How to Win Friends and Influence People with Your Gift Wrapping
We consider knowing how to perform a basic gift wrap an essential life skill- up there with knowing how to do your own laundry, swim, cook a basic meal, and change a tire on your vehicle. If you know how to perform a basic gift wrap- simple paper with a ribbon tied around your package, then good for you! If it's something you need to learn, this post just might inspire you to actually learn how, but you'll need some basic skills to actually wrap the gift before using our suggestions. For gift wrapping basics we defer to the wrap master- AKA Martha Stewart. Here's a simple little video to get you started: How to Expertly Wrap a Gift Box- Martha Stewart
When people request gift wrapping of a purchase from our shop, we happily create what is known as the Two Hands Paperie Signature Wrap - brown kraft paper with a decorative paper accent strip, tied with a raffia bow. It's a simple and elegant way to make a gift extra special, and most importantly it can be done quickly, it's economical, and people are usually "wowed" when we hand the wrapped gift to them.
The following is a list of suggestions on how to up the "WOW" factor on your own gift wrap without breaking the bank, and by keeping it simple so that just about anyone with some basic skills can wrap a beautiful gift:
- Start with brown kraft paper as your base. It's affordable, recyclable, readily available, and easy to work with.
- Use a decorative paper strip as an accent or band on your gift. We sell so many beautiful papers in the shop, 95% of which are not considered "gift wrap", but you can wrap with them. The papers range in price depending on how and where they are made from $5-$20. To use one full sheet of decorative paper might be a little more than you want to spend, but if you purchase one sheet and cut it into strips, then suddenly that one beautiful sheet of paper you splurged on can be used to wrap many items.
- Raid your decorative paper scrap bin (every household has one, right?) and find something fun to use as an accent. Our house bin contains old book pages, decorative calendar pages from years past, old maps, posters, decorative paper scraps from past projects, fun images from magazines, saved gift wrap from gifts we've received... you get the idea. If you don't have a bin, you should definitely start one. It's a great way to upcycle!
- Tie it up with string. Don't get me wrong, we love, love, love ribbon, but a good twine, yarn, or thread can also do the job. Or invest in a spool of something special- like baker's twine, paper twine, or raffia in a fun color and use it for everything.
- Put a wax seal on it. Not just for sealing envelopes, a wax seal is the perfect detail to add a little "WOW" factor to your gift and guaranteed to really impress your friends and family!
Keep in mind that we love to gift wrap and are always happy to take on a good wrap challenge, so when in doubt or if you are in need of a little inspiration, Two Hands Paperie is here to help!
