10 VERY BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT WRAPPING TIPS

10 VERY BEST GIFT WRAPPING TIPS-stonegableblog.com

Getting a beautifully wrapped Christmas present is a gift in itself! I love love love interesting paper and real ribbons and sweetly tied bows! I think it’s a very thoughtful gesture from the gift giver! Isn’t it fun to untie a bow and unwrap a gift. It really adds to the suspense and lets us savor getting a gift a little longer! Wrapping a magazine worthy Christmas gift is so much easier than you might think! All you need is the right tools, a little time and these 10 best Christmas gift wrapping tips!

I’m thrilled to be part of DIY TIPS AND TRICKS… THE CHRISTMAS EDITION!

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I can’t wait to see what my talented friends have for us this month! You can see the links at the bottom of this post!

Let’s start our 10 tips countdown!  

# 1….

THROW AWAY THE BAGS

10 VERY BEST GIFT WRAPPING TIPS

I know there are so many “bag friends” out there. But if you want to wrap a pretty gift you might want to get rid of the gift bags. Yes, they are convenient and yes they come in many pretty colors, shapes and motifs… BUT a wrapped box with incredible paper is so much nicer. It also costs less to wrap. So if you can, wrap your gifts.

This is just my opinion.  If you can’t give up gift bags make them super pretty with lovely tissue and bows and embellishments!

PUT EVERYTHING IN A BOX

10 VERY BEST GIFT WRAPPING TIPS

Many people don’t like to wrap gifts and I think I might know one reason why! It’s so darn hard to wrap those odd shape gifts. Here’s a great solution… put everything in a box. I save boxes all year. Best boxes are sturdy and can be used year after year. They are strong and  are rectangles. Rectangles are the easiest boxes to wrap!

I can’t tell you how many years Christopher got a sweater in a Victoria’s Secret box! Those VS boxes are so sturdy! It’s sorta a fun part of our Christmas now. My family never knows what box they will find under all that glorious wrapping! We often all get a good laugh! But the gift was beautifully wrapped!

BUY COORDINATING GIFT WRAP

10 VERY BEST GIFT WRAPPING TIPS

I like to coordinate my wrapping paper with my tree decor. Oh, it looks so pretty! Try it one year and you’ll be coordinating the gifts under your tree every year!

When my tree is decorated in neutrals, so are my gifts! This year my tree has lots of reds, greens, blacks and whites. So the gifts under the tree reflect those same colors! Lots of red! I love red!

There are so many fabulous gifts wraps out there! I like to choose a few gift wrap papers that look great together too! Shop for rolls of gift wrap with colors and design in mind!

And take it a step further and coordinate your ribbon too! 

USE NON HOLIDAY GIFT WRAP

10 VERY BEST GIFT WRAPPING TIPS

My favorite gift wrap is usually not one with a Christmas theme. This year I chose a black and white chevron paper… oh, it’s so sassy. I’m adding a big red bow to give it a Christmas feel!

  • Caution: Choose good quality paper. Many times they are no more expensive than poor quality wrap. This year I got red gift wrap that was horrible!!!!! It was thin and tore easily. Look at the red box in the image above. Do you see the side of the gift. What a mess! I ditched the paper and got another roll of good quality red. So much better and much less frustrating!
  • My favorite place to get gift wrap is Home Goods! Their gift wrap is amazing and cheap. A real winner!

USE REAL RIBBON

10 VERY BEST GIFT WRAPPING TIPS

Great, real ribbon can be found online and in our local craft stores. And when they are on sale, they are a good buy.  I use them and reuse them year after year! So, in the long run real ribbon is much more economical.  I’ve trained everyone in our home to roll their ribbons up and put them in a bag after they open up a gift. My daughter Jacqueline is unofficially in charge of ribbon! Thanks, honey!

