We’re just about done shopping, so the Christmas gift wrapping is about to begin in our Nashville homes.
We all try to be on top of things and prepared, but in past years, we’ll admit, procrastination’s left us wrapping gifts at the last minute, and, invariably, scrambling after we’ve run out of an important gift-wrapping ingredient.
Relate a little? We’ve kept a few solutions in our back pockets that might help you too, from DIY wrapping paper to tapeless wrapping options. Some of our favorite problem solvers, below.
You’re out of wrapping paper
Did a little Prime shopping for Christmas? You might have a secret weapon. Amazon invariably stuffs reams of craft paper into your packages for padding, and in a pinch, craft paper makes excellent wrapping paper. Dress it up with a little red and white baker’s twine (or whatever ribbon-like stuff you have on hand) and you have a festive, stylish wrapping job that works in a little eco-friendly upcycling and added convenience.
You’re out of gift bags
Assuming you have a little time on your hands (but no desire to use that time to drive to Target), DIYing really nice gift bags out of wrapping or craft paper isn’t too much harder than wrapping a present. This tutorial on Nashville’s own A Beautiful Mess outlines the process — you’ll need paper, a glue stick, ribbon, card stock (reused boxes work here) and a box or three to use as forms. Takes some effort, but shows a lot of creativity and love, and solves your out-of-bags problem nicely.
You have weird-shaped gifts
Don’t try to just bundle your wrapping paper around a wonky object — sharp angles will invariably poke through, and barring that, you’ll end up with clumped up paper in one area and a sloppily wrapped package anyway. Obviously, gift bags are your easiest bet, but if you’re out, the tutorial above has an easy way to accommodate your wonky item in a way that doesn’t look wonky.
You’re out of packing tissue
You have your gift bags/boxes and your gifts, but no soft, red/green tissue to nestle/surround those gifts. Have a paper shredder in your house? Easy and quick fix: Grab extra wrapping paper, old gift bags, craft paper, unlined white paper — anything of a paper persuasion that might be remotely festive — and run it through the shredder. Mix it up, and you’ll have holiday DIY box or bag filling that does the job effectively, and looks pretty OK too.
You’re out of bows
You can always just skip the extra dressing, but if you don’t feel like your gift-wrapping job is done until a bow is affixed to the top, you have options. Have ribbon on hand? Check this video for a tutorial on turning ribbon into a serious bow. No ribbon? Paper works just fine too — check out this tutorial from Momspark. To be fair, it’s kind of a lot of work, but it looks pretty great. If we had to pick a solution with a perfect mix of cute/easy: Snip a little greenery off your Christmas tree or one of the Arborvitaes/similar evergreens on your property, and adorn your gift, as above. Totally Christmassy, and totally done.
You’re out of tape
This is a particularly tough one. A glue stick works if you’re careful and take a few extra minutes to make sure things are good and stuck. Carefully placed ribbon can keep things together, too, though you’ll still have some loose edges. If you’re down for a challenge, though, check out the above video, detailing the crafty art of tape-free Japanese gift wrapping. It’s kind of a simplified, Origami-esque practice, and while it’s not as easy as tossing a present in a gift bag, it’s definitely not as difficult as making a paper crane.
Hope one/several of these come in handy over the next few days.
If the next thing you need to get wrapped up is finding a new home in Nashville or selling your current Nashville home (or both), we’d love to help there, too. Reach ACRE here, or for an easy way to get started, fill out the quick forms at the following links: Buy a home in the Nashville area; sell your home in the Nashville area.