4 Men 1 Lady

a lifestyle blog about the persuit of bringing beauty to a house full of men.

Gift wrapping 101…ditch the gift bags.

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Next time you’re at a party take notice of how many gifts are actually wrapped.  I’ll bet you 99% of the gifts are given in gift bags.  It makes little sense to me that we spend so much time, thought and money picking out the perfect gift then skip out on the rest of the process by throwing the gift in a generic, impersonal gift bag with a plume of tissue paper exploding out the top.  Every good chef knows the presentation of the meal is just as important as the meal itself…same can be said for gift wrapping.
Last Friday I did an appearance on Studio 5 where I talked about how gift wrapping is becoming a lost art.  I came up with several ideas on ways to wrap gifts that will make a big impression with supplies you might not normally expect.
The only time I think it’s okay to use gift bags is:
1. You have a gift that is an odd shape and hard to wrap.
2. You personalize the bag.
Here, I spray painted some bags and boxes with chalk board spray paint which you personalize by writing directly on them with chalk or a chalk marker.
I love the idea of collecting things that are pretty.
Every time I’m at the bakery I always get an extra box and keep it in my stash for use as a gift box.
The pink color is so great that I wouldn’t even cover it with paper
(unless you’re layering and leaving some of the box showing).
I also love using everyday things you’d find around your home to wrap gifts with.
I think the song actually goes, “brown paper packages tied up with string.”  Oh well, These turquoise boxes “are a few of my favorite things”.  I love that the color isn’t gender or event specific. You could give them to a friend, at a baby shower, for a wedding, etc.  It feels so “Tiffany’s“.
Turquoise boxes found at Xpedx.
Found the stickers on clearance for $1.00 at Tuesday Morning in the scrapbook materials.
These brown boxes are also more bakery boxes…ever heard of a sinful place called Sweet Tooth Fairy?
You can also find them on Etsy (search “bakery boxes”).
Polka dot boxes from World Market.

I talk more details here on Studio 5.

Comments

  1. I’ve been reader for a while, but have never commented before! I completely agree with you though! To me, there is nothing better than a beautifully wrapped gift. The effort put into it means just as much as the gift to me.

  5. My son’s birthday was this weekend and all of his gifts besides the ones from us were in gift bags. It definitely not as fun!!! He’s 4 so it doesn’t even need to be beautiful, but unwrapping is so much more fun than “un-bagging!”

  6. My son’s birthday was this weekend. And all of his gifts (besides the ones from us) were in bags! It definitely wasn’t as fun! He’s only 4, so the wrapping doesn’t need to be beautiful, but unwrapping is just so much more fun than “unbagging”!

  8. you’re right they are a lost art, just like writing a thank you note or hand written letter.

    i love all your ideas of packaging.

  10. I taught a some classes on gift wrapping over the years and people thought I was crazy! But whenever I have given a gift I am usually told they don’t want to open it because the outside is too cute. I love to wrap gifts! But I do understand how busy life gets, especially when someone works outside and inside of the home and your children have 3 parties to go to in a week – you just want to grab a bag and go.

  12. I loved all of your ideas! Plus, it was so fun to watch you on Studio 5. I too love to wrap gifts, but admit I over use the bag too much. This inspired me to do better! 🙂

  14. Dear Michelle, I love your unique low cost ideas! They are great! May I ask what kind of font did you used on the pics? I mean the colorful ones. Best wishes from Hungary. Emese

It is nice to meet you!

Hey there! I’m Michelle; I’m an Passionate DIY’er and in constant pursuit of how to bring beauty to my house full of men (3 boys + 1 hubby). Stick around and see what I’ve got up my hard-working sleaves!

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