LEARN TO MAKE 3 GREAT BOWS

10 VERY BEST GIFT WRAPPING TIPS

Learn to make great bows! They are so easy… and once mastered take very little time to make. So much better than slapping on one of those self stick bows that come in a bag! Give it a try. Even a neatly ties simple bow is a stunning way to embellish a gift!

Learn how to make at least 3 bow styles!

A pretty tied bow is perfect for a pretty Christmas package!

If you want to go a little fancier…Here are a few easy tutorials for making pretty bows…

This is exactly how I make my big bows. 


EMBELLISH PACKAGES

10 VERY BEST GIFT WRAPPING TIPS

Bows are not the only thing you can use to make a Christmas present look gorgeous! How about using other Christmas inspired embellishments? Try small wreaths, pinecones, ornaments, twine, greens and candy canes! How fun, right?

10 VERY BEST GIFT WRAPPING TIPS

I made this fun jumble of little ornaments and jingle bells by stringing them on a thin silver wire and then fixing it on to the black and white ribbon.

SAVE RIBBON AND EMBELLISHMENTS

10 VERY BEST GIFT WRAPPING TIPS

Keep accumulating real ribbon and non perishable embellishments and use them from year to year. I find so many fun and different ways to use what I have in my ribbon stash! Keep everything in a large clear container. So easy to find and see what you have!

WRAP AS YOU BUY

10 VERY BEST GIFT WRAPPING TIPS

If you wait to wrap your Christmas gifts at the last minute you won’t have the time, energy or desire to make them something special. Wrap as you buy! Or at least have a couple of gift wrapping days on your Christmas calendar.

MAKE A GIFT WRAPPING STATION

10 VERY BEST GIFT WRAPPING TIPS

I’ve saved the best for last! I call this THE SECOND BEST CHRISTMAS TIP YOU WILL EVER GET! Create a GIFT WRAPPING STATION! It’s nothing fancy at all but it holds all the gift wrapping elements I need to wrap a beautiful gift! I have a table set up in our upstairs sitting room all Christmas season, so I can wrap a gift or two when I get them or have a free minute.

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You can see how I created my gift wrapping station (and some pretty gift wraps from years past) HERE.

Make sure you check out these DIY TIPS AND TRICK posts.

ON SUTTON PLACE

diy no sew christmas tree pillow

CEDAR HILL FARMHOUSE

MY NEW FAV PAINT

THISTLEWOOD FARM

pom pom stocking Thistlewood

You might want to follow me on Pinterest and see all the great things I find to pin daily HERE.

Did you know that you can also follow me on Instagram. I just love the inspiration there! Go to Instagram and find me at stonegableblog! Let’s connect!

10 VERY BEST GIFT WRAPPING TIPS- YOU can do this!

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47 Comments

  1. I agree that boxes are so much better but instead of throwing away all those cute or beautiful bags how about framing them for decor or gift giving? I actually save sturdy boxes and wrap the box and lids seperatley with good paper I find on sale after Christmas. Then use wired ribbon from the after Christmas sales to make dramatic bows. I never thought of doing a cluster of ornaments! Thank you. I don’t coordinate paper but we put our gifts under the baby grand piano since our tree is small. In our house no one is allowed to take the fancy boxes home because I use them year after year. Super quick and easy. However, I still wrap the grandchildren’s boxes in paper that they can rip open cause it wouldn’t be fun otherwise. ? I set up a wrapping station like you posted on last year and such a difference.

    1. What fabulous ideas, Pamela. I bet your gifts look gorgeous under your piano. Another wonderful idea! Thanks so much for sharing!

    1. Indeed, many great tips! I might skip on the wrapping station though. My kids would see it for sure!

  2. Ellie LaJuett says:

    Wow glad I could see this post. The bow making taught me some good ideas and they look pretty easy to do.
    I like boxes better than bags too. This year I am using shipping paper and making the gifts more rustic looking. I am using various colored burlap type ribbons. I also like to wrap a gift in a Christmas napkin or a tea towel. I always use some type of embellishment suc as greenery, pincones or an ornament. Thanks for a super great post. Merry Christmas !

