Using a Gift Wrapping Style

Gift wrapping is part of the fun of giving gifts – but the collection of paper, gift bags and ribbons can get overwhelming.  Especially when Pinterest is full of beautiful ideas for presenting gifts, it is easy to accumulate a large collection of various gift wrapping supplies for various occasions.  I have found that the easiest way to minimize my gift wrap collection was to choose a personal style that I like to use for giving gifts and only to keep the essentials that fit with that style.

My chosen style is to use silver patterned paper to wrap gifts and then finish them off with a simple bow made out of florist ribbon. I then add a handmade tag or card with a greeting. This is fairly simple to manage and works for most of our gifts.  It also means that if I am tempted to buy more gift wrap, I always stick to paper that has a silver colour so it co-ordinates with the ribbon that I already have.

I do find however, that this style can be a bit somber for small children, so I do sometimes end up buying a small amount of more colourful paper to wrap their presents. For Christmas I also usually splash out and buy a few rolls of themed wrapping paper that co-ordinate with red florist ribbon as we have a red and green colour theme to our Christmas tree.

This strategy seems to work for me at the moment and it means I only need to keep a few bulky rolls of paper and a small collection of florist ribbon to meet most of our gift wrapping requirements. I keep all the supplies together in our art and craft room, so when it is time to do some wrapping everything is to hand. I have also discovered the joy of having a proper sticky tape dispenser to hand rather than wrestling with a roll of tape!

Besides choosing a particular colour theme, here are some other ideas for a gift wrapping style:

• Brown paper or brown paper bags with a colourful fabric ribbon attached
• A particular pattern of wrapping paper such as butterflies, dots, hearts or star shapes
• Adding a fresh flower or greenery to an otherwise plain package
• Using washi tape decoration on plain paper
• Embellishments such as lace, fabric or feathers on a plain background paper

Image from Pexels

A note on gift bags: I think gift bags are eco-friendly as they are more likely to be re-usable than wrapping paper. If we are given gift bags I try to re-use them if I can. However they are a bit tricky, as they often require co-ordinating tissue paper (which I always forget!) and they need to match the size of the gift. Unless they are plainly coloured, I also find that they are often themed to a particular occasion or gender. So I tend to rather use wrapping paper unless I am trying to wrap something awkward, like a bottle!

Do you have a gift wrapping style? What are your tips for keeping a gift wrapping stash to a minimum?

Setting a Table for a Special Occasion

A special table setting really adds to the sense of occasion and can be fun to set up if you want to celebrate a particular event.  I think a setting can be as simple or elaborate as the time and energy you have available!

On a day-to-day basis we often set the table very simply for dinner, using just place mats and serviettes with the essential plates, water glasses and eating implements. It is a fun tradition and eating at the table makes mealtime feel a little bit more special.  We keep everything in the dresser near the dining table, so it is really easy to take out and put away again afterwards.

I also have a small collection of items that work together for more elaborate occasions. We have a round dining table and although I have struggled to find a suitable table cloth to cover it, I eventually found a neutral coloured cloth which works well as a backdrop.  I also use neutral serviettes and silver coloured rings which co-ordinate with them. Although they are all silver coloured, the serviette rings have different patterns on them so we can tell which belongs to which person. Also essential are the place mats with plain white crockery, as are some small clear water glasses, wine glasses and champagne glasses if we are really going to splash out! I also try and remember to have a selection of white serving platters and various serving implements on hand to try to present the various eats in a simple but attractive way.

The colour and theme of the table then comes from a centre piece of flowers or candles.  Sometimes I also use paper serviettes that co-ordinate with the flowers so there is less laundry after the event. It is also fun to add colourful balloons tied with ribbon, especially for birthday celebrations! Last year for my birthday I decided to host an afternoon tea party, so the table setting was made colourful with a mismatched selection of tea cups and saucers that I had inherited.  I was also delighted to find serviettes with a tea-cup design on them to complete the theme! This year I would like to use a butterfly theme for my birthday celebration and I am already thinking about what little finishing touches will make the occasion special.

Image by Ali Inay

Do you enjoy setting the table for special occasions? What tips do you have to make a celebration memorable?