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The elves love wrapping presents and this page gives some basic ideas.
Just about everything can be finished with crepe paper or ribbon bows
or flowers and/or Christmas decorations. You can work wonders with a
little imagination.
- Use plain papers in Christmas colours and tie with ribbons. If you
use plain papers they can also be used or re-used throughout the year.
- Brown paper (available from NZ Postshops and stationers) is great.
Decorate the paper with crayons, glitter pens or use a rubber stamp.
This is also a great way to amuse children.
- Believe it or not, newspaper, comics and magazine pages make great,
trendy wrapping for your gifts. To finish of your parcel use crepe
paper bows. These look great.
- Decorate grocery bags for gift bags.
- Decorate your gifts with reusable decorations such as wool, pine
cones or fresh flowers or greenery.
- Make the wrapping a part of the gift, decorate pillow cases, cloth
napkins, scarves, baskets, tins, etc.
- Use crepe paper to wrap your gifts and add crepe paper bows.
- Wrap your parcels in fabric rather than paper. Finish your parcel
with ribbons or a Christmas decoration.
- Those old Pringle crisp containers make great canisters for
giving biscuits etc.
- Disguise the container by covering with festive or plain paper
or you can paint the container. - Remember to disguise the lid.
- Decorate the canister (if you want to)
- Fix trimming around the lid and the base
- Fill with some home-made goodies (i.e. biscuits) and give to
someone special.
- Bamboo steamers make a great way to package gifts. They can be used
for just about anything.
- For food gifts, line the steamer with plain or festive napkins
then add your gift
- Fill with tissue paper, wood wool or shredded paper etc. and
add your gift
- Line with napkins, hand towel etc. and add appropriate gift.
- Old shoe boxes can be covered with festive paper, decoupage or painted.
Stuff with tissue paper, wood wool, shredded paper etc. and place
your gift inside. Tie with crepe paper bows. (Old shoe boxes are great
for storage boxes for photographs).
- Festive tins are wonderful for gifts which need to be kept airtight
such as loose leaf tea and biscuits etc.
- Paper gift bags are easy. Wrap your present in tissue paper and
put in bag.
- Make fabric or felt Christmas stockings or bags of various sizes
to hold your gift.
- Wrap your gift to look like a Christmas cracker. Make your cracker
from paper or fabric and tie the ends with ribbon.
Tip: You can use the cardboard insert from a toilet paper roll
or cut the insert from a paper hand towel roll in half to make the
cracker shape.
- Baskets come in all shapes and sizes. Some with handles some without.
Choose the basket carefully and it can be reused for years afterwards.
Stuff the basket with tissue, wood wool, or shredded paper then add
your gift.
If you're giving food, think about lining the basket with a festive
tea towel or napkins.
- Old boxes can be used just as baskets above. If the box is slightly
damaged or written on, cover it with paper or paint it.
- When over-wrapping baskets or boxes etc. use netting rather than
cellophane. The net can be used as a food cover afterwards.
- Buy recycled gift wrap and cards.
- Many stores and shopping malls offer a free gift wrapping service
when you purchase items. Some charities also set up gift wrapping
stalls in malls and usually charge a nominal fee. I think this is
a fantastic way to make a donation and get one of those jobs out of
the way. If you really don't like wrapping gifts or you are short
of time why not make use of the service.
- Your ideas go here !!!
If you have any ideas you would like to share, please send them to
the chiefelf@digitalelves.co.nz
However you choose to wrap your gifts, please make sure your
wrapping can be recycled or reused. Avoid using foil wrapping as it
cannot be recycled. Hold the wrapping in place with ribbons etc. instead
of sticky tape.
See the craft section for an idea on making
Christmas stockings and bags.
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