Anyway, I digress... So besides the act of purchasing the "perfect" gift for all your loved ones, a major component to a successful present is the package that the item is given in. I'm such a sucker for awesome, and well executed wrapping... It just shows that besides the thought that went into the gift there was some time and effort put in to make sure that it looks gorgeous!
Here's just a quick breakdown of the most simple of wrap jobs, but a few tips that I think make it it super chic!
First of all, please just start off with really great paper and ribbon... This makes all the difference in the world. You know there's a reason when you can purchase 3 rolls of paper for like $5.00, because it's going to be the thickness and quality of single-ply toilet paper. It's just not a good choice.
Next, go ahead and buy a nice ribbon with a nice weight to it, so when you're planning on going with a simple bow, it'll hang nicely.
Here I've got a beautiful burnished gold metallic paper paired with the most amazing double-faced grosgrain ribbon. The 3/4" wide ribbon is black on one side and that chic old gold color on the other! I've said it many times before, but I'm a huge fan of black. So chic and for the holidays a little unexpected...
First trick of the trade is, please make your creases on a flat smooth surface, and not just in your fingertips, where you'll never get a perfectly straight line. Also, one of my essential guidelines is to make that one crease you need to have on the corner of the box, so it's virtually invisible.
Another very important tool in your arsenal of gift wrapping equipment is double-sided tape. I LOVE this stuff! This is the way to have the most clean looking gift. Run a long strip right along that freshly folded crease, then line that up right along the 90 degree edge of the bottom of the gift and you've created a near seamless gift.
I prefer the edge as opposed to the center of the box crease, since most of the time your ribbon will slide around naturally with handling, so there's no need to keep adjusting the ribbon to hide the seam. This also allows you to do the asymmetrical bows which look nice on larger rectangular gifts, like sweater and shirt boxes.
Here's a detail of the edge seam with the double-sided tape... Basically goes unnoticed...
Next, this is the part where your smooth flat surface is so important. Really crease those corners in all the way, and follow the shape of the box exactly. Wrapping gifts is all geometry and precision, which I'm obsessed with... Call me a dork, but I'm a dork with with pretty packages!
Again, every opportunity, or crease where you know one surface will need to be up against another, use the double-sided tape. This is such a god send, use it! You will end up with a tight and visually "tapeless" wrap job, where you're able to really appreciate the paper that you used. Spend an extra $2.00 a roll on the paper, but treat it like it's gold with your techniques and your recipient is sure to take notice!
Finally to finish off these simple gifts is this gorgeous ribbon. I do a simple single bow. Playing with the proportions of the bow is also nice to accentuate different aspects of the presentation. A larger bow with longer tails celebrates the ribbon's charm and luster, while the smaller more tailored bow on the larger box gives the paper a little more priority and will look lovely under anyone's tree. I personally like to trim off the ribbon's tails with the inverted angle cut, but that's a personal preference. I tend to do this, since I generally keep the paper and ribbon very simple, so this is almost the little bit of extra embellishment to really make it sing!
Anyway, I hope that I just haven't scared you into thinking I'm completely OCD now, but I do like to wrap a good present! I hope Santa places a lot of exquisite things in your stocking this year, and I also hope you might take the time to really enjoy the gift wrapping process as much I as do! Merry Christmas!
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