Creative Gift Wrapping Ideas for Boxeslook essentially alike. Here is creative gift wrapping that your boxed gifts will be proud to wear! A wrapped gift box looks appealing with the simple addition of a nice bow. Some variation is easily achieved by tying a ribbon around the box, crosswise or diagonally, or by adding a sprig of curling ribbon or a tie-on decoration to the bow. Tip: if you don't have a big enough bow for your box, push two bows together, side by side – or use three, in a row or triangle. Mix or match colors if you like! We don't think anyone gets tired of receiving traditionally wrapped gifts! But a different take on the standard box can lead to unusual gift wrapping ideas. Whether it's a special gift or something for a special person, when the creative gift wrapping urge strikes you, go for it! Diane and I are pleased to share some beyond-the-traditional gift wrapping ideas for boxes. One of the best strategies for generating creative gift wrapping ideas is to keep some basic materials on hand. For example:
We are always on the lookout for small items with interesting shapes that might help somehow to inspire or implement creative gift wrapping ideas.
Ever need to settle for a used box (in nice condition, of course!) that shows a picture of its original product? Our family has been circulating one for years that originated with a favorite auntie. It pictures a “covered vegetable dish.” With a marker, Aunt Connie added “This is not a” in front of the product name. Now we have a family tradition for any recycled box (though it’s a special treat to receive a gift in Connie’s box) – we write “This is not a covered vegetable dish” on the tag to warn the recipient that the gift is not what the box indicates. We get a chuckle and a nice remembrance of Aunt Connie too. If the box has small areas that you want to hide, you can cover them with attractive stickers. You might even create a theme – if you’re giving an atlas or a toiletry travel kit, for example, cover the writing on your used box with glued-on luggage labels and scenic stamps. These will hint at your gift without prematurely giving away the secret. Larger areas of unsightly printing can be hidden in a personal way with full-page self-stick labels made for printers, available at office supply stores. Scan some of your photos, or maybe the kids’ artwork, and print them on the label sheets. You’ll have a creative gift box for your family to circulate from one occasion to the next, and recipients will enjoy opening their gifts all the more. Now that you have your box, let's move on to the gift wrapping ideas. If you'd like to review some pointers on basic wrapping techniques for a rectangular box, Gift Wrapping 102 provides illustrated instructions. Now we'll get creative! Gift towers (multiple, usually related, gifts in boxes stacked and tied together) are always intriguing, and they cut down on wrapping time because only the top package needs decorating. You can wrap all the boxes in the same paper, or mix and match color-coordinated wraps. • Stack your gift-tower boxes by size and tie them together firmly with strong ribbon, yarn, or decorative cord. You may have to encircle the tower in two or more places on the long side (maybe the short side too) to keep the boxes from shifting and falling apart. If a box gives you trouble, try banding it separately to the box beneath it before assembling the complete tower. • If you want multiple gift boxes to be opened in a given order, here are some gift wrapping ideas: use colored tape to label them with Roman numerals, which are written with straight lines all the way to 90 (if you have LXXXIX boxes you should probably make several stacks!). Or, how about numbered birthday-cake candles? Affix them to the sides of the boxes, positioned so the connecting tie won’t disturb them. You can also use self-stick numbers available in art and craft supply stores. The box within a box is by no means among the newest of gift wrapping ideas, but it can be fun, especially for children who haven’t encountered it before. Diane comments: Remember a million years ago when I got a watch for Christmas? It started out with a very large gift box that I got to unwrap, with smaller and smaller boxes inside until I got to the smallest one that contained the watch.This is a great way to illustrate that “great things come in small packages!" It also gives the recipient added unwrapping fun. An added touch (to minimize possible frustration) is to tag each interior gift box with a note of encouragement, or perhaps a hint or riddle about what’s to come. Boxes leading to that wristwatch, for example, might have included notes like these (stress the hint with italics, quotes, or underlines if you like):
To make a gift box interesting, take advantage of its shape. Instead of the usual flat presentation, try standing the box on end, or on its side. A different orientation may trigger unusual gift wrapping ideas. If the gift box reminds you of a building, cover it with plain (or brick- or stone-patterned) paper and add cut-out windows and doors (for Christmas, add a wreath, or candles in the windows). Use gift wrapping ideas suited to the occasion: make your box into a church for a christening gift, or a textbook for a graduation gift. If the gift box is tall and skinny (e.g., a liquor box), make it into a tower and give it a bell or weathervane. A round box is a natural for creative gift wrapping ideas. The first thing I think of is a birthday cake. It could also be a top hat, trampoline, a stack of CDs, a can of soup, a backyard swimming pool, or a drum. Back to the idea of a theme, here are some gift wrapping ideas to stimulate your imagination:
Sports fans: a plain flat box is the perfect foundation for one of these gift wrapping ideas:
Railroad enthusiast: Drinking straws (cut in half lengthwise) and toothpicks will make a railroad track; then add a toy locomotive, and maybe a small box dressed as a station house. Musician: That roll of plain white wrapping paper will make a nice background for a musical staff… then add the notes to Happy Birthday, Jingle Bells, or your recipient's favorite song – using buttons, maybe! Other gift wrapping ideas for a musician might include square-ish instruments (piano, xylophone/vibes, dulcimer, or even a cigar-box banjo!) or a metronome. Art lover: Dress a flat box like a painting – cover the top with a glued-on picture (spray adhesive works great here), then mat it with colored paper and frame it with a wood-grain or foil paper that extends up the sides and over onto the mat, folding under the raw edges. You might even fashion a stand like those on the backs of picture frames, to prop it up like an easel. Knitter: Cut a pair of mittens or socks out of construction paper to use as the gift tag, and use two or three balls of yarn in place of a bow. Hold the balls of yarn together with knitting needles set at an angle to each other. Dog Lover: If you have a deep box, make it into a dog house. Fold a piece of poster board for the roof; tape in triangles to form the gables. Draw on shingles with a marker. Add a black construction paper doorway to the end of the box, and write the name over the door. You might purchase a little "Snoopy" to place on top. Green Thumb: So many plant and garden-related gift wrapping ideas! Packets of seeds, garden hoses, plant labels, artificial flowers and veggies, garden plot plans, fences, borders, garden paths, flower pots, seed catalogs, garden tools, sunhats and gloves, trees and shrubs …Surprise me! and you will dream up gift wrapping ideas to give your boxed gift a distinct personality! Logo photo by Jane M. Sawyer, courtesy of morguefile.com |