Wrap a surprise!

Did you know that every little thing you do – the way you keep your wardrobe, the state of your desktop, – speak volumes about the person you are. So, has it ever occurred to you that the way you wrap a present/gift may also be analyzed in the same way by the person receiving it? Yes, this is perfectly possible! It is, therefore, important that you take care to wrap the gift carefully and neatly, irrespective of the fact that it’s meant for a friend, family member or colleague. December is the season of giving and gifting. Everyone loves to get a beautifully wrapped gift.

An innovatively wrapped a gift not only shows off your creativity but it also makes the receiver very happy and inquisitive to know what is in the beautifully packed package. It also displays that you really care for them as you took the time and effort to wrap the gift to make it truly special. The gift can be a common gift like a photo frame or a clock, but the essence of it lies in the way you present it.

Gift wrapping has been treated as an art and also as an alternative career option by very enterprising women. It does not take too much of an effort, provided you have an ardent interest for it. Don’t waste your money on pretty paper–put a little creativity into your gift wrap and make your next gift extra special. Anything from old chocolate wrappers to folding the wrapper in a non-conventional style can make a gift look different.

You can make a personalized wrapper at home using old strips of paper or even try making your own handmade paper. Buy a solid-colored wrapping paper, put the stencil on top of it, and spray paint the stencil. With precut patterns and designs, stencils are great for spray painting. They look professional and don’t require a lot of effort. You can find letter, border or graphic stencils at any craft store. Or you can make your own by cutting patterns out of construction paper. Mix and match different stencils to create busy patterns, or just add a few letters and a border. Both ideas create a unique gift wrap.

Paper need not be the only thing that you need to use, you can use a different varieties of cloth as a wrapper. Once you get started on thinking of new ways to wrap gifts, you’ll see ideas in a variety of items you have around the house.

Here are some ideas for a perfect and different gifting solution.

1. A vase of flowers presented with a nice and neat bow tied around it. And a personalized message on a card made by you, instead of a conventional bouquet of flowers. The flowers will finally wilt away but the vase remains.
2. A potted herb home grown by you and its medicinal properties written on a card, makes an unusual and a very warm gift.
3. You want to gift someone a casserole. rather than just wrap it up, fill it with a well presented dish you made for your host, for example a nice healthy salad, or if your host enjoys biriyani, a casserole filled with biriyani, with a a recipe card and don’t forget to tell your host the casserole is a gift.
4. An old jam jar filled with assorted sweets and jelly beans, makes perfect gifts for kids. You can put up stickers on the jam jar to make it look attractive.
5. You can use old greeting cards as gift tags Neatly cut out the front portion of the greeting card. Stick it on the front of the gift and scribble down your message on the blank edge.
6. Another interesting wrapping option is the newspaper. Have you ever thought that you could even gift-wrap with a colorful newspaper? For a very dramatic effect, use newspaper pull-outs that are very colorful, with interesting pictures and cartoons. Do it very neatly and add a small bow after the wrapping’s done.
7. Out of stock of your usual paper? Use brown paper and decorate it using glitters and and color and maybe even a picture from an old calendar to add that wow factor to your gift!
8. Try layering papers — mixing and matching patterns, colors, and textures. When wrapping your parcel, begin with one pattern, then run a band of complementary paper around the center. Finish with a velvet ribbon for added texture.
9.  Gifting a shirt? Use the shirt as the wrapper. Lay a button-down shirt flat with the back of the shirt facing up. Slide your gift box inside the shirt. Fold the top and bottom of the shirt over the gift. Use a safety pin to secure any excess fabric, if necessary. Cross the sleeves so they wrap around the back of the box, then flip the gift right side up. Tie the sleeves into a square knot. If your gift is narrow, you may be able to tie the sleeves into a bow.
10. Old sarees, neatly ironed can be used to wrap a very special gift. The sari border can be used innovatively as a bow, to add an extra touch you can add dried flowers or maybe even jasmine strands to give it a different, fresh look.

Don’t leave personally wrapping a gift as something to be done at the last minute. Always do it on a plain uncluttered surface. Don’t forget to attach a plain hand written note on top of the gift and another personal from the heart message inside. This will ensure that your gift will truly cherished and admired.

Just kick start that old creative machine in you, you will be surely surprised to see the different gifts you could think of and the different ways you can wrap it up.

Whenever you gift something…don’t forget your SMILE at home, remember to wear it, because that’s one thing that matters the most! Happy Gifting!