Three Easy Holiday Wrapping Tips

During high school I worked at a fancy boutique in my hometown. I subsequently hated working in retail (I much preferred waitressing), but something I unexpectedly loved was wrapping gifts during the holiday. The store owners had set up the most beautiful wrapping station in the basement of the store, with all kinds of gilded ribbon and creamy papers. Though they had set designs (i.e. what paper you use with what ribbon and so on), it not only gave me a much better eye when it came to wrapping gifts, but also made me a much better wrapper! If you’re like me, and scrambling to get your wrapping done this weekend, here are three simple wrapping tips to make your gifts a little extra special:

1) Not every package needs to be red and green! In fact, I think the less traditional color palettes are the best. One option is using a graphic print style paper and pairing it with a glittery ribbon that really pops and has some texture.

2) Big bows are fun, but I think a classic and luxurious velvet ribbon can be even nicer. I like pairing a deep color, like this navy blue, with a whimsical pattern. Also, have fun with the placement of your bows- not everything needs to be down the center of the gift.

3) When using a somewhat muted or mild paper, make the gift shine by utilizing two ribbons. Place a thicker ribbon on the bottom, and a thinner one on top so they’re both visible. When choosing ribbons consider texture. For the base ribbon you want something simple that will serve as a clean foundation, like this wide natural ribbon.  For the top ribbon you want something that will really stand out,like this bright red velvet ribbon. Get creative with your ribbon placement, like wrapping around the edges instead of the center of the gift. The gold ribbon would have worked well, too!

There you have it! I hope those tips are helpful. Anyone else playing elf this weekend? Have a great one!

A huge thanks to Minted who generously provided all this beautiful wrapping paper! They have gorgeous paper, tags, ribbon, and more for wrapping gifts for every season.