Category: Gift Wrapping

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Gift wrapping idea of the week: Fun bunting

There’s something cheerful and festive about bunting that can put a smile on anyone’s face. This miniature bunting used as part of this gift wrap is no exception when it comes to fun gift wrapping… 

Bunting from acottagelife Etsy shop


Why we love it:
1. It’s bright, fun and festive
2. It would suit any recipient – male, female, young or older. 
3. It’s a great way of using up fabric scraps if you make it yourself. Simply cut your fabric into little triangles and use a sew together with a sewing machine. Or you could purchase it from Etsy shop, acottagelife 
4. You can play around with the theme and colours. You could just use one type of fabric, plain or printed fabric, alternate fabric colours and prints, or use a contrasting coloured or metallic thread.  
5. The bright colours of this bunting look great set against the natural kraft paper used here. 
6. The handwritten message and haphazard way the bunting is wrapped around the gift all add to the handmade charm! 

Check out our other gift wrapping ideas here…

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Gift wrapping idea of the week: Message for the Bride and Groom

This gift wrapping is sure to make your present stand out from the other gifts on the gift table…

Why we love it:

  1. This is a great way to share one of your favourite poems, quotes of advice for the happy couple. 
  2. It’s simple to make – you could print the words from a computer or simply hand-write them. 
  3. If your message is longer you could simple wrap them words around the side of the gift. 
  4. The brightly coloured hearts used here are fun, but you could also opt for gold or silver or red and white, which would give a completely different look. 
What message would you give to the bride and groom? 
We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…
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Gift wrapping idea of the week: Glitz and Glamour

It’s Wedding Month on the Mr Gift blog this September, which means that many of our posts will have a wedding theme. Our first ‘wedding orientated’ post is dedicated to gift wrapping. The below gift wrapping examples originally came from a post on Christmas gift wrapping, but we love this glamorous style of gift wrapping and think it would suit a wedding or engagement gift…

This glitzy, glamorous gift wrapping style is perfect for wedding and engagement gifts for couples



Why we love it:
1. Weddings and engagements are special occasions that deserve to be celebrated in style – we’re all for ‘going to town’ with the wrapping paper and accessories. 
2. Metallic colours set against black and white work well for men and women and are a great theme for presents for couple. 
3. You can unleash your inner Magpie to collect lots of glitzy accessories such as gold and silver braid and ribbon, sequins, glitter, metallic wrapping paper and gift tags. If you get stuck, you can always grab a can of metallic spray paint and go nuts spraying plain coloured objects like buttons, leaves, and other accessories yourself. 

Check out our other gift wrapping ideas here…

Gold or silver? Which metallic colours do you like? We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…

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Gift wrapping idea of the week: Stars, spots and wool

This gift wrapping style uses very simple materials for maximum impact…

Images from www.pinkfrilly.com

Why we love it:
  • All you need to create this look is a bit of kraft paper or plain white paper and a strip of contrasting paper (ideally with a pattern), some wool and card to to cut out a star shape. 
  • This would be a magical wrapping style of a child’s birthday present – you could even make sure the wand is durable enough for the child to use as a toy afterwards. 
  • These neutral colours work well for girls or boys, but you could play around with tonal variations of pink and blue if you wanted to make your wrapping more gender specific. 
  • You could also add some glitter to the stars to make them stand out even more. 
  • Play around with other shapes such as hearts instead of stars to personalise for different recipients/occasions. 
What colour combination would you choose for this wrapping style? We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…

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Gift wrapping idea of the week: Toys + gift wrap = FUN!

People often say that little kids have more fun with the box and the wrapping paper that their gift came in, than the gift itself. That would definitely be the case if they received a gift wrapped like this…

Colourful and creative – just the way gift wrapping should be

Why we love this:
  • You’re limited only by your imagination of what you could use here. Check out the toy section of your local variety store for ideas and remember the toys don’t have to be expensive. 
  • The best type of wrapping paper to use here is the plain, inexpensive stuff – that way the toys stand out. 
  • Any dodgy wrapping techniques will be quickly overlooked when you add your “toy”. 
  • This idea can be extended to adults too – why not use some funky drink coasters for a men’s gift, or hair accessories for a female gift.  

