(Family Features) ‘Tis the season for gift giving. As shoppers make their holiday gift lists and check them twice, it’s not necessarily what’s on the inside that counts. The presentation makes the first impression and how the gifts look on the outside is often what builds the most excitement and makes them memorable.
“Make your wraps almost too good to tear open and show your friends and loved ones that you went the extra mile to personalize their presents,” said Jenni Radosevich, DIY expert and founder of I Spy DIY. “Using the right tools – such as a sharp pair of scissors and tape that disappears onto the paper – helps create the perfect basic wrap that you can take to the next level with personalized embellishments.”
Starting with a basic wrap gives you a blank canvas to get creative, and whether it’s a simple or complex embellishment, it doesn’t have to be expensive. Radosevich suggests these trends to make holiday gifts merry and bright with adornments for every generation:
• Family fashionista: Rip the hottest colors and trends from the fashion runways to add unforgettable style to your gifts. Bring the popular fringe look to life by creating fringe tassels out of colored raffia and tie them around wrapped gifts.
• Tech-savvy teen: Hashtags and emojis aren’t just for your smartphone. Re-create your favorite emojis cutting shapes out of construction paper and using double-sided tape to create faces, or create rubber stamps to add them to the gifts in a repeating pattern.
• For sweet kids: Give young ones an extra special treat by using candy in place of bows and ribbons. Wrap with solid paper and tie bakers twine around the gift. Try sugar sticks or candy canes to make fun shapes or use a small piece of twine to pinch the center of a fun-sized candy bag to look like a bow that tops the gift.
• Blissful newlyweds: Add to their growing collection of personalized gifts with a wrap that pays homage to their union. Create textured monograms by cutting letters out of felt or faux fur to not only enhance the wrap, but also replace the traditional sticker label.
• Beloved grandparents: Create a throwback to simpler times with a chic black and white color scheme. Wrap the gift in solid black or white paper and embellish with tissue paper or coffee filters to add texture.