Christmas 2015 Wrapping Hints (Day Three)

Today's entry is a continuation of how coordinated wrapping papers can be used to decorated your gift collection. I have a ton of these lidded boxes in my apartment. They are usually part of a gift of the month club or some other gift. I hate to throw them away since they are sturdy boxes.

During the holidays, I tend to use these boxes as part of my wrapping services. Unfortunately, they aren't always holiday inspired (like the box above).

Using coordinated papers, I will wrap the bottom tray in the non-holiday paper (in box making lingo, boxes are made of two trays--a top tray, the lid, and the bottom tray). The lid is usually shallower in order to have a reveal. I will then wrap the lid with the coordinated holiday paper.

The finished product

This is visually connected to the other gifts under the tree when you see all of the patterns combined. This is a great way to get rid of those boxes and paper scraps. Be sure to use thinner paper for this type of wrapping to ensure that the trays still fit together. Thicker paper will tear at the corners as you try and fit the lid to the bottom tray.

Wrapping Tip #1
Yesterday, I mentioned the grid on the back of the paper. Here is an example. I also mentioned about cutting only the piece of paper that you need and to leave the other paper attached to the roll. In the picture below, I demonstrate what I mean. As you can see, there is still a lot of paper in the sheet if I had cut the entire height measurement. Only using the size of paper that you need wastes less paper and prevents the unused paper from wrinkling or getting damaged.

Taking my own advice

Wrapping Tip #2
One of the difficulties of using commercially produced wrapping paper is the thickness of the product. Many papers are very thin and tear and mar very easily. Be care when securing your paper on the roll. Using rubber bands will wrinkle the the paper and can affect several layers below. If you can, use a ribbon or twine wrapped loosely around the roll.

More importantly, if you use a rubber band, only secure the top inch or two rather than travel the rubber band to the middle of the roll. If you secure at the top of the roll, you damage a smaller section of the paper and can use the rest of the roll for wrapping.

Use the rubber band at the top of the roll