One of my favourite things to do at Christmas is to wrap presents. For me it's another opportunity to be creative and to make the thought and time taken part of the gift.
I usually just use wrapping paper from Costco but this year I also used tissue paper and patterned cello wrap.
Starting in October, I start looking for ribbon and small decorations to attach to the presents. I get most of them from Michaels, Wal-Mart, and dollar shops. I love dollar shops. Some of the stuff sold there is junky but if you shop carefully you can find decorations that don't look cheap. Plus, in November Michaels discount their decorations 50-75% so you can wait to buy them and get enough for the following year.
I buy decorative picks (as they are called) and fake flower stems which I then take apart. You will need wire cutters for this as there is usually wire underneath the plastic coating. I also like to buy those small decorations meant for small table-top trees as they have a cord attached to tie around the ribbon.
Sometimes I will stick the decoration onto the paper. I usually use Aleene's Tacky Glue although, in my experience, it has limitations. It works best for flatter, lighter items.
When cutting up the flower stems I make sure there is a long enough length to slip into the ribbon bow which is tight enough to hold it.
These ideas are easy yet make an impact far beyond their small additional cost.
Beautiful! You are so creative and have a great eye.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mary. You too. The table decorations you created for Jared & Stacey's wedding breakfast were gorgeous.
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