Gift Wrapping - Supplies, Techniques and InspirationThe SuppliesFor gift wrapping, I recommend setting up a wrapping station in your home and buying all the supplies you'll need for 6 months or a year. (If you don't have room to designate a permanent space, a box or Rubbermaid tote will work - it's just a matter of having everything you need at hand so you're not running all over the place when you need to wrap your gift.) Just make sure the storage area is cool and dry so that the environment won't degrade your papers and embellishments.TIP: Slide toilet paper or paper towel roll cores onto the ends of wrapping paper rolls to keep them from unrolling. For equipment, I keep a single hole punch (to puncture tags for inserting a ribbon) and pens (colored gel and metallic inks add a special creative touch). Scissors, of course, are a must and you might consider buying the specialty craft scissors that cut in patterns like scalloped edges – they’re great for creating your own custom gift tags or cutting gift wrap with fancy edges. And last, but super important - make sure you have plenty of invisible tape and glue on hand. For a ‘Martha Stewart’ touch, use fabric and sewing notions as wrapping materials. If you don't sew, you can use fabric glue and create patchwork crazy quilt wrapping out of mismatched fabric remnants purchased inexpensively from a fabric or craft store (trim any exposed ends with pinking shears. If you're handy with a sewing machine, insert grommets around the fabric edges and weave ribbon through the holes to enclose your gift. Use seam binding or other sewing notions like rick rack or fabric tape in place of ribbons. More 'Wrapping with Fabric'
Techniques and Inspiration
Frugal to frivolous, your wrapping choices are pretty much endless.For me, I like to use as many generic gift wrap materials as possible – it saves on both time and money. For example, instead of buying Santa Claus design paper, go with a plain red, a metallic silver and snowy white in combination and use red, green or metallic ribbons. For small gifts, consider using copier paper. I bought a pack of bright white presentation paper in a nice heavy weight a couple of years ago and it's served me well for this purpose. It looks great, it's easy to coordinate with trimmings, and it's pennies compared to dollars for cost.
Use your imagination and have some fun with wrapping materials – comic strips, fabric, wallpaper, origami specialty papers - even dressed up craft paper – can be the perfect touch. For unique gift wrap, look no further than your local newsstand - using foreign language newspapers, especially those with exotic characters, adds a most memorable twist. For example, if you're wrapping your gift in Japanese newspaper, tuck and pleat a 6-inch band of Japanese decorative paper so the width measures about 4 inches. Then tape the decorative band to the gift and finish by adding a two or three passes of gold cording around it as a finishing touch. You can also use English language newspapers, of course - I like to choose news stories or articles that contain words I can highlight that remind me of the gift recipient. For a perfect house warming gift, wrap the box in brown kraft paper, decorate with prints using a cookie cutter, then tie the cutter onto the package with raffia. Keep the recipient's personality and interests in mind as inspiration - if she loves crossword puzzles it would be fun to use one as a gift wrapper. Music lovers will get a kick out of music sheets as gift paper, and pages from the National Geographic or a map of Africa would be perfect for a bon voyage gift for the safari traveler. A calendar page for the appropriate month is a fitting wrapper for a birthday. The sky's the limit! Cellophane gift bags can be a lifesaver for small non-fragile gifts, candies, and baked goods. I like to wrap the item in some tissue for the ‘surprise’ factor, then use ribbon, cording, or raffia to close up the bag. (For an eye-stopper touch, glitter wire with sprays of metallic cut-outs are great for this purpose – wrap the ends around a pencil for a graceful curl.) 
For small gifts, use potato chip cans, toilet paper cores, or paper towel cores and wrap them up Christmas-cracker style. Just wrap the paper around the core, securing it in place with tape, then tie the ends closed by pulling narrow ribbon or cord around them. Use scissors to fringe the ends (I like to use a double thickness of paper folded with the outside out - it makes a better fringe.)
For over-size gifts, use a party tablecloth cut down to size. Gift bags are perfect for multiple-item gifts or items that don’t have a box. Use ribbon, raffia, or glitter wire to close the top of the bag. If you can find them, colored lunch bags are inexpensive and fun for party favors and kids’ goody bags. I keep a lot of tissue paper on hand because it’s so versatile. www.CelloinaBox has an amazing array of colors to line gift boxes and use to cushion delicate items (in a pinch, I've even used it as gift wrapping because the colors are so rich and irresistible). I like to stock regular tie-on tags and also the sticky kind when mailing gifts or for large gatherings when tie-on’s can be come detached. As an alternative, ‘To’ and ‘From’ information can be written on the wrapping paper or ribbon ties in colored or metallic ink (or glue or tape the greeting card right to the top of the box). Another tip: if you’re mailing gifts and crushable bows aren’t practical, use color coordinated wrapping paper strips as ribbons - use one or two layers and glue them in place. Hide the rough ends using artificial leaves or other flat trims for a nice finishing touch.
Raffia is also a great cost-cutting option to ribbons – as beautiful as ribbon can be, it can also be very expensive, especially the wired variety. I try to confine my use of ribbon to special gifts where it will be appreciated, not ones that will be ripped open in a hurry! Ribbon's also more appropriate for small gifts – there are cheaper alternatives for big bulky packages, i.e., metallic cord. I love the texture contrast between raffia and smooth paper, so I use its colored versions a lot (it's available in a gorgeous array of rich colors). And for kid’s gifts, curling ribbons are colorful and fun. Gather three or four strands of different colors into a single strand and tie in a knot, leaving about a foot of length extra to curl by pulling against a knife blade or scissors. Use comic strips for wrapping paper or decorate plain paper by gluing wrapped candies, like mints or Kisses, dotted all over the package. If you're environmentally conscious (or your gift recipient is), consider making the gift wrapping part of the gift! Containers make great 'no-wrapping-needed' packaging: fill a bucket or watering can with gardening supplies, a mixing bowl or stockpot with kitchen items for the cook, or a reusable grocery bag lined with tissue paper or fabric. Organic fiber baby blankets, scarves and towels make for both useful and lovely gift wrap materials. Use natural embellishments instead of manufactured ones - dried berry sprigs, branches, cinnamon sticks, pine cones and shells lend a naturally beautiful note. And, of course, for the well-organized, there's always the tried and true habit of recycling the gift wrapping paper you've received.
What could be better than crafting your own origami boxes, decorative cards, and decorative papers as part of making your gift a personal expression? Here’s a site with loads of great ideas (and easy instructions) for doing just that!
Mias Craft Ideas
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Raffia strands in natural beige lend a classic country touch for rustic themes. Use several strands twisted together in place of ribbon; knot end-to-end if you need longer lengths for larger gifts.
