Tips

I have always loved to decorate gifts in a special way. Do you ever notice how much more excited a person is to open a beautifully wrapped gift or how good you feel when you receive one? Whether you make it fun or fancy, it's actually very easy to do. The nice thing about gift-wrapping is that there are no rules. You can match any colors, textures or items together to create your masterpiece. With just a little creativity and a few items, you can make a gift that stands out from the rest. Not only will your recipient will love it but it will also make them feel very special. Here are a few tips:

• Do not use stick on Bows. You can use almost anything to decorate a gift that would look much nicer that one of those boring, mass produced blobs.
  
  
• Buy some wired, fabric ribbon from the fabric or craft store. With almost no effort, you can make a great looking gift with this type of ribbon.
  
  
• Consider wrapping with a theme. Not only does it make your gift look nice but also doubles as a conversation piece.
  
  
• Balloons! Invest in a miniature helium tank at your local party store. They come with a bag of multi colored balloons and a spool of ribbon for tying off the balloon. Attaching one or two colored balloons to a gift bag or box adds a fun touch to your gift.
  
  
• Attach little fun things to your present. Whether it is a piece of costume jewelry or a trinket you found at the craft store, it adds dimension to your gift.
  
  
• Save anything you run across or receive that you think may be good for gift decorating at a later date. I put everything of interest in a box with all of my gift-wrapping supplies to be used later.
  
  
• Double stick tape and craft glue are you best friend.
  
  
• If at all possible, try not to tape the paper to the box or use too much tape on the wrapping paper. It can become very frustrating for the recipient to have a difficult to open gift no matter how pretty it may be.

Wrapping Paper and Ribbon

While there are many different styles and designs of wrapping paper on the market, I usually to stick to non-specific wrapping paper and decorate my gifts with my own designs. I use a solid color sometimes with sheen or abstract pattern depending on what design I am creating. Make sure that the paper is sturdy enough so it will not tear when wrapping a present and thick enough so you cannot see the gift through the paper. I try and avoid paper that is too thick because it can be difficult to use.

Scrapbooking paper or craft paper is the key to many of my designs. It can be found at craft stores and is very inexpensive. It comes in very creative styles and colors that you cannot find in ordinary wrapping paper and is great to use as your accent paper.

Wired, fabric ribbon is the easiest ribbon to work with and is available in all widths, styles and colors. When added to a present, it makes any gift look fancy. Combining different ribbon textures and widths always results in a dazzling gift display.

Small Boxes

Small boxes are fun and easy to decorate. You can use leftover pieces from other projects to create a design. Just remember when you plan on giving a small box, make sure the contents reflect the size of the box. While they are great for holding small items, no matter how spectacular the design of the wrapping may be, this may be lost on a recipient who was expecting a piece of jewelry or a watch but instead receives a gift card