Save money this holiday season by doing your own gift wrap!
Exquisitely wrapped gifts add a magical touch to Christmas. These shimmering silvery parcels or textured fabric bundles are a pleasant change from the mundane store bought gift wrap.
But why spend a fortune on buying Christmas gift bags when you can make your own with these cute packaging ideas. with these cute packaging ideas.?
You can have such fun wrapping presents and the highlight will be the enjoyment of giving! Read on and learn how to make your own unique Christmas gift wrap.
Making your own Creative Gift Wrap
This is a fairly obvious and straight forward idea but here are a couple of ideas that you can look particularly effective that will make it easier if you are going to make a large amount of gift wrap.
Pewter Painted Leaf Paper
- Spread out a sheet of brown paper. Arrange dried leaves on the surface in a pleasing pattern.
- Fill a jam jar with water and squeeze a little pewter paint on the jar lid, using it as a palette.
- Remove one leaf from its position and decide which side to paint on; the underside will show the veining better.
- Apply the pewter paint with a wet paintbrush.
- Return the leaf to its position and press firmly yet carefully to avoid smudging. Remove to reveal your print.
Frosted, Opalescent, and Glittering Tissue Papers
Experiment with your own ideas, patterns and colors with these fabulous, highly unique tissue wrapping papers. Simply paint moistened acrylic paint on white or colored tissue paper folded out at double thickness. Finish it off with sequins, pearls and sheesha glass.
Decadent Do-it-yourself Christmas Packaging
You can still brighten up your packaging without making everything from scratch. If you want to use simple store bought materials, you can follow these easy instructions to elaborately and impressively package your gifts:
- Make sure whatever the gift, it is inside a snug fitting box as regular shapes are far easier to wrap.
- First wrap your present in decorated tissue paper and secure the ends.
- Overwrap the parcel with clear cellophane, again securing neatly with tape or a spot of glue.
- Tie a generous length of ribbon around the parcel and finish in an extravagant bow.
- Decorate with crystals, beads, tassels, or silver-sprayed leaves.
- For a personal touch add a home-made gift tag with silver embroidery thread.
Painted Hatboxes and Gift Boxes
Decorated hatboxes make fabulous Christmas presents in themselves. The options are endless so you can personalize it for the person the gift is intended for and they will hold any awkward shaped gifts in style.
You can either simply adorned it in a sizzling color, scattered sequins, paper flowers and glitter glue finished with an elaborate bow. If these cute packaging ideas aren’t enough you could follow these easy instructions to make a more traditional Christmas portrait gift box:
- Paint the box itself all over, inside and out of the lid, with matt emulsion paint and let it dry thoroughly. Coat it twice, lightly sanding off the emulsion between the coatings.
- Lay your chosen picture against the box lid and make sure it fills the space. Cherubs, angels, and Victorian Christmas scenes are excellent if you can find them on old calendars or gift cards.
- If the portrait doesn’t fit exactly, trim it and use gold relief outliner to draw scrolls, squiggles, a trellis effect or any other pattern around the portrait.
- On the outside edge of the lid, glue a length of gold braid, ribbon or gold foil frill.
- Tie and glue a pretty ribbon around the middle of the box itself.
Silk Velvet Purses
The wintry light reflects upon these sumptuously soft silk velvet purses, the subtly muted rich colors of which can be enhanced by unusual decorations, making them luxuriously desirable and unique gifts to receive.
- Start with a long narrow rectangle of silk velvet, right-side up.
- Take the raw edge of the left-hand short end and turn it under twice. Pin and stitch in place to prevent fraying. Take this neatened end of the fabric and fold one-third up on to itself, right sides together. Pin in place.
- Neaten the raw edge of the other end of the rectangle and also turn it under twice, pin and stitch. Fold the fabric onto itself again, bringing the neatened edge to meet the first one exactly.
- Pin and stitch the two side seams together overstitching the raw edges to prevent them fraying. Turn the fabric right side out and you have a purse with a central slit for an opening. Create the purse flap by folding the top part of the purse over the bottom.
- Stitch a little plastic trinket on the outside of the top flap and the weight of this will hold the flap in place.
Wrapping Holiday Gift Cards
While gift cards or money are often welcome presents, handing over a plain white envelope shows a distinct lack of imagination. Instead, disguise vouchers or notes in rolled tubes, which can be embellished in many ways.
- Cut squares of card, lay the gift card (in its envelope) on top and roll up tightly.
- Tape in place, wrap and tie with a ribbon. You could find some pretty beaded hat pins at an antiques market or craft store.
- Tie them to the gift tubes with a length of gauzy ribbon remembering to place the safety cap on the pin.
- If you have several gift vouchers to give, pile the traditionally decorated tubes in a pretty bowl or add an extra ribbon loop and hang them from the tree.
Quick Fix Wrapping Tips with Ribbon
- Old-fashioned pill boxes make perfect containers for special presents such as earrings or cufflinks. There’s no need to wrap the box; simply tie with a ribbon.
- French paper sweet bags make pretty gift wrapping. Place the gift inside, toll the top down and punch two holes through the rolled paper. Thread with ribbon and tie.
- To make a gift bag, use a ‘mold’ such as a book. Wrap a length of good quality paper around the book and tape the central join, then neatly fold and tape one end. Slip the book out and crease the narrow sides to form a bag shape. Place the gift inside, fold over the top edge twice, then wrap ribbon around the bag and tie.