Wrap Presents Like a Pro – Easy, Unique, Not Complicated!

Everyone loves gifts even if we say we don’t want one. But, getting a present that looks like it was wrapped by a pro is a gift within itself….giving a visual appeal.

Most people tend to shy away from gift wrapping because it seems too complicated or time-consuming so they use gift bags or just wrap presents however they can.

So, if you’re ready to step up your gift wrapping up a notch, I”m here to show you how to do it easily.

Growing up, only one person comes to mind that was an expert. That was my aunt Ellen. With our pile of gifts on our laps or next to us, it was easy to spot her gifts, wrapped with beautiful shiny paper, striped with ribbons that were ripped and curled and even a little trinket added here and there.

Her gifts were beautiful and I loved to look at them…. before I tore them apart! LOL

It was because of her I strived to give the same type of enjoyment to others with gifts I’ve wrapped for them at any time of year, not just Christmas.

Pre-Plan Gift Wrapping

1. Plan time to wrap presents – Being rushed is a killer when it comes to wrapping a gift nicely. Once you learn how to wrap a present in different ways, you can definitely do it faster within time, but for starting out, just plan to set aside an hour.

2. Have decent space – Use your kitchen table, a folding table or even the hard ground so that you can open a roll of wrapping paper and have enough room to cut and work on.

Wrapping Presents

1. Remove all price tags & stickers – this seems obvious, but there are many times we are in a rush and forget to do this. You can use Goo Gone, nail polish remover, or hot water & dish soap to remove sticky price labels.

If you can’t remove it, use a black marker to cover it up.

2. Place the gift in a box – It’s much easier to wrap a gift in a box. It doesn’t have to be exactly the same size. Be creative. It can be bigger or longer. Just make sure you either tape down or add padding in to protect the gift if necessary. Also be sure to tape the open flaps.

3. Measure the gift to paper – open up your wrapping paper and place your gift on one side and then turn over and over onto each side making sure the paper will cover around the gift.

4. Cut enough wrapping paper to overlap –  After sizing up your gift onto the wrapping paper, cut it about 2 -3 inches longer on both sides if possible for folding.

5. Tape – you can tape the first side down to the gift or the box. Then fold over and tape the other side.

6. Fold the flaps –

There are a couple of different ways to do this.

The first is creating two flaps by folding in both horizontal sides and creating flaps vertically (top and bottom) to fold down onto each other.

The other is to create one flap by folding down on the left and then fold down on the right and and then folding the diamond you created up onto the gift securing with tape each time.

7. Secure with tape – use tape to secure all flaps and elongated paper areas that appear open and prevent any sneaky eyes from pearing into the gift.

8. Add embellishments – Add a bow, ribbon, name card and even a trinket to the gift to add additional appeal. Just remember if you are stacking gifts that if they have bows and trinkets they will not stack flat onto each other but they will be a lovely gift to place on top of a pile.

Wrapping Odd-Shaped Gifts

Using the steps above, you can also wrap an odd-shaped present but you will just wrap and tape the paper to itself or the gift, not to a box.

• If you have a cylinder gift, wrap the wrapping paper around the gift and gather it on both ends, securing it with a ribbon to create a “candy” like appearance.
• If you have an odd-shaped cornered gift, place the item down onto wrapping paper and allow for plenty of room above the longest possible side. Then you can just fold down and keep folding and taping over until the gift is covered.

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Other Gift and Present Wrapping Related Topics:

Elegant and stylish gift-wrapping ideas

There are many MANY options nowadays in choosing the perfect or affordable gift wrap paper that can accommodate all price ranges.

Some of my favorite types of wrapping paper & embellishments are:

• reversible – so I can have more options
• non-specific design and solid colors – so that I can use for many occasions, including holidays and birthdays
• brown paper and misc (like book pages) – to make the gift unique to that person or generally fun
• ribbons – multiple thickness and colors to use together or individually and curl on the ends
• ornaments or trinkets – specific to the person who the gift is for, like an ornament or a toy
• seasonal or occasion decor – like leaves, branches, mistletoe, and even a cookie or treat (but be careful for food because if you are leaving gifts under a tree a cat or dog might get it).

Some of my favorite gift wrap paper are shown here:

Wrap presents without tape & Creative gift-wrapping techniques

Using fabric, bags, and random shaped gift boxes are a great way to give a present in a unique and creative way that makes it look like you went an extra step to make the gift special.

Related terms:

Gift wrap paper types
Gift wrapping ideas without a box
Sustainable recyclable wrapped present ideas