Project: Gift Wrap Ideas

I love wrapping gifts. The humble packages that result and wait under the tree are a lovely tradition of patience and anticipation.

This year, I used brown wrapping paper, an old table cloth that I tore into strips, leftover gift tags, raffia, ornaments from Crate and Barrel, and fake berries from an old decoration to wrap many of our gifts under the tree.

You’ll need to set aside a good two to three hours to wrap gifts depending on how many you have, and make sure to have several types of tape on hand. For awkwardly-shaped packages, I use packaging tape to hold everything in place as opposed to regular scotch tape.

Ornaments work great as an alternative to bows and ribbons, and cost about the same (although I found these for cheaper). Try stringing raffia, string or ribbon through the holes in a relatively flat ornament (see top photo) to add a quick embellishment; a treat before you even tear off the paper. Smaller ornaments can be attached just like gift tags.

I love that extra bit of delight.