Christmas Wrapping Ideas and Tutorial

Love it or loathe it, Christmas wrapping has to be done. Surprise surprise I love it! To me...how a present looks is just as important as what's inside. I probably go overboard and really should calm down but I go all out when it comes to wrapping.

So the whole theme for this post will be your wrapping artillery, techniques I use and some ideas that I use for the end result. Now I know with some people it's time, they just want the presents wrapped and done but taking a few extra minutes to think about your wrapping makes a HUGE difference. I generally go for themes so this year I'm going for Reds and Browns.

Here is an image and check list of everything I have in my kit to wrap and names of places where I got the things from:

Wrapping Check List:

Wrapping Paper (Colours of your choice)

-Brown Parcel Paper (Card Factory)

-Reindeer Paper (M&S)

-Brown Print Paper (Poundshop)

Ribbons

-Ribbon Set (M&S)

-Gold Ribbon (ASDA)

-Red & White Ribbon (Poundshop)

Tags and Accessories

-Gift Tags (M&S)

-Baubels (Poundshop & Tesco)

Equipment

-Sharp Scissors

-Cellotape and dispenser

Now this is just some of the things that I use, things such as Candy Canes, Achorns etc are all decorations I'll buy later. .So you have your tools and your accessories, now let's get cracking! You don't have to follow these steps and can by all means just look at the pictures for inspiration.

Step 1: Measure and estimate
Pick your gift and think about the shape and how much paper you might need to cover all sides and edges.

Step 2: Cut and Fold
You can fold your paper for guide lines when cutting but I just used the printed one on the paper. Cut as much or as little as you need then you can move on folding the sides ready for taping.

Step 3: Taping (and staying clam)
Now you have your folds, get some tape ready so you can stick the sides down. If your paper won't stay down, use more tape or alternatively you can use double sided tape which is super sticky and hides the tape. Fold sides close to the edge of the item so you get a firmly wrapped present.

Step 4: Ribbons
Now you have your wrapped present, get your creative head on because this is where the fun starts! Choose an array of ribbons which you think will work well with your paper and place them on your present. Pick the one that looks the best and start your bow. I measure out how much I'll need before I cut just to be sure, leaving a little excess for a bow. Wrap the ribbon around all the present, cross at the middle then wrap in the other direction. Put the ribbon under the starting point and finish with a know and bow.

Step 5: Embellishments
I add baubels to the end of my ribbons and then tie the bow so it stays on. You can add gift tags at this point and use things like achorns and candy canes to really make the present look great! Stamps from craft shops such as letters for the initials of the person or christmas stamps work really well on brown paper.

And there you have it, You can of course add more or less depending on what you like your presents to look like. I think it's all about having fun with wrapping and really making something that stands out under the tree. I think the presents look rustic but like you've made a lot of effort. You can also take a really creative route and use old newspapers and coloured ribbon, magazine cut outs for tags and even patterned tape!