What “toys” or accessories would you use? We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…

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Kraft paper gift wrapping 5 ways…

The birthday season has arrived amongst our group of friends. The lovely thing about most of the birthday parties we have been going to at the moment is that our children (most turning three) are now old enough to appreciate a birthday party (even though they haven’t mastered Pass-the-parcel yet!). 

Getting ready to go to a friend’s birthday party is a real event in itself at the moment. There’s the present to buy, the card and wrapping paper to choose, a party outfit to select…and my three-year-old is reveling in these choices! We have had a lot of fun making these decisions together, as well as getting crafty with cards and gift wrapping. 

We’re loving kraft paper at the moment. You know, the stuff that you can buy cheap on a big roll at stationery shops or newsagents. Here’s our latest creation from the weekend, as well as some other cool kraft gift wrapping ideas…

How to do it:
1. Take your present, as if you’re going to wrap it and cut kraft paper to correct size
2. Grab some coloured markers, crayons, etc. and start drawing. We love adding a birthday message, as well as who the present is from in case the card gets separated from the pressie. 
3. Wrap as you would with regular gift wrap
4. Add ribbon, twine or other embellishments

Here are some other kraft paper gift wrapping ideas…

Loving the hand-drawn spots on this paper, as well as the spotty ribbon

This one takes a little more drawing talent than I possess, but it’s great to see what’s possible!

Stamps are also a great way to personalise your kraft paper gift wrap
Image from www.popsugar.com

White or metallic pens on brown kraft paper gives it a fresh feel. Play around with simple design motifs such as stars, hearts, balloons. Image from www.witandwhistle.com


Which kraft gift wrapping idea do you like best?
We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…


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How to organise your gift wrapping

The problem with gift wrapping materials is that they all tend to be different shapes and sizes, so are hard to store together. The solution? A handy set of draws to accommodate all your gift-wrapping bits and bobs…

Images from www.acasarella.net 

Why we love it:
  • This is a tidy system that could be applied to all sorts of stationery, in addition to gift wrap. 
  • You can label the draws (so that everyone in your family knows where things belong) but the see-through draws are great for locating materials quickly. 
  • You can wrap a gift quickly and creatively when you can see exactly what materials you have to work with. 
  • These draws can be easily sourced quite cheaply from stationery and discount stores such as Officeworks and The Reject Shop (in Australia). 


How to you store your gift wrapping materials and stationery? We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…
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Gift wrapping idea of the week: Black and white

The trick with wrapping gifts for men is to keep it simple. But simple doesn’t need to be boring. Simple can be striking like this gorgeous gift wrapping idea below…
Image from www.btoffee.com

Why we love it:
1. It stands out – you won’t miss this present on the gift table!
2. The bold stripe gros-grain ribbon gives the gift a luxurious feel. For me, the ribbon makes this gift wrapping. Keep your eyes open for interesting ribbons to use on future gifts. This proves that plain, inexpensive paper can be ‘dressed-up’ with a great ribbon. 
3. This idea could work well for a woman who isn’t into girly colours or frills
4. You could substitute the black or white for other colours for a more tonal look, but the strong contrast between colours is what makes this wrapping style stand out. 
5. You could apply any image to this gift – or remove the image completely. 

What sort of gift wrapping do you like to use for a man? 
We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…

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Gift wrapping idea of the week: Tea towel gift wrap

Wrapping paper doesn’t always need to be made from “paper”. Creative wrapping materials like this tea towel mean that your recipient can ‘reuse’ the gift wrapping long after they’re opened their present…

Image from Etsy store, Lulu and Luca

Why we love it:
  • This is a great way to add extra value to your gifts as this give the recipient another gift to use after they’re opened their main gift. It’s the gift that keeps giving!
  • Tea towels are really useful and we never buy nice ones for ourselves (I always opt for the cheapest option when I need a new tea towel for myself). 
  • A gorgeous tea towel (such as the one above which features a beautiful print) could also be framed and used as a striking artwork in the recipient’s home. 
  • We love the use of the twine and brown kraft gift tag with this bold print – it gives the gift a very natural look. 
  • It’s better for the environment with less paper being thrown away. 
  • Fabric is a very forgiving material to use for wrapping things (especially odd shapes) as it drapes. 


