Gift Wrapping Hacks
Does anyone else feel like this year went by in a blur? I can’t believe that it’s already December and the holiday season is upon us! This time of year can be busy, with holiday parties, gifts to buy, and traditions to take part in, so I wanted to make your lives a little bit easier in this busy season with another life hacks blog! This month’s focus is gift wrapping, because regardless of what holiday you celebrate, gift wrapping is just a part of the season. If you’re like me, your gifts are not going to be the pretty ones under the tree, but instead the bubbly ones, usually with a little too much tape! Hopefully this post will help make this year’s gifts a little less bubbly, and maybe they’ll be able to blend in with the pretty gifts after using these hacks!
Hack #1: Use gift bows
Most people, myself included, love having things to open! Usually a gift bag is just not quite as exciting as a wrapped gift. Sometimes gift bags do work better, and can be a good solution for those tricky to wrap items, but wrapping at least 1-2 gifts every year is pretty much unavoidable. One of the trickiest parts of gift wrapping with fine motor challenges is tying the ribbon. Sometimes it feels like a two person job, just to make sure the ribbon is tight enough to actually stay on the gift! That’s why I like to use gift bows! You can purchase them in large bags for pretty cheap, and they stick onto the boxes with a peel and stick adhesive, or a piece of tape. An easy alternative to the hassle of ribbons!
Hack #2: Good quality wrapping paper with grid lines
When wrapping gifts, cutting the wrapping paper too short is a common problem that I run into, and I find myself using scrap pieces to cover things up, or having to waste a big chunk of paper because it was too short for the intended package. To help with this, I look for wrapping paper that has grid lines on the inside. This usually comes with the paper that is a little more expensive, but to me it’s worth it! The grid lines make it easy for me to follow along the line when cutting, which guarantees that my paper will never be too short! On top of that, the paper with grid lines is typically a little bit thicker than just any kind of paper. I prefer this, because the paper holds up better when I fold it the wrong way, and it’s less likely to rip during the wrapping process because it’s so sturdy!
Hack #3: Use stickers instead of tape
This hack is a fun one, and one that your gift recipients will enjoy too, especially if you have kids on your list this year! Tape can be tricky when wrapping, especially with all the different kinds out there. From your standard tape, to gift wrapping specific tape, to double sided tape (which can be helpful in some scenarios, but can also be a nightmare to work with), there are a lot of options! I find all of them to be tedious, as I tend to use too much tape on accident when trying to rip it off the dispenser. An easy solution to this is to use stickers! I find that larger stickers are often easier to peel off of the backing than small ones. Just like gift bows, you can get large packs of stickers from any craft store easily. You can also customize them to match the holiday or the recipient, whether you choose to use snowflakes, gingerbread men, or maybe a preferred cartoon character for the recipient! This gets rid of the hassles that come with tape while still giving you a nicely wrapped gift that has an extra fun twist that everyone will love!
Hack #4: Choose your scissors wisely
I know that when wrapping gifts, cutting jagged lines in the paper makes the rest of the wrapping process difficult, from worrying about not having enough paper, to making sure the edges line up, to making sure that the gift looks nice once it’s wrapped. That’s why I am very selective about the scissors I use when wrapping gifts. I tend to gravitate towards one of the following two options. I am left handed, and my fellow lefties will agree with me when I say that we live in a world that is designed for right handed people. Once I bought left handed scissors, my life became considerably easier, especially when wrapping gifts. These scissors have an angled blade, so that they cut smoothly when holding them in your left hand. The other option, which I tend to use more frequently, is using universal fabric scissors. These scissors can be used by anyone, regardless of if you are left or right handed. They also make it very easy for the scissors to glide across the paper, giving you smooth lines with every gift you wrap!
I hope that these hacks make your gift wrapping process a little bit easier, less stressful and more fun this holiday season! Thanks for reading all of the blog posts this year! I’ll be back in January with more blogs! Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year!
