Tuesday 12 November 2013

How To Wrap Christmas Presents

For many people, the wrapping of a gift is almost as important as the gift itself. A badly wrapped gift can show laziness and a lack of thought and effort, so it’s crucial to make sure you get the wrapping right, especially if the gift you’ve bought is rubbish! Many people (usually men) struggle wrapping presents. They try their best to get it right, but they simply don’t have the skills or know-how to make it happen! If you’re one of these people, then read on.

1. Prepare
Before you start wrapping a gift, make sure you have all the correct tools to hand. Your essential items are paper, tape and scissors. Ribbon and gift tags are of course optional, but we’d recommend using them to make your gift look extra special. It’s also important to make sure you have a clear, flat workspace too. A table top is ideal. Don’t start wrapping presents in the middle of a messy floor! And it never hurts to stick a few Christmas tunes on too. They’ll stop you from getting stressed out!


Scissors


2. Measure
Gifts are easier to wrap when they’re inside a square or rectangular box. If your gift is an unusual shape, then you may want to consider placing it in a gift box or plain cardboard box before wrapping. However, this isn’t essential.

Firstly, lay out a large sheet of wrapping paper on the table and place your gift on the centre of it. Bring the paper around both sides of the gift so the edges of the paper overlap when you pull them together. Try to use as little paper as possible, as this will making the wrapping look tight and crisp. Once you’re satisfied with the amount of paper, make a mark on one side of the paper in pencil, and cut vertically along this line.

3. Wrap
Take your new sheet of wrapping paper and lay it out flat on the table. Place the gift on it and bring the paper over on both sides so it fits tightly to the gift and overlaps. Use some of your tape to hold the paper in place.

The next step is to fold in the corners. To do this, take the excess paper at each corner and fold it in like a triangle. Then take this triangle and bring it over the top of the gift as far as it will go, then tape it down to hold it in place.

Wrapping Paper

4. Tape It
Now the paper is secured to the gift, you need to make sure that it won’t come lose. To do this, add extra tape to the areas where the paper overlaps. Do this neatly and don’t use too much tape, otherwise the wrapping will start to look messy.


Sellotape


5. Accessorise!
Now you get to add the finishing touches to your gift! Adding a ribbon is a simple, but effective way of making your gift stand out from the rest. Tying a ribbon is easy. Simply put the ribbon underneath the parcel and then pull it over the top until the two ends meet. Then twist the ends around each other and tie in a loose rosette or knot.

It’s also a good idea at this point to stick a couple of bows to your gift. These are incredibly cheap to buy and usually have a self-adhesive bottom, so you don’t have to use glue or tape.

Finally, finish off your wrapping with a gift tag containing a heartfelt message. You may also want to run your fingers along each edge of the gift to make it look crisper.


Ribbon and Bows


If you need a bit of extra help, then take a look at this helpful video:



Find our more about Christmas shopping with 24ace: 24ace.co.uk