Make the scene:
Create Eden on a box with some silk foliage and tape.
Make the scene:
Create Eden on a box with some silk foliage and tape.
Then, when it's time to wrap your treasure you plop it into a box with some tissue paper, tape the box shut and slap one of those ready-made bows onto the box.
That's OK because, after all, it is the thought that counts. But if that's true, a little more thought and creativity may be in order for the packaging as well.
Presenting your gift sin pretty packages enhances them and tells those special someones that you think they are worth the extra effort.
So let your creative juices flow and wrap your gifts with some flair. Here, we've come up with a few ideas for unique wrapping. Most of them are easy to do and don't take more time than watching an episode of "Frasier." In fact, you can wrap and watch TV at the same time. Or put some holiday CDs on the stereo and really get into the Christmas mood.
The materials used for these wraps are available almost anywhere - craft stores, stationery shops, Longs, Woolworth's, Kmart - even 7-Eleven. They need not be expensive to be attractive. If you're worried about the environmental cost, try recycling newspaper and shopping bags into your wrap, or use a scarf or fabric as a wrap that can be reused.
Rubber bands: The easiest trick in the book, honestly.
Repeat, laying the bands over each other as you work. You can space the bands out or push them close together, whichever you prefer. Use as many bands as you want. If you want to cover the box with paper, make sure it is snug so it doesn't crinkle when you put on the bands.
Look for colored rubber bands at Flora-Dec, Woolworth's and Hopaco.
Recycled: Waste not, want not.
The shopping bag used for the wrapping came from Canoe, a clothing store at Ala Moana Center. The tufted decoration is reused raffia, available from most craft stores.
Glitzy: Gilded paper and ribbon hint at glittery surprises inside. Just be sure your gift lives up to its packaging.
The ribbon is wired along the edges, which makes it easy to tie a bow and at the same time anchor the doo-dahs in the middle.
The look of your wrapping can hint of what's inside; maybe a gold necklace?
Natural products: Textured rice paper and an assortment of dried flowers in muted earth tones offer a distinctive alternative to commercial gift wraps.
The raffia wrapped around the package is braided to give it a cleaner, more artsy-craftsy look and provides an anchor for the rest of the decorations. All of these plant products and many others are available at craft stores and garden shops.
Arranging the dried plants does take some delicate hand work because some of them are quite delicate. Put together the bouquet and tie it tight before attaching it to the raffia.
Furoshiki: Above, is the Japanese way to package gifts.
Place the box in the middle of the scarf with the flat sides facing the corners of the scarf. Grab two opposite corners of the scarf and tie them together on top of the box, keeping the knot as flat as possible.
Take the other two corners and tie them in a square knot. Pull down the corners and arrange the folds. You're done.
Keep in mind the size and strength of your gift box and your color scheme when picking the elements for your scene. Choose a porous paper to cover the box so that glue and tape will stick more easily.
Place the various decorations on the box, shifting things around until you get the look you want. Glue or tape the larger decorations first, then build the rest of the scene.
Stickers: Wrap the gift in plain paper, then let the kids get into the act of placing stickers wherever there's a blank space.
Ran out of ribbon: Fudge a solution, using ornaments to obscure your incomplete bow.
Don't fret. If you have an old tree ornament or garland around, just twist or tie it to the empty spot in the ribbon decoration. Or cut a sprig from your tree and attach it in the gaps.
The look here is traditional - lots of red and green - but the wired foil garland adds an extra element. Just wrap the garland around a pencil, pull the pencil out and, voila, you have a coil of shiny stuff to fill in the puka.
Bag it: It's quick and easy, but still looks labor intensive, left, when you put thought into coordinated colors and some moon and star doo-dads available from craft supply stores.
Other decorative elements, such as the puffy celestial bodies and tassel from Flora Dec, shown on our cover, add a special touch with a minimum of work.
The key is coordinating colors and decorations, and placing some paper - tissue, foil or even the Sunday comics - inside the bag to hide the gift.
Tying the bag's handles together with ribbon, yarn or a wire garland keeps the gift from falling out the bag.