It’s a Wrap {my ‘toolbox’}
Well, these two pictures are all I got on Friday. I had planned on getting several from A Christmas Gathering, but it didn’t happen. FireCracker crashed on Friday after hanging out with me for the Thursday event. She is the sweetest little sleeper. I love the way she curls up in a little ball. The stage picture is from one side of the room. If you double the shot, that is what the room looked like.
When my friend Denise asked me to share about gift wrapping at A Christmas Gathering, I wasn’t sure what to say. I am a BIG fan of cutely wrapped gifts, but I also know that it is not everyone’s thing. I think if you like wrapping gifts in a fun ways – you should do it. I also think if you prefer just to slap a bow on it and be done – you should do that. So as I thought about gift wrapping and what I would share, I decided to go with a theme of ‘simple and on-hand’. Not everyone has or wants to devote a space in their home to gift wrap. Not everyone has a budget that includes a lot of supplies. For my seminar, I shared a few things that I like to keep on hand and how those things can be used in a combination of ways to wrap a variety of gifts.
Today, I am going to share some of my key items I like to have on hand. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I’ll share some examples of how I used these items and others to wrap gifts.
My favorite items to have on hand:
- Hot glue gun
- Paper scissors
- Sharp fabric scissors
- Trims, ribbons, fabric scraps
- Knic Knacs (buttons, stickers, wood tags)
- Clothespins
- Scrapbooking paper
- Cupcake liners
- Washi Tape
- Stamps & ink (I use stamps from Inspire Lovely & Whitney Rae Paper)
- Blank tags
- White crepe paper streamers
- Baker’s Twine
I use crepe paper ruffles for a million things. Typically, I just keep white streamers on hand. You can combine white with other colors for just about any type of party. My method for making them is to just shove the paper under the sewing machine foot. Nothing fancy. Shove. Shove. Shove. I found the idea originally from Dana of the the blog Made. She wrote a great tutorial on it – way prettier than any I’ve ever made. Click here for her tutorial.
I also like to keep a variety of tags on hand. I use a tag punch (from Micheal’s) to make my own tags. Maps, postcards, pictures, etc. all work great to punch out tags. Add a hole in the tag and some baker’s twine and you’re good. (click for links – chalkboard tags were from The Christmas Gathering store, I made the postcard ones, Mason Jar, Scalloped edge, Joy to the World, Green fabric, Naughty Nice Borderline, Oh hello there)
Gift wrapping is something I enjoy – often more than I like shopping for gifts. Sometimes it works out for me to wrap a gift the way I like, other times it doesn’t. Just last week I made cookies for a friend. I put them in a plastic bag and was getting ready to wrap them up in a little basket with cute fabric. Then one of the kids needed something and before I knew it we had to head out the door. I decided to leave the cookies behind and give them to her the next day – since they weren’t wrapped cute. Well, Chris saw that I left the cookies behind and brought them to me. When he handed them to me, I quickly tucked them back in his bag. Afterall, they were just in a ziploc bag – hardly cute enough to give as a gift (in my crazy head). A little while later my boys saw them and asked why I hadn’t given them to my friend.
It might sound silly to you guys, but it was hard for me to hand her those cookies in a ziploc bag. I even told her to pretend they were wrapped cute.
Later that night she sent me a text to say she was enjoying her cookies.
Ya know what – she still liked those cookies. The wrapping (or lack of) did not affect the taste.
So, as much as I want to use all my cute supplies and wrap gifts in a fun way – I know ultimately what people appreciate about gifts is thoughtfulness. Gift wrapping in a fun way is often how I like to express that a little extra thought went into the gift…but sometimes life happens and fabric wrapped cookies is just not happening. I’m sure my friend would have loved a beautifully wrapped basket of cookies, but I think she liked the ziploc bag too.
I share that story because in the next two days I am going to post several gift wrapping ideas and I want you to know that I don’t wrap every gift I give in such cute ways. My best intentions are often interrupted with spilled cereal or someone who can’t find a matching shoe. Sometimes my friends and family get presents wrapped in ziploc bags 🙂
