Wrapping presents really puts me in a Christmas mood and this year I’m starting a little earlier, so that we can put all the presents under the tree. Nothing completes the festive look quite like it. Usually it’s a frantic Christmas Eve rush to wrap everything between Honor’s bedtime and Christmas morning so I’m trying to be organise and adopt a ‘gift wrapping made pretty’ mentality.
Instead of rolls of sparkly stuff from a last minute supermarket dash, I’ve been sourcing the prettiest paper I can find and supporting small independent businesses in the process. From doing up the house, I have some cuts of wallpaper left over which I’ve discovered makes the most gorgeous wrapping paper- it’s also thick enough to use again next year provided it’s not torn open by an excited two year old. If you don’t have any to hand then Etsy has lots of vintage wallpaper in subtle patterns, bold prints (especially for children’s presents) and bright colours. Temporary wallpaper often has a sticky back so you could even do some tricks and have a sellotape free Christmas!
For smaller presents, fabric houses and decorators also have ends-of-rolls or scraps that can be bought very cheaply. If you’re someone who wraps stocking presents, you can buy a bundle of smaller pieces of some really beautiful paper and have each wrapped present look different. I love ones with different floral prints but these go fast as there’s usually only one bundle at a time so keep an eye on your favourite Etsy shops and don’t let them get away!
One of my favourite things to use is marbled paper and again you can get these very cheaply on eBay in festive colours or you can get it by the sheet so there’s no waste. For something more delicate, look at marbled tissue paper. This is one of my fave places to shop for marbled paper and there are baubles so you can extend the marble love to your tree!
The finishing touch to any present has got to be the ribbon and I cannot get enough of velvet ribbon in rich jewel colours or soft pastels- I love sage green on pink rose print paper and you can’t go wrong with classic Christmas red. Buy a couple of spools and then once presents have been opened, wear the ribbon in your hair like Honor and I do!
