How to WrapBeautiful Christmas Gifts

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Christmas is our favourite time of the year at Dotcomgiftshop, providing the ideal opportunity to make everything sparkly and gorgeous, including all your carefully selected gifts.

But what if you’re all fingers and thumbs when it comes to gift wrapping? For those that aren’t particularly handy with a pair of scissors and tape, wrapping the presents can be just as stressful as shopping for them.

Certain people just seem to have the knack don’t they? Like it’s some sort of magical power they were unfairly awarded at birth.

The truth is though that gift wrapping is a skill that anyone can easily acquire with a little patience and the right set of instructions.

With that in mind we decided to make it our mission this year to ensure everyone can wrap their Christmas gifts beautifully, so we’ve put together this useful guide, jam-packed with useful advice and expert tips.

You’ll learn how to wrap awkwardly shaped gifts, the art of tying ribbon and pretty much everything you need to know to wrap presents like an elf in Santa’s workshop!

HOW TO WRAP BEAUTIFULCHRISTMAS GIFTS

PREPARATION

MEASURING,CUTTING&WRAPPING

CONTINUE READING FOR OUR EASYSTEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS & TOP TIPS

First work out how much paper you’ll need by placing your gift box on the sheet of wrapping paper. A good estimate is to cut a piece three times the width of your gift, which will wrap around the top of the box. The paper at the sides should be a little less than the height of the box.

Try folding the paper before you cut it for a neater edge. You may not be one of the superhuman few who have mastered the skill of gliding through paper in a single sweep of the scissors, so cutting along a fold will keep you on the straight and narrow.

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Before you get started, don’t forget to remove any price tags (unless you want them to know how much you spent).

Consider placing awkward shaped gifts into boxes.Not only does this make them easier to wrap, it also makes the gift seem more exciting. A box could be anything!

You should wrap your presents on a hard, flat surface. Make sure you have plenty of room and lay out everything you’ll need nearby: scissors, tape, gift tags and ribbons.

Cut your lengths of tape first, or use a tape dispenser, so that you don’t have to hold down the paper and do the one-handed wrestle with a roll of sticky tape.

Pack Of 3 Christmas Panettone Gift Boxes £4.95

Pack Of 4 Scandi Chic Paper Washi Tapes £3.95

Place the box in the middle of the paper and pull one end over so it covers the top.Fold the paper inward at the edge you’re going

to stick down to create a crisp seam. Pull it tightly over the box before taping it down.

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Finally, pull the flap up towards the box and tape horizontally at the top.5

To seal the ends, push the top piece of wrapping down in the middle, and then fold the edges at the sides to create two triangles or ‘wings’.

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Repeat the process from the opposite side, folding the edge to create a seam, pulling it tightly over and then sticking it down.

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Repeat the process at the opposite end. Finally, for a professional finish, run your thumb along all of the edges to create clearly defined seams.

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Pull each of the wings in towards the box, creasing along the bottom to create another seam.4

WRAPPING A BOX

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NEXT: HOW TO WRAP A TUBE OR CYLINDER

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NEXT: HOW TO WRAP AWKWARDLY SHAPED GIFTS

WRAPPING A TUBE OR CYLINDER

Lie down your cylinder in the middle of the wrapping paper, and cut the paper to the length you need to wrap it around the tube. Don’t tape

it closed just yet.

1To measure the paper at each end, fold it up to the centre of the tube, and cut it at that length.2

Roll up the cylinder in the paper, leaving an equal amount of paper at each end, and tape it in place.

3Now for the ends - they’re a little tricky! Fold the paper into the centre of the tube.4

Keep folding the paper into the middle, back on itself, at regular intervals, so that it looks forms little triangle shapes.

5Once you have gone all the way around, tape it in place.6

Repeat the process at the other end, and finish with a ribbon.7

TRY ME!

50’s ChristmasWrapping Paper £1.95

50’s Red Christmas Wrapping Paper £1.95

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NEXT: HOW TO WRAP AWKWARDLY SHAPED GIFTS

WRAPPING A TUBE OR CYLINDER

As we all know, gifts can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, so how do you wrap, say, a pineapple?

Well, it’s worth repeating the idea to put awkwardly shaped items into boxes so you can then wrap the box. But if that isn’t your cup of Christmas cocoa, here are some tips that may help.

For really large gifts, tape several pieces of ywrapping paper together and wrap in the usual way. You could also try mixing and matching different patterned paper.

Use coloured tissue paper instead of traditional wrapping paper; it’s extra flexibility ymeans it can bind itself to the shape of your gift.

Similarly, use ribbon instead of tape. This offers greater flexibility and also looks a lot ymore exciting than plain old sticky tape.

Pop your present in a gift bag lined with tissue paper, tape the top closed, or tie it yshut with a ribbon: this is an especially good method for a bottle of wine.

Try wrapping your gift up like a Christmas cracker by leaving excess paper at each yend, twisting it, and tying it with ribbons. This is easiest to do with tissue paper, which you can layer with several different colours to look really special.

WRAPPING AN AWKWARDLY SHAPED GIFT

NEXT: HOW TO TIE A RIBBON

5 Sheets Of Vintage ChristmasWrapping Paper £6.95

Pack Of 6 Sweetie Gift Boxes £5.95

50’s Christmas GiftBag £2.95

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Hold the ribbon in place and cut it so that both ends are the same length. Bring the newly cut end under the first layer of ribbon.

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Wrap the ribbon around the length of the box, back to the point you are holding with your thumb, making sure it doesn’t twist.

Turn the ribbon through 90 degrees, holding both layers with your thumb, and wrap it around the width of the box, back to your starting point.

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Then knot it, and tie the two ends into a bow the same way you would tie your shoes.For satin ribbons, trim the ends diagonally, or if

you’re using thinner ribbon carefully run one blade of a pair of scissors along the loose ends so that they curl, for the final beautiful touch. Voilà!

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First, decide where on the box you want your ribbon to be: this could be in the middle, or towards one of the corners. With your thumb,

hold one end of the ribbon on that point, leaving enough excess to tie the bow with later.

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HOW TO TIE A RIBBONThere’s nothing like a ribbon to finish off a gift and make it look truly beautiful. But if the thought of tying one makes you go all fingers and thumbs, follow these useful steps and you’ll have a pile of perfect presents in no time.

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Dolly Bobbin Ribbon Red+white Spot £4.95

Set Of 6 Ribbons Vintage Christmas £6.95

Vintage Crafts Ribbon Christmas Holly £2.95

Traditional Christmas Ribbons £2.95