Last week I showed you a present wrapping idea, the way that almost all the gifts at my house are wrapped this year. I literally have a house full of brown paper packages tied up with string, and it’s such a beautiful look. The monochromatic look of it all is soothing and calming in this season of crazy.
But I wanted to show you a couple of other fun ways to wrap a present should you want to go the extra mile. {Not really, you know I’d never ever recommend more than 4 steps for something}. A little touch here and there can make your presents look gorgeous.
First up is topping your present with a unique Christmas tree ornament. I picked up this pack of two ornaments at the Dollar Store {come on, you knew I wouldn’t blow the wad on ornaments}.
You’ll be happy to know they had an amazing selection this year.
All my packages are brown paper bags so the package toppers really popped, but you could use any kind of paper underneath. In fact, these particular ornaments would be awesome on top of some purple paper, or stripes, or….
Well.
*ahem*
I get a little excitable sometimes.
Just go ahead & wrap your present like you normally would, and when you get to the top, tie on a fun ornament. I happen to think brown paper bags tied with twine and a glitter ornament look phenomenal.
That’s it.
Present #2 is the same concept, but with a different ornament. Of course this one is from the Dollar Store as well, only I got a package of 8/$1. Sweet.
Just tie on an ornament {or two if you want to get a little crazy} and you’ve snazzed up the whole deal.
Present #3 is a little more involved, but not much.
I had some leftover flowers from decorating my Christmas tree with flowers a couple weeks ago, and I wanted to put them to good use. As present toppers.
Because I’m unpredictable like that.
Look at your package and decide how much of it you want covered with flowers. Mine was an itty bitty flat jewelry box, so I didn’t need much.
Snip off a small section of flowers and separate out the leaves.
Do you see that fake green stem at the bottom of the leaves? Remove it and toss it in the trash. Bon voyage!
Lay your leaves down on your package and get out some double sided tape. I’m holding it close to the camera here, but it looks like I’ve already taped the leaves.
Don’t be fooled, it’s camera trickery.
Fold the leaves in half, to make them look special and life like, and lay down double sided tape on the back side of both leaves.
Tape those down onto the package.
Pull the stems off the flowers and do the same thing. Stick double sided tape to the back of the flowers and tape down in the middle of the leaves. Until you get this little piece of magic:
Isn’t that pretty? It looks like a department store had a go at it, but it was only itty bitty you! And all you needed was: a brown paper grocery bag, Scotch tape, and some Dollar Store fake flowers.
Sheesh.
Martha, who?
Allison
Hello there! I'm Allison Czarnecki, founder + editor of Petit Elefant, a blog all about style on a budget for every part of your life: style / home / travel / family. I do a lot of how-to beauty + style tutorials, travel posts, easy recipes, home remodel projects, and cool DIY crafts you totally want to try. I'm super happily married (to a hot Polish immigrant) and am the mother of two kids, a daughter and son, all of whom are featured here on the regular. We live in the country but we're a little bit rock + roll. Welcome!
WOW Allison! They are so soothing and beautiful. Since I’ve wrapped nothing yet you just gave me the look for my gifts this year. And the Julie Andrews song stuck in my head for the day. :) Thank you!!!
I know, sorry about the song! I had it in my head the whole time I wrapped presents!
You know, wrapping presents is one of my favorite things to do and I am so pleased to know that there is someone out there who also uses plain brown paper to wrap with. I think it’s so beautiful. I love these ideas and love your blog.
Isn’t it beautiful? Totally underused.
So glad you like my blog, I really appreciate hearing that!
seriously allison, you’re awesome. It’s not the wrappage or the camera trickery but you that make every post you write glow.
Liz Lemon, you’re trying to make me cry!
Very pretty. I always forget how much I love twine until all my presents are wrapped and decorated with something else.
Sometimes it’s the simplest things that are the prettiest, don’t you think?
I use brown paper and trinkets and inexpensive ribbon. I also use the paper roll from IKEA that NY kid had painted. Yards of it. Again, fancy it up with ribbon and it makes 6 year old water colour painting pop. :-)
Oh, isn’t ribbon the best? Seriously, I’d have shelves of ribbon if I had room for it.
Love your way!
This makes me want to unwrap all of the presents under the tree and re-wrap them. Who am I kidding? I’ll do this NEXT year! I love it.
Don’t do it! Don’t!
But yes, totally next year, it’s so pretty.
Oh my goodness – darling. You have such fun ideas! They all look so clean and simple, but so classy.
I think that’s it, they’re clean and simple, and they’re CHEAP. C-H-E-A-P.
Love it! especially the sound of music reference, brill!
and yes, the flowers are so pretty!
I couldn’t help myself, I love that Sound of Music….
very beautiful! simple, practical, eco-living friendly! thanks for being so explicit… sometimes we have these same ideas, but it takes a clever woman like you to run us through it, step by step, and encourage us to do the same! I am a new subscriber here. Looking forward to future posts… you can follow me also at http://palmbreezeliving.blogspot.com
cathy b
@projecthope7 twitter
I don’t know about you, but that’s why I love Martha Stewart, she talks to me like I’m a complete idiot and it helps! I need step by step by step.
Martha who?! That’s right!