Hi, my name is Ann and I’m a wrapaholic.
Each holiday season, I prepare two lists – one filled with gifts for my family and friends and one outlining my wrapping plans. I am a planner and perfectionist at heart, and I anxiously await the thrill I get from filling the tree skirt with perfectly-wrapped packages. Don’t think of the following list as a list of unrealistic expectations, but rather a look into the crazy confessions of this wrapper.
1. Start with a color story. Each year, I pick a theme. I carry it through from my holiday cards, to my tree (yes, I redo my tree annually) to my wrapping. I always incorporate at least one or two solid wraps and one or two prints. I love the look of banding a printed wrap or fine paper around solids. This year – my color story is pool, peacock, chocolate and touches of silver.
2. Go double-stick or go home. Ask my husband and he will grudgingly admit that in our house you cannot find a single roll of regular tape. My edges are crisp and my tape is hidden.
3. No pre-made bows allowed. I love our double-faced satin ribbon. I always pick up matching colors in multiple widths. There’s so much you can do from weaving to bands to bows. Top off with a little ornament for a special touch.
4. Say yes to printed gift tags! I have two favorite styles of printed gift tags that I use every year. For the first, I print on a sheet of 8.5” x 11” cardstock, cut it into small shapes and then use a decorate hole punch, like a snowflake. This year, I decided to use our fabulous sheeted stickers for a sophisticated look.
5. Build a collection. For instance, if I’m giving my father-in-law three gifts. I would make sure one was wrapped in pool, one in chocolate and one in the print. This way, when they are stacked in front of him before he opens, they still look fabulous.
While admittedly extreme, I never lose sight of the beauty of the season and the joy of giving. So if you find yourself at my house over Christmas… go ahead, rip into that package and enjoy!
Happy Holidays to you and yours.
–Ann
PS colors: pool, peacock & chocolate
Latest fave: PS Booklet Calendar
beautiful wrapping job!!
Divine!! I think of myself as a recovering perfectionist but I might let this be the one area that my inner perfectionist takes over! I already wrap with a bonefolder and have a theme every year but you’ve given me so many more ideas — prints plus solid wrap, coordinating the gifts for one person, and double-sided tape (maybe I’ll have to work up to that one!). Thanks! Molly in Florida (Paper Source — please bring a store to Florida! 🙂
Lovely wrapping. So reminds me of my mom and our presents when we were little. Thanks for sharing and bringing back memories I’d forgotten.
These packages are stunning! Love them all!
I am a wrapper myself. Each year family and friends allow me to express my creativity in wrapping their gifts for them. I love adding little details like special bows, colorful accessories and unusual wrapping paper. Sometimes the wrapping is simple – kraft paper and red yarn. Other times it’s a little more detailed – a package with ribbon tied on to create handles for easy carrying. All of it is done with love, all of it is a way to express my creative side, and NONE of it involves a gift bag! Your gift wrapping has given me new ideas, especially with the ribbon weaving. Thank you for sharing and inspiring me to photograph my own creations so I can share those too!
WOW! Fabulous! I love how you weaved the ribbons on some of the packages! Tutorial please! I’m sure everyone who gets one of your gifts appreciates it. They are almost too beautiful to unwrap. Maybe I’ll wrap some empty boxes like this as decorations instead!
Hello,
Love these elegant wraps! Happy Holidays!
~ Gabriela ~
Beautiful use of ribbon and non-traditional holiday colors! A refreshing change from the typical “Christmas red and green”.
How do you get your bows so perfect? When I tie mine, they are always off center?! You are amazing!!!
I am so thrilled to know that I am not the only wrapping weirdo/perfectionist out there! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing – your packages are beautiful! It was like reading an article that I would have written myself! This year my color scheme is pool, paper bag, red and white and I also love to band prints over solids and create layers with the ribbons! Although, I’ve never woven the ribbons like that – what a great idea!!! This year I’ve done coordinating solid tags using PS solid cardstock in Pool and Paper Bag with a snowflake punch!
i love buying yards and yards of kraft paper for the very reason that it’s cost effective and stunning! i love to add a solid bow and band of printed paper to give it an extra something! i’m always glad to know there are fellow wrappers out there that take the time and effort to make their packages look great. 🙂
Love it!!! Is the presentation more important than the actual gift itself?!?!? To a handful of us, it is at least of equal importance! Looks like you’re mad for plaid! Love the use of ribbon! To my creative friend…keep creating! 🙂
Wrapping has always been important for my mother sister and aunt. My sister in law had wrapping anxiety the first year she and my brother were married! This year I exhausted my stock oaf ribbon and paper and did I mention that I have to coordinate the wrap on all my holiday baking too? It’s really an illness with no cure!
I love the colors you used. I used those last year. I’m a wrapper myself too but I always love seeing new ideas. Great job
Your examples are very similar to what I do when wrapping our gifts. We once had 2 enormous cats (the “boys”) who would chew ALL the bows. Teeth marks and cat drool so do not add to the prettiness! After a few years of thinking they’d outgrow this habit I stopped using bows and got creative with ribbon. Now the boys are gone and you guessed it, I have a little dog who chews on almost anything left on the floor. So, no bows…still. But so worth it! 🙂 And we still have pretty presents.
Merry Christmas
HHHOOOLLLYY COW!! Totally gorgeous, and glad someone else loves the wrapping part too 🙂 I just hit up a few sales yesterday and already bought my wrap for next year!
Woowoo! A woman after my own heart.
I would love to know how the ends are finished for the woven bands.
I am with Tina. I would be interested to know how the wonven bands are secured.
What an inspiration! I thought I was a great wrapper, but you have given me new things to think about, and aspire to, for next year! Thank you.
Awesome. I have to ask, when you open gifts, do you slice the tape, take the paper off intact, fold and put aside? Or do you rip, crumple and toss? The world is divided into these two camps. Mix the two parties at Christmas and tension results. I grew up in a clip and save family; my DH in a tear and toss family. It is agony. I think if you gave me a gift, I would use tweezers to minimize damage. Maybe even extract the gift and rewrap the box to continue admiring it. So beautiful…
Cath—- yes, I was brought up by Depression parents. It was an unspoken Christmas law in our house that you had to carefully open the package and save the wrap. My siblings and I had a huge box with “kids wrap” year-to-year that consisted of saved pieces that we were allowed to use to wrap gifts. One year my sister and I actually ironed the all the gift wrap in this box! It was nice though, to use them year in and year out. Our presents certainly weren’t coordinated the way Ann did in the photo above (BEAUTIFUL! By the way!!), but all these re-used wraps made it somehow special. I still cringe when someone just RIPS into a beautifully wrapped gift, except now, I would use the scrap pieces in paper crafting projects! (No more “kids wrap” box)
Another wrapping fiend! I love it! My daughter and I are both (almost) more interested in how it is wrapped rather than what is being wrapped….it’s a disease.
Wow you are great and the colors are well balanced with dark and cool. LOve PS!!!
You are completely crazy… just like me.
I love it, and seeing it in print leaves me feeling validated in my extreme-wrapping-obsession. Thanks ♥