How to be a gift wrap wizard
Where do creative ideas come from? The cool thing about gift wrapping is that it’s offers the chance to make a personal gesture while having fun. But there are some tricks that will make life easier, so if you are a little shy, don’t fret, here are some tips that will get you going.
It’s all about attitude. If you look upon gift wrapping as a chore, you are missing one of life’s golden moments - the opportunity to have fun and add to the excitement of the gift giving moment with your own personal touch. And the first place to start is to realize that you have lots of friends and relatives, and just like you, they like receiving gifts. So instead of rushing through the part that offers so much and pays big bonuses, slow down and think. You may even find yourself inventing little gift giving opportunities just so you can flex the creative side of the brain.
Tip 1: What does it take to get into the creative mode? You may be surprised at the tips: get organized! It’s no fun being disorganized, you loose momentum if you have to look for stuff. The basics is have 1) a drawer for tools, 2)a box for collected items that you’ve picked anywhere and 3)a few file folders. And the last thing: 4)a notebook. This is nothing special, I fill mine up with all sorts of thing, mostly because I have such a poor memory. What you put in it is up to you. It could be gift giving thoughts for special people, little snips of colored ribbon and paper that go together, even snapshots of your best cupcake toppings. You’d be surprised at the triggers it will bring when it comes time to decorate.
Tip 2: Paper - The essential ingredient. This will do a lot to set the mood. Playful for birthdays, elegant for weddings, exotic for Valentine’s Day. And don’t forget colored tissue paper, a great material for making flowers and can be combined with colored construction paper for box top decorations. Use colored tissue for inside the box as well. Plan it so that when the top is removed there will be a sprinkling of multicolored confetti to add an unexpected treat. For the outside wrap take a look at handmade papers. Some are not very expensive and the scrapes can be recycled into gift cards. Some of these handmades are so exotic that twisting several colors of yarn together is all that’s needed for the perfect finish. For a special touch add a handmade gift tag.
Tip 3: Experiment - Take a little time to play with materials, you may be surprised with what you come up with. Try using scraps to make your own quilt-looking paper. Or measure the top of the box to a make a quilt to fit. Play around with stamping patterns, a great technique with either store-bought or handmade art. You can make up fortune cookie sayings to go with your stampings. These can be stamped, or letters cut from magazines, or your own handwriting. Shake-em paint pens work well for this, be sure to clean your stamps.
Sometimes moments are best recorded as ageless memories. Sandcastles, snow men and special gifts can live on. Put your personal touch to a gift and see what happens.
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