Get your presents prepped! Make the most of your gift wrapping, ensure neat edges & craft your own homemade tags...
It's beginning to feel a lot like gift wrapping time! Get your paper, scissors and trusty sellotape dispenser at the ready, I'm about to let you in on my best wrapping secrets.
It's always a real weight off your shoulders if you can find the time to get presents organised before the children break up to save any accidental discoveries! It's also much more relaxing to get it done in the morning when you're alone - pop some great Christmas music on and really get into the swing of it!
In my recent video, I show you how to tackle even the trickiest of shapes - from a rugby ball to ski goggles, and also how to make the sweetest little gift tags that just give your gifts a wonderfully personal touch.
With tricky shapes, start by wrapping the gift in a few layers of tissue paper first. This almost 'cloaks' the shape and makes it much, much easier to wrap.
Before you cut your wrapping paper, do make sure that you have enough to go right the way around the present and overlap ever so slightly. You will almost certainly be able to find a use for offcuts however, if you do get a little scissor happy!
Try to keep your cuts as straight as possible, this will make the whole process so much easier, as the angle of the cuts affects the folds on either end.
After wrapping the sheet around the present once and sellotaping together, gently push down on each open end of the gift, pinching the sides firmly before folding once both toward each other. This should create a sharp point or flat edged point - both are fine as long as they are neat! Now bring this point up to your middle fold that runs the length of the present.
Do not underestimate the power of the sellotape dispenser. I honestly don't know how I lived without it. Sellotape your ends nice and secure, and you should be left with a neatly wrapped gift!
My store of choice for wrapping paper this year has been Homesense - such a great selection and fantastic value. Some rolls even come with pre-cut sheets, which can be a great help.
I love personalised gift tags - they just demonstrate that extra element of thoughtfulness and effort! This year I purchased a nice bundle of brown card tags, and a great box of Christmas stamps with an ink pad included. You can find some fantastic crafting bits and pieces in the Hobbycraft Christmas aisles at this time of year if you are after something similar.
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without gold pen! I write all my tags out with gold ink, for that added bit of festive sparkle. If the ink from your stamp isn't quite dry, do be mindful of your tabletop when writing on the back of it - I place mine onto the tissue paper from wrapping earlier and it works almost like an old fashioned blotting paper.
Sellotape your homemade gift tag onto the top of your well-wrapped present, and you're away!
I ordered the most beautiful few pieces for my Goddaughter Matilda from Mimosa Baby. They have some wonderfully made bits and pieces for children so do check them out! She is also receiving the most perfect little Liberty print items, I just couldn't resist!
If you order something online for a friend or loved one, it's a good idea to carefully unwrap and check your parcels before you gift wrap. Remove any prices, check sizings and then pop back into the wrapping - don't forget any flyers or cards the company may have left inside, in case the receiver loves them so much they wish to order more!
Happy wrapping!
Love, Charlie x