Gift Wrapping 102:
Rectangular Boxes

It's a fairly straightforward procedure to wrap a square or rectangular box. Here's what you will need...

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

Before we proceed, here are four introductory tips:

a) Before you wrap the gift, remember to remove the price tag! You may wish to enclose an exchange receipt if you have one; or, you may prefer to offer it to your recipient later.

b) If your gift did not come boxed from the manufacturer (especially if it's clothing), the gift box should be lined with tissue paper. Here's how: Center the tissue across the inside bottom of the box and adjust in one or more of the following ways:

• If the tissue is too wide, fold a pleat across the center.
• If the tissue is too narrow, overlap two pieces side-by-side.
• If the tissue is too short, overlap two pieces end-to-end, adjusting so both sides will extend around the gift.

• Unroll a length of paper and position the box an inch or two inside one edge. Roll the box for one full rotation toward the opposite edge. If the box is still totally on the paper, this will be the most economical layout. If not, you will have to orient your box another way and cut a longer piece of paper from the roll.
• Cut only what you need, and trim off any excess before you begin. A too-large piece of wrapping paper is difficult to work with and can make your wrapped gift look lumpy. Besides, the excess might be enough to wrap another gift!

1) Unfold or unroll a length of gift wrapping paper and place your gift box on it as a measure. Cut a rectangle of paper large enough to go around the box with about 2” to spare, leaving an overlap at each end about ¾ the height of the box. Place paper face down.
2) Fold up 1/2" along one of the shorter edges to give your seam a nice finish. Turn the box upside down (so the seam will end up on the bottom) and center it on the paper.	3) Bring the paper up around the sides of the box, tuck under the unfolded edge, and tape the middle of the seam with a 1"- 2" piece of tape. Use 2-3 pieces of tape, evenly spaced, if your box is extra long.
4) Be sure the box is centered inside the paper, end to end. There are two ways to finish the ends. Both are easy, and neither is better. I suggest that you use a different method on each end this time, so you'll know which one you like best. The two methods end up looking pretty much the same.
Method A
5-A) Fold in the sides, snugly around the box corners. Avoid pushing the box back into the paper or you will shorten the overlap on the other end.	6-A) Crease the top and bottom edges of the paper diagonally toward the center to form flaps.
7-A) Fold over the edge of the bottom flap so you will have a nice finish on the end seam.	8-A) Fold down the top flap, and fold the bottom flap up over it. Tape across the end seam. A wide box may require two or more pieces of tape.
Method B
5-B) Fold the top of the overlap down, flattening it against the box all the way to both sides. Crease sides diagonally from the top corners of the box to lower edge of paper.	6-B) One at a time, fold in the sides flat against the box end, keeping paper snug at the edges of the box.
7-B)Crease each side of the flap that forms at the bottom.	8-B) Make a narrow fold at the end of the flap, for a neat finish.
9-B) Fold the flap up against the box and tape across the seam. A wide box will require two or more pieces of tape on the end seam.	10) Now turn the box right-side up - ta-da! your wrapped gift box is smooth and seam-free on top, and ready to decorate.

As our Creative Gift Wrapping department grows, we'll be adding tutorials on bows, tags, and package decorations. Meanwhile, here are some thoughts about decorating your wrapped gift box:

• Easiest: place a puffy bow on top… in the center, in a corner, or centered toward one edge. The pattern on your wrapping paper may suggest the best placement for the bow. If the bow doesn't have a good sticky backing, use double stick tape; or make a sticky-side-out circle with clear tape.



• Or, tie a ribbon or decorative cord around the box, and tie an ornament or favor into the bow.



• Add a few pieces of curling ribbon, if you wish, and curl the ends. (Draw one blade of your scissors firmly along the inside of the ribbon. The harder you press the ribbon against the blade, the tighter the curls will be. Pull at an angle and make spiral curls.) You can cross the curls over each other so they stay together in a puff, or let them cascade across the box.



• Finally, affix a gift tag or label. It's usually best to position the tag with the bow or tie-on decoration. If your tag or label does not have a sticky back, it can be tied or taped by a corner: position that corner at an attractive angle just under the bow.



• If you do not have a gift tag, you can make one from an unwrinkled scrap of your gift wrapping paper. I often do this because I like a tag that matches the gift wrap. Cut a piece large enough to fold in half like a card, so the design will show on the outside, then you can write on the (usually white) inside. Most wrapping paper has a design element that makes a nice tag.