows. You don’t have to make fancy bows to transform a package, a simple bow will add so much!
If you want to take your gift wrapping up a further notch, add a fancy gift tag or little extras like an ornament. I have always loved string gift tags. I think they look so pretty and classy tied on and dangling from the ribbon. I also am a huge fan of adding extras to gift like ornaments. I like adding small, non-breakable ornaments to my gifts to add a little extra and its also a keepsake for the recipient to add to their Christmas tree. I typically pick these ornaments up from TJ Maxx or Gertens.
If you are still not feeling confident in your gift wrapping abilities, beautiful gift bags are always a great option. I love buying pretty bags from Paper Source and TJ Maxx. Just wrap your gift in tissue, place in the gift back and top the bag off with some tissue paper. Gift sacks are also a great option for wrapping oversized gift rather than trying to wrap a huge box.