Greetings from the West Coast, best coast! (It’s okay, East Coast, I love you too.) With Christmas just a few days away, I’m back in my hometown for a few days. And despite how much free time I thought I would have without work and the big city distractions, I’ve found it rather difficult to get anything published! I guess ad hoc things tend to fill up ones agenda when you’re only at home for a few days out of the year. But on to the subject matter at hand… Holiday gifts!
I’m generally traveling near the end of the year, during the busy holiday season. Sometimes, it makes it rather difficult to bring pre-wrapped presents with me (for fear of getting them crumpled or having TSA rip through my pretty packaging in the case of some random search—I realize the latter is probably an irrational fear).
That being said, I don’t want to compromise on the look and wrapping quality of the gifts I assemble. We all put so much time, attention, and care in selecting our friends and loved ones the perfect gift, so it’s also nice to make it look just as perfect on the outside with the hopes of it not being a huge hassle. My solution is as simple as 1-2-3, and is inspired from Mary Poppins’ sing-song-y line: brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things!
- Brown Craft Paper: It’s a clean foundation and a simple alternative to the busy, overly-colored, holographic wrapping paper patterns that we often run into this time of year. Rolls of brown craft paper are enough to find at any local craft or shipping supply store, but can also be found on Amazon. For oddly shaped gifts, consider using brown paper handle bags with white or another neutral-colored tissue paper.
- Burlap Ribbon: Rolls of burlap ribbon can be found in various widths, stains, and styles; glittery or matte, loose or tight weave, wire or no wire… the options really allow you to be creative! In my examples, I choose two different ribbon widths (including a versatile 1.5-inch width ribbon) and colors depending on the packaging style, but both are wired. I find that wire makes it easy to shape the ribbon into a cute little bow that stays put! The great part about this pairing is that there’s no worrying about matching the ribbon to the wrapping paper since virtually all types of burlap ribbon will match so well with craft paper wrapping :)
- Accent Ornamentation: A bit of ornamentation alongside the burlap ribbon bow really brings the festive gift to life! Holiday colors and symbols take the plain “brown paper packaging” to the next level, accounting for much of the elegance in this simple rustic wrapping scheme. Inexpensive decorative holiday stems in various colors featuring holly, mistletoe, berries, pine, pinecones, etc. are easy to find and super affordable—I grabbed a handful of berry stems on sale at a local Michael’s for well under a dollar each!
Hoping this provides a bit of wrapping inspiration! What are some of your go-to gift giving or gift wrapping tips and tricks? As always, thank you for dropping by my blog! Would love to hear from you so feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below. Oh, also… Merry Christmas!
– E
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