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Thursday, December 10, 2020

Gift Wrapping Ideas (Featuring Plain Paper)

Happy first night of Hannukah! 

Holiday Season 2020 is upon us. I adore giving gifts for any occasion -- nailing the perfect present for someone else is such an awesome feeling! HOWEVER, I loathe spending money on expensive wrapping. I think a plain paper shopping bag (or brown packing paper!) + fun tissue paper + ribbon makes a sweetly personal and more impactful statement than any expensive offering from Hallmark. Plus, you can have fun getting crafty (if that's your jam).

So, in that spirit, I went through my bookmarks to distill the cutest, most simple gift wrap ideas I've loved from around the web.

My preferred DIY situation doesn't necessarily require tremendous effort or a huge time investment. You might already have useful trims and trinkets hanging around the house. If not, then a fast trip to almost any convenience store is all you really need to get started. 

On the other hand, should you wish to unleash your inner Martha Stewart, feel free to take all the time and energy you need ;)


1. Accessorizing with a cookie cutter? Adorable! (It can even be incorporated as a bonus gift.) Pulling off the idea should be inexpensive -- I've seen holiday-shaped cutters at the dollar store, or you might have some on-hand from past celebrations that are still in excellent shape.


2. Create allover polka dots with pom poms! I really like the effect of only using white ones, but it would look so fun multicolored, or in shades of the same pop color. Another idea: Experiment with poms of different sizes.

3. Dangle one or two little ornaments from the bag/box. Small bells work, too!

4. "Tie" your parcel with a hand-sketched bow :)

5. Bust out the colorful twine, decorative ribbon, etc, and go for a traditional cross-wrap.


6. Adorn your present with old-school paper snowflake cut-outs. (I'm such a fan of this idea!) In case you don't remember making these in elementary school, here's a tutorial.


7. Draw/paint your own pattern all over the wrapping. I'm partial to easy stars (two pics above) and little dashes (just above). Glittery or metallic colors lend a sprinkle of extra festivity :)


8. One big, bright statement pom pom!

9. Basically snatching this idea as-is: Paint some large, colorful blobs all over your packaging. Once dry, use a sharpie to sketch holiday details on top. (My inspo pic has trees, but you can do stars or snowflakes or whatever else instead.) It's probably important to finish decorating your paper before wrapping the gift lol.


10. Splatter paint! Load up a brush and test out your best Jackson Pollock. Again, I'm drawn to the effect of using a single color, but there's no wrong answer in terms of color or how sparse the splatters.


11. Tone-on-tone wrapping with a single bow. Minimalism! Surprisingly elegant, right?


12. Have a blast with washi tape! For simplicity, I linked to Omers DeSerres; search further and you'll find PLENTY of adorable indie options on Etsy or in stationary stores across the city.


13. Get natural :) almost makes perfect has a tutorial about decorating with dried fruit and cinnamon sticks (check her story highlights). Otherwise, you could always play around sprigs of leafy herbs (rosemary is so pretty), evergreens, pine cones, eucalyptus -- endless organic ideas ;)

What gift-wrapping tricks do you have up your sleeve?

Image credit (top): Maine Sport Outfitters
Image credit (gifting): I will circle back to add the links. Sorry for the mess-up.

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