  3. Your packages look so pretty. Good tips! I do hate it when I get a roll of paper home and it rips. I do try to coordinate colors nd a theme with my wrapping and I lvoe real ribbon! Loving all the red and black this year.

  4. I also save all sturdy boxes through the year(s). My favorites were the ones my daughter who was in medical supplies gave us. One was for a replacement testicle and another for a breast enhancement. Somehow they moved on with the gift so I don’t have any “fun” ones but I do agree that boxes are the best. However, we have a disabled granddaughter who does not work well with her hands so the gift totes are necessary for her and this year we have another family member who is not able to use one hand because of surgery. My husband and I both like to gift wrap so I have to let him in on the fun. Merry Christmas to you and yours and keep up the great postings.

  5. Thanks again for sharing your wonderful ideas. I like wrapped boxes so much better than the very-convenient bags, too. I like the wrapping paper from Hobby Lobby, and it has lines on the reverse to help you keep everything straight. It is so much easier to wrap in good quality paper. My mother used to put fresh plant material as adornments on her packages. She would tie pine, small pine cones, etc., with ribbon onto her presents. I will definitely set up a wrapping station in the attic with a 4-drawer chest like you show.

  6. I love the gift wrap at Hobby Lobby. Nice, thicker paper with grid for easy cutting on back. I won’t buy anything
    else. I wait until 50% off sale & stock up.

    1. I do the same thing! I have 5 rolls from 2 years ago that are still waiting to be used. I got 5 of them for 10 dollars at Michaels.

  7. Lanita Anderson says:

    Love, Love, Love your packages and all of the great wrapping and gift decorating ideas!! I not only love to give a gift wrapped in pretty paper or with a fun tag or embellishment, I love to get gifts that are wrapped that way! I love to shop the after Christmas sales and stock up on the fun paper and embellishments! Thanks for sharing….Merry Christmas!

  8. I adore coordinating gift wrap…and I agree about the box. I do use an occasional gift bag when I’ve run out of steam!

  9. Nan Summers says:

    I have found the best quality wrapping paper at Hobby Lobby. It is thick and even has grids on the back to help with cutting.

  10. Elaine Culbert says:

    I agree, Yvonne! What a treat it is to receive a lovely wrapped-with-care gift!! So many just don’t bother or have the interest to take the time, that TEN years after the fact, I STILL remember a beautifully wrapped gift I received! The gift was immaterial as we just exchanged more of a “token” type of gift. It was wrapped in quality blue foil-type paper tied with a large blue & silver bow that had silver jingle bells and real greenery fastened on top. I just hated to open it!!

    Another charming item that seems to be disappearing … is a “thank you” or “thinking of you” type of note that’s written on beautiful stationery with matching decorated envelope!! How much nicer than emails!! The only time one usually sees (and feels!) quality, pretty stationery now is when one receives a wedding invitation. How sad! I just love beautiful stationery.

  11. Marje sakelik says:

    I always wrap presents from Santa and stocking gifts with all the same exact paper ( always with a Santa theme) 0f course they don’t get put out early. Only the name of the recipient is stamped on them, or tagged. Makes a big statement in the morning, you always know exactly what gifts Santa brought….always loved that as a child,so I’ve continued the family tradition. Biggest problem, is hiding and removing Santa paper, so no one sees left over wrapping, before or after Christmas…can’t spoil the illusion. Remember to disguise your handwriting too.

  12. Great tips….I have not purchased any bags this year as i am enjoying wrapping gifts and creating a present within a present…Love your selection of papers and ribbons and the beautiful embellishments!….yes, a wrapping station is a wonderful thing…I am fortunate to have the Martha Stewart wrapping station…and then there is the kitchen island too! 🙂
    Have a Merry weekend Yvonne!

