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Gift Wrapping Tips and Tricks

When I posted our Christmas tree last week, some people asked me to share how I make my presents look pretty. So today I’m divulging all my my secrets for making presents look appealing on 5 sides because who really cares what the bottom looks like?

Deep down, I really like gift wrapping. But I like to cheat, mostly with the bows and ribbon, because I’m cheap.

white and silver gifts

The key to having pretty presents under your tree is to coordinate your gift wrap and ribbons. The safest thing to do is to go with the same color scheme. This year I did white and silver to go with my mostly white Christmas tree. I also have some hints of gray.

I used four different styles of gift wrap:
• white with silver polka dots
• silver faux bois
• gray with silver polka dots
• silver plaid

And I used a few different types of ribbon:
• white with silver polka dots, wired
• light gray satin
• gray satin
• white satin

I should add that I buy all of my ribbon when it’s either on sale or when I have coupons. I never pay full price for ribbon. I also rarely pay full price for Christmas gift wrap. I get it at Black Friday or after Christmas sales. Again, because I’m cheap.

I’m not going to cover the actual wrapping of gifts because I feel like that’s kind of basic.

Let’s talk about these bows first. I made them by printing this template out on card stock, cutting out the shapes, tracing the shapes onto the backside of the wrapping paper, cutting out the three pieces, and putting them together with double-sided tape.

gfit wrapping 4

 Cute, right? These are best for smaller presents.

gift wrapping 3

This one below is the simplest.

I take two pieces of ribbon criss-cross them across the top of the package, leaving about an inch or so to wrap around the to bottom of the package. Then I tape the ribbon down (see photo after the one below).

Why do I do this? Because I don’t want to waste ribbon wrapping it all around the box and then tying a bow on top. That’s A LOT of ribbon. And ribbon and money don’t grow on trees.

I finish it up with a pre-made bow– you know, the those big bags of bows you buy at after-Christmas sales.

gift wrapping trick 2

Here’s what the bottom looks like. I could’ve made it a little prettier but it’s for Owen and he won’t care.

However, I once had someone turn over a gift I had wrapped like this and given to them and say, “Ahhh, I see what you did there.” I replied, “What? I could’ve wrapped it in newspaper.”

Don’t let anyone judge your wrapping cheats.

gift wrapping cheats 8

For this guy, I used the same ribbon criss-cross method. But I made a separate bow. This is too hard to photograph by myself, but I use this method to make the bow– it’s super easy once you get the hang of it.

gift wrapping tips 5

Then I hot glue the bow to the middle of the criss-crossing ribbon.

gift wrap tips 6

For this one, I do the criss-cross ribbon method, and then I hot glue a bow on top.

gfit wrap shortcuts 9

And here’s how I make the bow:

Take a piece of ribbon. The length will depend on how big your box is.

Fold each end into the middle, overlapping each end by about 1 inch. Staple it (I do 3 staples).

how to make a bow 1

Take a separate piece of ribbon that’s smaller in length, and fold the sides in.

how to make a bow 2

Staple.

how to make a bow 3

Add a long piece of ribbon to the mix.

how to make a bow 4

Take your first ribbon and pinch it in the middle.

Add the long, third ribbon under the first ribbon. Make sure the third ribbon is centered.

how to make a bow 5

Take the smallest, second ribbon and wrap it around the two other ribbons. Staple.

how to make a bow 6

Trim the excess ribbon.

how to make a bow 7

Adjust everything. Fluff the bow ears. Trim the tails of the ribbon.

Voila! A pretty bow!

how to make a bow 8

For my gift tags this year, I used this Fiskars tag maker and card stock.

fiskars tag maker 1

You punch out the tag shape first in the bottom slot. And then you take the tag and insert it into the little slot and push down to make the hole.

fiskars tag maker 2

Then, you drop in the eyelet and press down on the handle again.

fiskars tag maker 3

I used a silver Sharpie to write on the tags and double-sided tape to secure the tags to the packages.

gift wrapping tips 7

Now, if you want to be really cheap. Grab those ribbons and bows before they make their way to the trash and save them for next year.

I certainly won’t judge you.

silver and white christmas gifts

So there you go, that’s how I cheat at making gifts look pretty.

Gift wrapping hacks! Make your gifts look amazing without a ton of effort!

Happy wrapping!

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6 Comments

  1. I love these tips and tricks! I have a present in mind that needs one of these bows ASAP. Thanks!

  2. You also used shiny paper to reflect the tree lights! I do that too. Your gifts look pretty!

  3. Great tips since usually I try to wrap my gifts with cheap materials and stuff I find at home, so I’ll try some of yours for this years gifts 🙂 thanks

  4. I would love to have a white tree like yours , it’s so pretty! Maybe after Christmas I would be lucky enough to find one on sale. I’m cheap also, but love getting a bargain! The tree, the gifts, are just so festive! Hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas?

  5. I need to find the Fiskars tag maker. Great tips on how to cut some corners.

  6. I love your tree, gifts and tips – thank you for sharing – merry christmas

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