How to get the look:
  • The next time you’re away on holidays and pop into the local souvenir shop, keep your eyes peeled for interesting tea towels you can use as gift wrap.  
  • Left-over fabric remnants could also be hemmed and used instead of a bought tea towel. 

Have you ever used another material instead of paper to wrap a gift?
We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…



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How to wrap the perfect present – tips from Kate Schwarz from Gift Club

Kate Schwarz is so passionate about gift-giving that she created an App, Gift Club, to help us with the gift-giving process. So it wasn’t really surprising to learn that Kate is also a talented gift-wrapper and has some great ideas she was willing to share with us. Here are some of Kate’s favourite ideas…

1. What are the best types of wrapping paper?
Kate: The best types of wrapping paper are made from post-consumer waste. There are some wonderful eco gift wrap manufacturers now and their products are the most beautiful on the market as well as being the most environmentally friendly. My favourite is Earth Greetings which do beautiful wrapping paper and gift bags but Biome also have some beautiful alternatives.  

I tend to use recycled or found materials – fabric remnants are good, brown paper is a good standby and sometimes the wrap is part of the gift – muslin baby wraps for part of a baby gift, an apron for a kitchen gift, a tea towel, the kids artwork on butcher’s paper – I even used oyster shells to wrap pearl earrings once!

Kid’s artwork on butcher’s paper makes a colourful, unique wrapping paper design



2. What is your wrapping technique? Why is your method the best?
Kate: I have a selection of boxes of gift wrapping supplies because it always seems like we need to put together a hostess gift, a birthday gift or some other gift at short notice when we don’t have a lot of time to be shopping around for the gift and then the wrapping paper and embellishments.  

I have a selection of papers and recycled ribbons, fabric scraps, gift tags, paper and cloth flowers that I can use to decorate gifts and then I play around with the different patterns and colours to make sure that I come up with a combination that works for the gift, the occasion and the recipient.

3. Ribbon or no ribbon?
Kate: I really think ribbon or some kind of embellishment is necessary so that the gift looks gift wrapped but I don’t necessarily buy ribbon. I use upcycled ribbon, fabric scraps, jute string, raffia or wool depending on the overall look of the gift wrap.

Jute string is a natural, inexpensive alternative to ribbon



4. How does your style of wrapping vary for gifts for men, women and kids?
Kate: I tend to keep it simpler for men. I still use beautiful gift wrap but probably string instead of ribbon and a simpler gift tag. 

With women’s gifts I like a vintage look with lace, embellishments like doilies, paper flowers and decorative gift tags. 

I have a lot of fun decorating kids’ gifts. I once made gift wrap into a fabric reuseable noughts and crosses game with Velcro backing on the noughts and crosses. I like making little girls’ gifts pretty and fluffy – strips of tulle look nice as ribbon and I embellish them with pom poms or silk flowers on hair clips that form part of the gift.

Paper flowers add a feminine touch to gift wrap for women



5. What are some cost effective/eco-friendly solutions?
Kate: While there are some lovely reclaimed materials available, I still think the most eco-friendly (not to mention cost effective) solutions are using what you have around you. 

I make gift tags from cereal boxes and cover them with thrifted paper or fabric remnants. Using the kids’ artwork for relatives is always appreciated and it’s surprising how good it can look.  As set out above, making the wrap part of the present can add to the sense of abundance of the gift while still being beautifully presented. 

I also love putting together gift hampers in baskets from thrift stores which can look spectacular – particularly when embellished with herbs or flowers from the garden. I wrap wine in sleeves of old business shirts. I make the main part of the shirt into dresses or shorts for the kids but I don’t need the arms. This looks very effective and only requires very basic sewing skills.

One of Kate’s gorgeous gift hampers



These tips were kindly shared with us by Kate Schwarz from Gift Club. Kate has developed a gifting App for smartphones, called Gift Club. Users can create searchable wish lists, coordinate group gifts and allocate Secret Santa. Gift Club is a free App that can be found on iTunes here  and on Google Play here. You can also find more gift ideas, gift wrap and celebration ideas the Gift Club Facebook page.