Holiday Wrap!

I can’t believe that December is almost here!  And the weird thing is that even though we’ve had these extra few days after Thanksgiving, I’m feeling a bit rushed to get all my holiday plans in order!  I have to keep reminding myself that it IS still November, even if only for the remainder of the day!  So I’m trying to keep everything in perspective and enjoy the process of decorating, shopping, and preparing for all the Christmas festivities that fill the days leading to the New Year.  One of my favorite holiday preparations is wrapping gifts.  I know it can seem a daunting task…and even though I love it, I can feel overwhelmed at times!  But lucky us, each year it seems there’s more options for easy gift wrap ideas…cute bags & boxes, prepared bows, darling tags, and all the extra trimmings you can dream up!  And with all these options at our fingertips, it can leave us with time to dream up some out-of-the-box wrappings or special ways to personalize a gift or two!  I’d like to give a sneak peek at some DIY gift wrap ideas…

dress up your bags & boxes!

i love to find personal and even functional ways to wrap a gift.  it can make a simple token seem so grand when it’s wrapped up tight in a handcrafted or embellished package!  it never has to be difficult or expensive either!  adding tiny touches like this paper branch and metal clip to this utilitarian craft bag can really dress up a plain package!  simple stickers on the leaves spell out the name of the recipient…so easy!

another favorite thing to do is find unusual packaging when i can!   since i dig around in antique stores quite a bit i often find fun and unique items that i could use as a “box”.  and on such a trip i stumbled across some vintage, paper cartons that i couldn’t pass up!  if you like the look of vintage these options can be so fun and really inexpensive, probably even more so that their newer, reproduction counterparts!  i LOVE the way these turned out…

a cute tag adds the crowning touch on this no-wrap package!

or just tie on a simple jingle bell to a package in non traditional color…

or how about this cutie-pie cup?  just remember that a “box” doesn’t have to have corners!  these vintage popcorn cups make adorable and whimsical packages…and you can just cover the top with a pom or fittingly, a popcorn ball!  something like this would make a sweet favor at a kid party too! (i bought these cups for 25 cents each…doesn’t get more economical than that!)  and if you can’t find vintage, there’s plenty of new paper cups that would make great substitutes!

and like the popcorn ball top, another fun way to dress a gift is with edible supplies!  i took a classic favorite and began crafting an edible bow for this tartan lunch pail that would stand in for a traditional box…

wrapped candy is best…for obvious reasons!  i just took some twine and began to tie the tootsie rolls together…

until i had a cluster that resembled a spikey bow that tops this fun box that hides a gift AND can be a gift itself!

if you’re thinking looking for one or two unique ideas for a special gift…my advice would be to keep your mind open!  sometimes the perfect wrappings are no where near the gift wrap section!  have fun, keep it whimsical…

and that’s a wrap!