  13. Hmm, you have me thinking I should do better at gift wrapping this year! I admit I have a closet full of “the bags.” But maybe I can find some boxes! Your gift wrap is pretty inspiring!

  14. Linda Byrnes says:

    I have always co ordinated my wrap with my decor and have been teased by my daughters over the years! Now, that they are older they are beginning to appreciate my efforts. So glad you have solidified this decor concept….not so far fetched! I love the plaid ribbon. Where did you find it with black? Every plaid I fond had green instead of black…my tree is reds, white and black for the second year in a row. I would love to find some …I haven’t wrapped one gift! Better start tomorrow !

  15. My family laughs at all the time I spend on ribbon and bows, but I really love pretty packages! I love the idea of embellishing with other things–I’ll have to be on the lookout for some little goodies! Another great source for nice wired ribbon is Costco and Sam’s Club. You get really large rolls of ribbon at very reasonable prices. Thanks for the inspiration!

  16. Paula Messimer says:

    I love everything you do. The packages look great and inspire me to work harder on my packages. I love to use real ribbon and attempt to make bows. What do you use for tags? This is always where I get stumped. I need to tag mine with to and from because we have several families that get together Christmas morning in our home.

    Thank you!!

    1. Hi Paula, There are so many beautiful and fun gift tags on the market these days! I usually find them on sale and keep a stash in my Gift Wrapping center.

    2. Many times, Paula, after Christmas and the New Year, I pick out pretty cards (that have no writing on the backs) and cut out shapes and use those as gift tags! For example: say the front of the card shows a pretty gift box or a Christmas tree, I will sometimes just cut a circle or a rectangle around it … but other times, I will cut exactly around the outline. I then use a hole punch and put it away for next Christmas. When it’s that time of year again, I pull them out and write on the back to whom the gift is going, thread a ribbon through the hole and tie it to the gift.

  17. I came up with an idea that really worked for me this year. I have a lot of grandkids, 6 to be exact, all age 6 and under. So there are a lot of gifts and a lot of little things that are for each child. I decided that I would try to put most everything into one box for each child. Then I wrapped each box so when they open it there will be many gifts in it. I then put the wrapped box into a larger gift bag that I bought for 99 cents at TJ Maxx and they are very sturdy! The other things for each child go in the bag, such as a new winter coat that won’t fit into the original box. Each child gets their own bag with their wrapped box and other gifts in the bag. It makes it very easy to travel with our gifts out of state, too, since all the gifts are conveniently put together for each person. I hope this helps others! I also loved the gift wrap paper I got from Hobby Lobby. Very nice quality and their Christmas items are 50% off even before Christmas. Merry Christmas Everyone and especially to you, Yvonne and your family. Clare

  18. Yvonne, where are you finding quality ribbons on line? I’m looking for satin ribbon, preferably double faced, in 50 to 100 foot (or more) rolls. My color preferences are burgundy and forest green. I can find “florist grade” ribbon, but it usually has cut edges rather than woven, and is basically the texture of cardboard. I found some lovely 1.5 inch satin ribbon at Walmart, of all places, but the largest rolls are only eight to ten feet long, which is very wasteful when wrapping packages. Am hoping you can help with suggestions. Wishing you and your family a happy, healthy and peaceful 2016. June

  19. Valerie Tingley says:

    I worked at a high-end retailer as a teenager and spent many a shift in the gift wrap department. I think this is where I learned to appreciate a beautifully wrapped present – something that I still love to do today! My family always laughs at the various boxes that they discover under the pretty papers (mac and cheese, anyone?), but a box always makes the prettiest presents!

  20. Thank you so much for these wonderful gift wrapping tips. I will be using some of these for this years gift wrapping. I really like the idea of a gift wrapping station. I will probably make two one for Christmas and one for all other celebrations.

  21. Teresa Alexander says:

    beautiful packages! thank you for the video on how to make lovely bows! Yes, I think much of the fun lies in the pretty package – not just the gift inside!

