How to Wrap a Pretty Gift in 5 Minutes or Less

I don’t know about you, but it seems like every time my kids get invited to a party, I forget to wrap the gift until we’re on our way out the door and I see it sitting there on our mudroom bench.

You’re probably thinking why don’t you just throw it in a gift bag?  Well gift bags are nice, but there’s just something so thrilling about tearing paper to reveal the fun surprise underneath.  This is especially important to kiddos.  🙂  So I put together a “Wrap a Gift in a Pinch” sort of tutorial for those of you out there who are last minute wrappers like me.  And the best part is…the end result will look like you put tons of time and effort into making it look pretty when in actuality, it took only minutes!

I’m by no means an expert on this subject, but you can bet that I learned a thing or two when wrapping birthday party gifts (and even sometimes Santa gifts) for 10 siblings while growing up.  It was mass production at times.  🙂

I keep one main goal in mind when wrapping: I want the end result to appeal to a child.  Think about it…what’s the first gift a kid will unwrap when presented with an overwhelming pile of packages?  The answer is, without a doubt, the biggest, brightest, most colorful-looking one, preferably with candy attached to it.  🙂

1. Wrapping paper choice is everything!  It doesn’t have to be expensive, but the look of it really matters!  I often purchase rolls in the dollar section of Target.  They usually have some cute varieties there that are perfect for wrapping smaller gifts.  I also buy the postal paper rolls at the Dollar Tree.  I just love the look of brown paper packages tied up with string.  🙂 Hobby Lobby has some really fun kid’s prints.  They come in giant rolls, and I love that it’s durable paper and I can use a coupon.
2. Wrap it tightly.  Loosely wrapped gifts tend to look sloppy.
3. Angular is better.  If the gift is a strange shape, find a shoe box or another spare box to put it in.  I hoard shipping boxes and shoe boxes just for this purpose.  🙂
4. Leave no edges raw.  Fold raw wrapping paper edges over and crease, then continue wrapping, so that all edges showing are finished and clean-looking.
5. Trim off extra paper. This is key.  Excess paper gives a bulky end look.
6. Be strategic about tape placement.  This is nit picky, but you really don’t need a lot of tape to hold it together.  Even though it’s clear, tape can make a nice wrapping job look untidy if overused.  A few on the bottom and one on each side should suffice.
7. Roll clothing.  If you’re wrapping clothes that are not in a box, to make the end product a little more visually pleasing, try tightly rolling the item before wrapping.  It’ll save on paper too!
8. Every gift needs embellishment of some sort.  It’s like the cherry on top of the sundae, the icing on the cake-it’s incomplete without it.  Embellishments add a pop of color, extra dimension and appeal. This can be easily accomplished with ribbon, raffia, jute, twine, tulle, a big button, doily, a paper or silk flower, even a small pennant banner or an attached bag of candy.  Use your imagination.
9. Add a tag, a card, or a monogram letter to finish it off.  Pinterest is a great source for free printable gift tags and labels.  I found my chalkboard tags HERE.