Your materials don’t have to be fancy.
“A lot of times, the wrapping ends up being as expensive as what’s inside,” Britni says. But there’s no need to break the bank, she insists: Some of her favorite gift-wrapping materials are brown kraft paper, twine, and raffia.
Add visual interest by ripping, folding, or stamping your paper.
Britni shares how to create a simple stamp: Wrap yarn around a small box, then dip it in an ink pad and press it your paper repeatedly, creating a basket-weave pattern. You can also cut out shapes and layer over a different paper for a peekaboo effect.
Invest in a pair of fringing scissors.
“Even if you cut something crooked, you can do a fringed edge on the side and you instantly have something that’s festive and cute,” Britni says.
Don’t limit yourself to paper.
Britni loves to wrap with tissue paper and fabric, both of which are more forgiving on oddly shaped items. Wrap tissue around your object, twist on either side to secure, and fringe the ends. Or place packages diagonally in a square of fabric, then pull up all four sides and tie them in a knot. “That’s an old Japanese style of wrapping,” Britni says.
Accessorize.
Attach an ornament or small toy for a whimsical touch. Britni also loves employing natural materials like branches and leaves as add-ons.
Make gift tags out of the same wrapping paper for a tonal look—or simply use the paper itself as a blank canvas.
“Pull out a paint brush and do a typography treatment on the paper,” Britni says.
Remember:
Perfection is boring. “I think if it looks hand-done, that’s the other gift that you’re giving,” she says. “It shows that it was wrapped with love.”
In This Photo:
1. Paper and ribbon: The Container Store 2. Paper: Crate & Barrel; Ribbon: stylist’s own 3. Paper and ribbon: The Container Store 4. Paper: The Container Store; Velvet ribbon: stylist’s own; Baker’s twine: Williams-Sonoma; Tag: Bell’Invito 5. Paper: The Container Store; Midori ribbon: Neiman Marcus 6. Paper: Crate & Barrel; Ribbon: stylist’s own 7. Midori paper: Neiman Marcus; Ribbon: stylist’s own; Tag: Bell’Invito; Copper stockpot ornament: Sur la Table 8. Paper and ribbon: The Container Store
