Gift Wrapping 101:
Gift Bags, Tubes & Pouches

No one is born with well developed gift wrapping skills - but that doesn't make you a klutz! You haven't gotten this far in life without being good at something, right? Maybe you're a great skier, or cook, or musician... or like my son, Mark, who speaks five languages and asks his sister to do his gift wrapping.

In any case, I'm betting that you will soon add gift wrapping to your other skills!

With our illustrated instructions, a little patience, and a few gift wrapping materials...

• Gift Box or Gift Bag
• Tissue wrapping paper
• Gift wrapping paper
• A pair of scissors
• Clear or "magic" tape
• Ribbon, bow or decorative tie
• Tie-on decoration (optional)
• Gift tags and labels

Gift Bags are just about the quickest and easiest way to prepare a gift package:

1) Loosely crumple a piece of tissue wrapping paper in the bottom of the bag. To protect a fragile gift you may want an extra-thick layer at the bottom.	2) Position the gift in the bag with its weight at the center. Don't forget to remove the price tag!
3) Surround the gift with more tissue paper, packed just firmly enough to hold the gift in place.	4) If needed to conceal the gift, add another piece of tissue paper on top. Loosely tuck in the tissue to hold it in place, leaving it fluffy at the top of the bag.
5) Tie the handles loosely together with a ribbon - to keep them in position for lifting, to hold the tissue paper in place if needed, or just for decoration. You can hang a gift tag from the handle if your gift bag does not already have one.
This fast, convenient gift wrapping technique produces an appealing gift package!

This is another quick and easy task. A cardboard tube is a natural gift package for posters and rolled items, but not everyone thinks to use it for other gifts. I often save the tube when a roll of paper towels, kitchen wrap, toilet tissue, or gift wrapping paper is used up.

Or, for a sturdy but not-too-heavy gift, you can make a tube by rolling a piece of pliable poster board and taping it securely. Now, here's how to prepare the gift and wrap the tube:

• Remove the price tag, roll your gift in some colored tissue wrapping paper, and insert it into the cardboard tube; loosely plug the ends with white or contrasting tissue paper to keep the gift from shifting. The contrasting color will identify which piece of tissue contains the gift.

• Cut a rectangle of wrapping paper about 1" wider than the circumference of the tube (make that 2" for wide tubes). Allow an extension at each end that's a about three times the diameter of the tube.

• Note that I am using tissue paper in the illustrations, and we'll discuss that as we go. If you are using standard gift wrapping paper, begin by turning it face down and make a narrow fold along one long side, to give the seam a neat finish.

1) Tissue requires 3 or 4 layers: Fold one sheet to a width that will allow one rotation to cover the tube. This helps prevent puckering and makes the gift package easier to unwrap, too.	2) Roll the paper around the tube, and tape the seam in one or more places depending on its length. It's a good idea to place tape at each end of the tube.
3) Gather the tissue at each end to form a neck, leaving edges loose. This may also work with a thin standard wrapping paper or Mylar that is attractive on both sides. If not, skip to #7 below.	4) Tie at the neck with ribbon, yarn or decorative cord (I like to use curling ribbon).
5) If you have used folded tissue paper, cut the end folds so the edges will separate. Then separate and fluff out the edges.	6) The gift package now resembles a piece of hard candy or a party cracker.
7) If the paper edges don't fluff out quite right, or if you are using a standard wrapping paper, push the ends loosely into the ends of the tube, leaving a flat surface. You may have to trim the ends a bit before inserting into the tube.	8) Tape the ends in place discreetly, then a small fluffy bow or other decoration can be fastened at each end with double-stick tape, or a sticky-side-out circle of regular tape.
No matter which way you treat the ends, a cardboard tube is an interesting shape for a gift package, and it doesn't necessarily predict what's inside!

A tissue wrapping paper pouch is a great gift wrapping solution for small-to-medium sized gifts, depending on the size of your paper. For a gift with bold markings, a darker colored tissue paper will require fewer layers to conceal the gift.

1) If your gift is unboxed and fragile, or if it has pointed edges or protruding parts, enclose it in a layer of bubble wrap or surround it with crumpled tissue inside a plain plastic bag before wrapping.	2) Layer 3-4 sheets of tissue paper at angles into a circle that will extend 6"-8" inches above the gift all around. For larger sheets, tape two together allowing a generous overlap. Work with taped side up, so the tape won't show on the wrapped gift. Then center the gift on the tissue.
3) Bring the tissue up and around the gift, and gather at the center top to form a neck, leaving the ends loose above. Check all sides to be sure the paper edges are lying flat, and all the ends are drawn up into the neck.	4) Tie at the neck with ribbon or decorative cord, then separate and fluff the ends of the tissue wrapping paper above the tie.
5) I like to tie the gift with a few varying lengths of curling ribbon, or tie some shorter pieces into the knot. To curl the ends, draw a blade of the scissors across the inside of the ribbon: the firmer you pull, the tighter the curls.	6) The cascade of curls descending from the fluffed tissue paper above looks so nice! You can tie a gift tag onto the ribbon, position it discreetly in the fluffy section, or affix it right onto the wrapped gift, and your gift package is good to go.
And no one will know what sort of thingamajig is inside! (The item in the photo is a carriage oil lamp from horse-and-buggy days.)