Decorating & Design

November 18, 2011

Holiday Gift Wrapping Tips & Tag Template

1. Buying Gift Wrap

When shopping for gift wrap, stick to a limited colour palette. Not only will gifts look coordinated under the tree, but you’ll save time while wrapping if you can mix and match paper, ribbon and tags without a second thought.

2. Storing Supplies

Keep gift wrapping supplies in one orderly location by putting together a portable wrapping station. Purchase a long storage box (one that will fit under the bed is ideal) to hold rolls of paper, with smaller containers inside for keeping ribbon, tape, gift cards, scissors and pens. You can transport the box to any room in the house for wrapping gifts quickly and easily with all your supplies at hand.

3. Original Wrapping Idea

Wrap smaller gifts in gingerbread boxes, a creative (and edible!) way to wrap a gift. Just follow our recipe for gingerbread from the Iced Gingerbread Birds Recipe to make customized squares and rectangles, use royal icing as glue, and finish off with a ribbon.

4. Green Wrapping Tips

When shopping for gift wrap and cards, look for products with post-consumer recycled content or materials that have been printed with vegetable inks. Many wonderful eco-friendly paper products are available on the market today:

Botanical Paperworks
A mother-daughter team from Manitoba redefined the gift that keeps on giving. Their plantable greeting cards are imbedded with wildflower seeds ? plant the card in soil when it starts to collect dust and watch the flowers bloom! Available online, or at retailers across Canada, U.S., and Europe.

Ecojot
Their website offers a downloadable catalogue packed with Canadian-made, 100% post-consumer recycled paper cards and paper products. At retailers across Canada, U.S., and around the globe.

Grassroots
With two Toronto stores and online shopping via their website, Grassroots is known for their gorgeous recycled-content greeting cards, paper, games and toys. Plus, every month, they feature environmentally-related artwork by local Toronto artists.

Kanvas Ink
All greeting cards are made in Toronto, and with the click of a mouse, you can place orders online for custom greeting cards, or pick and choose different designs from fun categories like Chrismukah and New Bebe.

Schoolyard Studio
Holiday card sets, hand screen-printed cards and gift tags made from off-cuts all come in an array of fun colours and patterns. Available online, or at retailers in Alberta, Nova Scotia and Ontario.

Save paper by topping oversized gifts with large, single reusable bows. Wrap smaller gifts in luxurious velvet gift bags that can be passed along and used again and again.

You can also save paper by making the wrapping part of the gift. Depending on the nature of the gift, wrap accordingly: bundle kitchen gadgets in colourful tea towels, cover a baby gift in a soft receiving blanket, tuck a few travel gifts into a handsome weekend bag, stuff gardening items in a gardener’s bag or give shiny new tools in a bright red tool box.

Read more about how to Turn Your Holidays Green, including decorating and entertaining tips.

5. How To Tie A Bow

Watch our How To Wrap Holiday Gifts Video, an interview with Alison Dawson from Toronto’s Mokuba ribbon shop, with easy step-by-step instructions on how to tie the perfect bow.

Gift Wrap Stencil Template John Cullen

6. Labeling

Tag your gifts as soon as you wrap them to avoid losing track of what’s what. Print out the image below by right-clicking on it. You can even print it out on adhesive labels (10 per page) to make labeling even easier.

For even more inspiration, see three holiday gift wrap palettes, check out our photo gallery of Christmas decorating ideas, and read about more time-saving tips for the holidays, from buying gifts to decorating the tree.

Gift Wrap Label Stencil Template