I guess I must be thinking a lot about the holidays these days (ahem), because not only did I share my favorite gift ideas (not specific to Christmas, though — there are lots of great finds for bridal showers, dinner parties, and birthdays), but I’ve been sprucing up my stash of gift wrap supplies. In general, I buy Christmas wrap when it goes on sale after the holidays (#adulting at its finest…more adulting, too) or when I chance to be at Home Goods, because otherwise, I find myself dropping $10 for a roll of fanciful printed wrapping at Paper Source, and it’s probably my least favorite way to spend money. (On paper! That ends up in the trash! But damned if it don’t look cute.) However, having an inexpensive roll of Kraft paper ($14 for 4 rolls!) or a few yards of burlap ($15 for 10 yards!) on hand for when the unexpected gift wrapping quandary presents itself has enabled me to save a lot of coin. (Though, when I’m in a spendier mood: how chic is this marble wrapping paper?! And there are even such a thing as marble-print balloons! And, in general, anything and everything from Knot and Bow?)
My mother-in-law has instilled in me a deep appreciation for stockpiling all gift-wrap essentials, starting with spools and spools of satin and grosgrain ribbon in all colors and widths. And if you don’t have the space or inclination to buy a variety, hear me out on this: buy a spool of white satin ribbon, 1″ thick ($10), when you place your next order from Amazon Prime. It goes with everything, looks classy, and makes people think you are much fancier than you are. For example, when I’m bringing my neighbors a plate of cookies, simply wrapping the plate in saran and finishing it with a big, loopy satin bow make the entire enterprise seem that much more of an occasion. (Incidentally, if you’re doing anything with ribbon, buy a proper pair of scissors so you don’t leave threads and a crooked line.) My mother-in-law also introduced me to the magic of gift wrap tape (no seams! transparent!), which somehow instantly elevated my gift wrap skills from the pedestrian to the moderately proficient. (I’ll save expert level for my MIL herself, who makes everything–from a handful of pretzels to a bottle of water — look exquisite and well-designed with the artful addition of a ribbon or glassine baggie.)
At any rate, below, some of my gift wrap essentials that have helped me cover all my bases. Click the images to be taken to product details, or see my links below:
Personalized Gift Tags, $50 for 50 // Marble Gift Wrap, $8.70 // Grosgrain Ribbon, $10 per spool // Scissors, $10 // Stack of Gift Boxes, $13 for set // Roll of Cellophane, $13 // Roll of Burlap, $15 // Spool of Satin Ribbon, $10 // Personalized Gift Tags, $50 for 50 // Crinkle Paper, $10 // Spool of Twine, $6 // Cellophane Baggies, $7 // Liberty Gift Tags, $7.50 // Roll of Kraft Paper, $14 for 4 rolls // Gift Wrap Tape, $12 for 6 rolls // Initial Gift Tag, $1
A few other parting thoughts:
+The brand Meri Meri has super cute party gear — tissue paper, baggies, cupcake toppers, etc., and there’s a healthy selection available via Amazon Prime. Like, these gift bags!
+Sugar Paper leaves me weak in the knees, always.
+In case you decide you don’t want a thousand rolls of half-used wrapping paper clogging your closet, falling on your head, etc: Amazon has a cheap gift wrap organizer to contain the clutter. Or, you can get even more serious about the problem with something like this.
+I tend to have good luck hunting around Target’s party supply selection. Some of it looks very cheap but some of it is REALLY cute, like this gold foil wrap ($3!), or this adorable patterned tissue paper ($1.50). And their dollar section is a treasure trove where you can find all kinds of doo-dads to adorn your gifts — little flags to tuck underneath a ribbon, or a little pack of straws to accompany some glassware.
+This is sort of like a cruel joke on the recipient, but how cute is this party confetti?!
