Organized Gift Wrapping

Gift wrapping woes

’Tis the season to start wrapping gifts, and the stress of that chore can wreck your good mood. Unless you have things gift wrapped at the store, it’s something you’ll have to do. Here are some tips to organize your gift wrapping.

Getting Started

Doing all of your wrapping at once rather than as you purchase the gifts will save time in the long run. You will avoid having to find the supplies, do the wrapping and putting everything back each time. With more of an assembly line technique, it will go more smoothly.

A nice clean surface for doing the work is necessary. A dining room table is an ideal location.

While many people suggest devoting a cabinet or closet to your gift wrapping supplies, most of us don’t have that kind of extra space. You can create your own storage using a plastic container with drawers, a tall kitchen trash can, an umbrella stand, wicker laundry basket, suitcase or even an upside-down bar stool. A large, flat plastic container, that is made to go under a bed, will work too. It’s long enough to hold rolls of wrapping paper and will be out of the way the rest of the year when you don’t need it.

Image courtesy of acasarella.net.

Keep scissors, ribbon, bows, wrapping paper rolls, clear tape, gift tags, a hole punch, glue gun and any other supplies you need in whatever container you decide to use. With everything in one spot, you don’t have to chase down each item when you are ready to start wrapping.

Of course, gift bags are a perfectly acceptable way to give gifts. You can keep assorted sizes of gift bags and tissue paper in your storage container. Gift bags are a good idea for items that are oddly shaped or do not fit well inside a box. Larger gifts, however, will need to be wrapped.

Stretchy hair ties are an easy fix to keep wrapping paper rolls from unraveling. Rubber bands can be too tight and make marks on the wrapping paper. Tape damages the paper when you remove it unless you use painter’s tape, which is not as sticky.

The funnies from the Sunday paper can substitute for wrapping paper if you run out before you have everything wrapped. Aluminum foil can be used too. It works well on smaller items.

Need help wrapping gifts? Here is a link to Oprah’s “How to Wrap a Gift” guide.

Time to wrap

Now that you have your supplies in one spot and all of your gifts ready to wrap, it’s time to get wrapping. Take a deep breath, release it and get down to work. Remember that it doesn’t have to look perfect to be appreciated.

Once you are finished, put everything back into your storage container. You will be ready to go the next time you need to wrap a gift.