Gift-Wrapping For The Holidays
Once you have found the right gifts for the people on your holiday shopping list, you owe yourself a pat on the back. But now, all you have to do is wrap them. Never fear, says craft artist Carol Duvall, who has written several books revealing her techniques.
"I can't believe we're so dysfunctional when it comes to wrapping!" Duvall quips as CBS This Morning Co-Anchor Thalia Assuras admits her own terror when it comes to wrapping gifts.
Duvall says that the first thing she has noticed is that people tend to use too much paper. Duvall uses what she laughingly calls a "not very scientific" way to measure the paper: she places the gift box on a sheet of wrapping paper and flips it. In other words, the paper should be long enough to cover the top and bottom of the box. The sides of the paper should allow enough room to just cover the sides of the box.
 Duvall tapes the first gift-wrap seam. (CBS) |
Since she doesn't like the raw, cut edges of the paper to show, (the white, undecorated inside of the gift wrap) Duvall folds over the ragged side with a small crease, to hide it. To keep her taping hand free, Duvall uses a 3M pop-up tape dispenser, which is worn as a bracelet.
When wrapping the ends, remember to fold over raw edges. Make tight creases - don't let them bunch up, Duvall says.
After you have wrapped your package, you're ready to, yes, make your own bow using wired ribbon.
Making zigzagged loops with wired ribbon. (CBS) |
"I'm not doing any fancy twisting, I'm just going back and forth," Duvall explains, looping the wired ribbon in a zigzag.
When you've used up your piece of ribbon, cinch it in the middle tightly with a piece of light wire.
Now you're ready for what Duvall calls, the three P's: Pull, Puff and Poke.
Pull to separate the bows that you have created, bending them so that they spread out like the petals of a flower. Then, puff up the flat loops with your finger so that they are full ovals. Finally, poke the ribbon with your finger to give it a crushed, natural look.
The finished product. (CBS) |
You can get fancier, Duvall says, using three different pieces of looped and wired ribbon. Simply stack them, wire them together, and unfold the loops as before to make a tri-colored, or tri-patterned bow.
With your presents beautifully wrapped, you're now ready to package them for shipping.
You can recycle old boxes you have around the house from packages you've received or items you've bought, Duvall says.. If you are using a box that has old mailing labels on it, you can pull them off easier if you use a blow dryer to slightly heat the adhesive first.
Or, if you want to use a box that has a manufacturer's information all over it - such as a coffee pot container, for example - you can actually open an inside seam that all boxes have and turn the box inside out.
A bow-nanza! (CBS) |
Instead of using Styrofoam peanuts, you can use plastic grocery bags to pack your boxes. It's cheaper and works just as well. Use little pieces of cardboard to wedge your gift inside the box, so that it doesn't not shift.
To pack your gift without ruining the bow you've made, place a recycled plastic container such as a margarine tub over the bow and rubberband it in place.
Make sure place a card with the recipient's name and address in the packing box, just in case. On the outside of the box, be sure to write out the address properly on a shipping sticker. According to the U.S. Postal service, you need to put the name of the person on one line, the street address on the next, and the city, state and zip code on the third line. If you need to put the zip code on a fourth line, that's okay.
It's always a good idea to tape over the address with clear tape so that the address won't be smeared should the package get wet.
Now, you are ready to take your gift to the post office, and give yourself another pat on the back - your holiday gift-wrapping is complete!