  22. I love the bows!!

    Using ornaments you no longer use is a good way to recycle them, too!!

  23. Mary Chris says:

    I love the ideas. Puts me in the Christmas spirit.

  24. Gayle Ritter says:

    Inspired is all I can say!! I do a lot of these things already. What I particularly learned from this wonderful blog is to use those leftover ornaments to tie on a package- that is so pretty. This year I’ve used all different compatible plaid papers along with bright reds and some blacks so in many ways mine looks similar but those special touches make such a difference. Thank you again. Gayle

  25. When my grandkids were young but old enough to know their letters, etc, I used to put a special “code” on the bottom of their presents. I started doing this – just to remind myself that I had wrapped blue slippers (B-S) or red hat (R-H), etc. Naturally, I had a master list that I ticked off as I wrapped, but if I got interrupted by the phone or a visitor, I might forget to tick off my list. If that happened, I had that “code” on the bottom of the box. If I was gifting a pair of green slippers, I might just put “G – S” on the bottom of the box. The grandchild would have so much fun trying to decipher what G-S meant. As they became teens, I had to make it harder (Green Plaid Hat = GPH) and then it would be even more fun to watch them. Of course, my “codes” got sillier – for example, I might reverse the initials (Hat Plaid Green = HPG) or add lots of extra initials to trick them. I also would never gift a pair of shoes in a shoe-box shape as they would immediately guess but would hide it in a different shaped box. Happy memories! They are now 24 and 22 but still remember their special “codes”!

  26. Marilyn Gillis says:

    Love these ideas! We had a store up here that was going out if business several years ago and had clearanced all their bolts of ribbon… I bought nearly all of them & am still using them!

  27. I completely agree about wrapping instead of the bags. I use red, black and white too!

  28. Cecilia Ayers says:

    Home Goods is also my favorite place to buy wrapping paper! But I need to work on my bows for sure. Thanks for videos! Big help. Merry Christmas

    1. Cecilia, I agree! BTW, I love your name. It’s my middle name too!

  29. Ann-Marie Pauly says:

    We find ourselves traveling most Christmases to see family. Bows are hard to transport and still look good. A couple years ago I started wrapping all my gifts in brown mailing paper. It’s a light tan in color. Then I do different stamps on it Last year it was white and silver snowflakes. Big ones. I also do ribbon without bows and wrap it in lots of different ways. A well dressed gift causes a certain anticipation. I love watching faces light up.

  30. Your gifts look stunning! Very pretty and festive!

  31. So I have been using coordinating papers, but what do you do with gifts that are shipped or brought by others?

  32. Mary Sue Gee says:

    You wrap gifts exactly like I do. Putting the black and white with other tartans, etc. really makes them festive.

  33. Pam Phillips says:

    Wow, like talking to my twin! I do exactly everything on your list. Nothing makes me happier than good sturdy paper and real ribbon. And I too coordinate my packages to the tree! Wraptastic!

  34. Great tips but don’t forget a beautifully wrapped package can be ruined by seeing unsightly tape! I always use double sided tape so it’s hidden.

  35. Good tip re the double sided tape, our leather gift bows have velcro fasteners. Looked smart and you can keep pealing them off and re-using them!

  36. Nettie Lamb says:

    Help! Born on Christmas Eve. LOVE decorating.. Have 3 big parties every Dec–love Christmas China–2 fresh 9′ trees and fresh greens thru out. I’m 67 and tired. I hang fresh greens inside 3 times between 1 and 23 Dec. trees and outside greens no problem. Considering using faux greens inside with fresh trees. Will it look believable? Just trying to save myself some work. HELP PLEASE!

    1. Hi Nettie, go through the StoneGable blog’s Christmas posts. Go faux! Fresh greens inside are lovely and smell amazing but they are too much work. They will help. Hey, give yourself a break! It’s your birthday and Jesus’ too. What an amazing time to have a birthday! Happy and blessed birthday.