creative ideas for gift
Wrapping BY KRISTEN CASTILLO
“C
reatively wrapping a holiday gift shows the recipient that you took time to prepare their gift, that this wasn’t a last-minute gift,” said Alyson Dias, consumer experience director for iLoveToCreate. “With life so often running at warp speed, it’s nice to remind family and friends that you took time to carefully craft something just for them.” Creative wrapping usually takes a little (or a lot) more time than traditional wrapping, but it’s not always very expensive. Plus, you can involve the kids with family-friendly wrapping projects. -KID CREATIONS. For Malia Britton, an environmentally conscious mother of two young children, holiday gift wrap is as simple as recycling her children’s artwork. Gift recipients love the artwork as gift wrap, too. “By using my kids art on the outside of their gift, they get a little glimpse into my kids’ creativity and can elect to save it for their walls or keepsake folder if they so choose,” said Britton. -SWEET INSPIRATION. Add some holiday flair to your gift giving by adding some sweets to the top of the package. Tie different candies to the gifts’ bows and ribbons. Candy choices include candy canes, lollipops, Pez dispensers, or mesh bags filled with small chocolates or gummy bears. -COOKIE-CUTTER CREATIONS. While you don’t want “cookie cutter” holiday wrap, it’s fun and creative to make gift tags by tracing racing cookie-cutter designs onto card stock tock or plain gift wrap. Consider using cookiecutter utter designs like ke stars, trees, snowmen nowmen and
angels. Then cut, glue, layer and decorate the cutouts any way you want before affixing them to the present. -SEASON’S GREETINGS. Got a stack of last year’s used or unused Christmas cards? Give those festive designs a new purpose by trimming the wording, images or characters from the cards and turning them into gift tags. For example, cut out a card’s sparkly tree and glue the cutout to the wrap. From the texture of the card stock to the color of the images, this form of upcycling can really dress up a gift. -ADD SOME SHINE. Tie an ornament to the top of the gift or tuck one onto the handles of a gift bag. The ornaments can be standard fare or personalized. Either way, they’ll look great on the gift and can be reused on the tree, year after year. -GET SCRAPPY. Use Christmas scrapbook paper and stickers to create your own gift labels or to decorate wrapping paper and gift bags. Since scrapbook paper is generally made of a thicker card stock, it holds up well when used alone, or glued or taped to wrapping paper. -PICK A THEME. Choose one color, texture or pattern as a gift-wrap look with maximum impact. For example, wrap gifts in one color like festive red; focus on the feel of your wrap using smooth paper and satin ribbons; or choose a pattern such as snowmen or reindeer to unify your gifts. -GET INSPIRED ONLINE. Search craft websites for ideas on ways to create memorable holiday wrap. For example, you can make iLoveToCreate iLoveToCreate’ss Glitte Glitter Gift Boxes using gift boxes boxes, glitter, foil, glue and a few other othe supplies. –CREATORS.COM–
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Holiday Gift Guide
Advertising Supplement to The Gazette | November 2013