How to Wrap a Gift

I love wrapping gifts at Christmas! When I was young my Mamaw taught me how to wrap a gift and she showed me how to make it look really nice.  It's all about getting nice crisp lines to make your gift look like it was wrapped by a professional gift wrapper.....I would love that job!  Is there such a position?

I wanted to post this tutorial because I discovered that a lot of people have no idea how to wrap a gift.  This year I chose the papers with a Kraft colored background and papers that matched it.  Most of my papers were bought at Walmart and Dollar Tree.  The raffia I got at Walmart, but you can find it just about anywhere that has gift wrapping supplies.

STEP 1: Cut your paper so that you don't have much waste like you see above.  You'll want the ends to fit the height of your box and then have just enough with a slight amount more to go all the way around your box.  Bring one side over and place a piece of tape in the center hold it while you work on the other side.  I use clear tape, but that's just my preference.  My Mama uses double sided tape so you don't see the tape at all, that's lovely too!  Use what you have though!

STEP 2: Fold over the cut edge to make a smooth line.  If you leave a little extra for the "all the way around" part, you can fold the paper so that you get a crisp smooth line on the seam. This just tidies up your gift in the end.

It's kind of hard to tell, but this is the paper after I folded it for the crisp line and the wrapped it up over the cut piece.  No jagged edges are showing from where you cut it from the roll.

STEP 3: Folding the ends to create a smooth look.  With your seam facing the ceiling, fold down the top edge and secure with a small piece of tape.

STEP 4: Make a straight line on the outer corner for folding inwards.  Place your thumb on the top edge you folded down to hold it and then make your fold coming down from top to bottom.

STEP 5: Folding in the corner to make a crisp edge.  Just fold in and hold with your thumb, then create a crisp line on the paper on the table. You may need a small piece of tape here to hold it so you can move on the next step.  Repeat this step on the other side.

STEP 6: Folding up the end with a smooth edge.  Like your center seam, fold in a slight amount to create a smooth line like you see above. Repeat on the opposite end.

STEP 7: Fold up the end for a finish.  Fold up your smooth edge and secure with two small pieces of tape on each end, if your package is really wide you may need a small piece of tape in the center.  Repeat on the opposite end.  Flip your gift over and decorate as you please!

After you have your wrapped gift why not add a special touch with a hand made tag?  I used my new stamp set from The Cutting Cafe' Stamps to add a little special touch to my gift tag.  Using Kraft card stock,  I just punched a starred edge circle with my Nesties, and a snowflake with my Martha Stewart punch, added a little jute bow and it dolled up my store bought tag to make it extra special.  You can make your gifts look very pretty without spending a lot on the wrapping!

It doesn't have to be done all at once.  It is a slow process in the works! C-ya next time!

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