Tag Archives: christmas wrapping

by Stef | December 17, 2010 · 7:53 am

Holiday Wrap Up: Unique Gift Wrapping Ideas

This Christmas, it’s time to get creative with your wrapping. Regular old paper wrapping can be quite pretty and is no doubt fun to tear off a big old box, but why not spice it up a bit? You might even be able to regift some of those Christmas items you’ve never used on top of giving the fabulous gift you purchased.

A bottle of wine or champagne is a staple gift for a hostess at the holidays or any time of year. This year, ditch the curly ribbon or the brown paper bag it came it and cozy up the bottle with a Christmas sock. Simply slip the wine bottle inside of a holiday sock and use craft ribbon to secure a tag in place around the neck of the bottle. Feel free to bring the extra sock along, or double it up, to give to the hostess the matching pair.

*Used socks need not apply.

Have a smaller box or oddly shaped gift to wrap? Use a holiday tea towel or dish towel for a unique unveiling experience. Just wrap the gift and either knot the towel or use craft ribbon to keep it from unfolding. It is a bonus two gift in one!

If traditional wrapping paper is more your thing, there are lots of tricks you can use to mix it up a bit. This year I decided to buy all solid color wrapping and accessorize with ribbons and other extras.

I love scrapbook paper. It is pretty, cheap, and adds color and patterns in a no fuss kind of way. Using holiday scrapbook paper, add an extra piece of paper around the middle of the box to give it some dimension. Using sparkly ribbon, tie a little something extra on the top like a jingle bell or an ornament.

If you have horrible handwriting like I do, I do everything I can to skirt around writing tags. Try cutting scrapbook paper into the recipients initial and tying it on with a ribbon. You can also print homemade tags on the computer.

And last but not least, if you are saving stamps this Christmas and not sending out a Christmas card, why not make and print a few on your printer at home and attach them to the top of your gift?

All together now…awwwww!

There is nothing wrong with regular wrapping paper and a sticky bow (most likely I will have a few of those too)! But it makes the chore of wrapping gifts a little more fun when you throw some creativity into it.

What do you to do spice up your gifts?

Happy Wrapping!

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Tagged as christmas wrapping, gift wrap ideas, holiday gift wrap, holiday gift wrap ideas, ideas for wrapping, unique gift wrap ideas

by kkregel | December 13, 2010 · 9:34 am

Quilled Paper Ornaments

My family is big on ornaments. Growing up our tree was a hodge-podge of vacation finds from around the world, antique pieces and homemade treasures. But for as long as I can remember, these little paper snowflakes made an appearance on my parent’s tree. I’ve always liked the look of them but never knew where they came from until a few years ago.

The History
Turns out, my mom had made these “paper quilling” ornaments when she was first married. With my dad in grad school and my mom a teacher, funds were tight but she still wanted a pretty tree. While only a few are left, they’re now a sweet reminder of the fact that beauty doesn’t have to cost much. Romantic, right?

According to my brief research, paper quilling – or paper filigree – has been an artform for over 500 years. Long ago it was done as a way of embellishing religious documents and later, in the 18th century and Victorian eras, as a suitable artform for proper young ladies(1).

How To:
Paper quilling is fairly easy and mindless, although it can be time-consuming. It’s a good thing to do while watching TV. Basically you just roll the strips of paper into shapes and glue them together. Different shape combos of circles, scrolls, teardrops and such make up different snowflake patterns.

You’ll Need:
1/4″ strips of paper (or a quilling kit)
school glue
a tiny paintbrush, darning needle or something similarly sized

I would recommend buying a kit or two online to get started. They come with instructions, paper and design templates. After you get the hang of it you could make up your own designs.

Bonus Idea!
I’ve also decorated a few of this year’s gifts with my quilled ornaments, which is a fun way to pretty up your gift wrap and give an extra little present at the same time.

(1) Sources: Custom Quilling, Gem State Quilling.

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Filed under Decorate, DIY, Holidays

Tagged as christmas wrapping, holiday gift wrap ideas, paper filigree, paper quilling, quilled paper ornaments

by kkregel | December 21, 2009 · 6:17 pm

Last Minute Holiday Gift Wrap Ideas

Calling last minute shoppers! I’m usually running down to the wire on my Christmas shopping but even with the time crunch I still like to make my presents look pretty.

My favorite wrapping paper is actually kraft paper, sometimes called postal mailing paper. It may seem ho-hum but I love it because it’s a rustic looking blank canvas for you to dress up with whatever pretty things you have laying around.

Since I’m a sucker for the beautiful (but expensive) papers from Milwaukee paper store, Broadway Paper, I usually buy one or two sheets and trim them into strips to create ribbon to get more bang for my buck. They look great if you mix and match patterns and some are even reversible, like the ones from Smock.

Then I used fluffy white yarn that reminded me of snow, leftover gold ribbon from my holiday wreath and chandelier and sprigs of boxwood or fir (snipped from my tree!) as finishing touches.

You could also use:
Pinecones
Small ornaments
Cinnamon sticks
Sequins or paper punches
Multi-colored ribbons
spray painted branches

Extending my obsession with metallics this winter, I snatched up into two rolls of gold paper on sale at Michaels, which also work as a good neutral base for adornments.