Wrapping Oddly-Shaped Gifts – The 5 Techniques To Simplify Wrapping
If you’ve ever tried wrapping an oddly-shaped gift, you know all about the hassle. Here’s how to make the most of your wrapping skills.
There’s a saying that goes, “Don’t judge a gift by its wrapping.” This means that you shouldn’t form your opinion of a person based on what’s on the outside.
This saying, however, does not apply to actual gifts.
With gifts, presentation matters a lot. It’s true that the contents carry their weight. However, the wrapping can make a gift look much better and way more presentable.
If your wrapping is all over the place, the gift won’t be pleasant to look at. Plus, a neatly wrapped gift can show how much you value the recipient. While your friends and family will let it slide, a business associate may form an opinion based on this.
In general, boxes are easy to wrap. And if you have yet to learn how to, just follow a YouTube tutorial. You’ll see how painless it is.
However, not all gifts make for a simple wrapping experience - it’s the oddly-shaped ones that are problematic.
So, here are some techniques that can come in handy in case you’re wrapping one anytime soon.
The Techniques
Learning wrapping techniques can really come in handy. This is especially true for box-less and weirdly-shaped gifts. Take a look at these techniques to up your gift wrapping game.
Technique #1. Create a Custom Gift Bag
A gift bag has that simple, yet more than decent, look going for it. Custom gift bags are great for gifts of all shapes, especially if you can’t find a regular gift bag that matches the gift’s size.
Start by choosing the wrapping paper. Make sure that it’s large enough for the present. First, unroll the wrapping paper so that you can put the item on it. Now, bring the rest of the paper over the present. Overlap the wrapping paper’s ends and cut them at this point. Consider some extra space, just to be safe.
Now, remove the present and take the ends of the wrapping paper so that they overlap. The edges should overlap by around 1”. Tape these edges and fold the wrapping paper by about 12”. Crease the fold with your fingers. This is the gift bag’s base.
Grab the paper along the taped edges. Start moving them away from each other. This will open up the portion of the wrap that you’ve folded earlier. Now, take the top part of the diamond-shaped fold and fold it down to the diamond’s center. Repeat this for the bottom part of the diamond.
There you have it, a gift bag!
Technique #2. Use Crepe Paper Streamers
Start by choosing the color of the streamers.
Take the item and hold the streamer’s end against it. Start wrapping at the item’s center. Wrap the present a couple of times. The beauty of crepe paper streamers is that they’ll conform to most shapes.
Carry on wrapping the present with the crepe paper. Move from the center and outwards. Once you’ve reached an item’s end, go back towards the center and then towards the other end. Finally, tape the end.
This is one of the easiest gift wrapping methods for oddly-shaped items. Be sure to decorate the wrapping with a bow or something similar.
Technique #3. The Wrap and Tie Method
This method is definitely not the most fancy on the list, but it does a decent job and is simple and straightforward. If the gift is too complicated to wrap, you don’t even have to use wrapping paper. Just get some fabric or tissue.
Now, take the wrapping paper/fabric/tissue and unroll it against a table/floor. Before cutting anything, place the present on the wrapping material and leave enough room to cover the whole thing.
Cut the material and pull each corner of the cut fabric towards the center. You can use tape to hold everything together. Don’t forget to tie a ribbon/bow around the wrapping.
As mentioned, this method is simple and effective. It looks great for the amount of effort it requires.
Technique #4. Box It Up
If you don’t want to bother wrapping any item, you can always put it in a box before wrapping it. The trouble here is finding one that’s a perfect fit. Go to your local UPS Store or similar and look for boxes. Once you’ve bought a right-sized box, it’s time to start packing the present.
No matter how fragile the item is, you should cushion it to be safe. You can get some bubble wrap at the same store, or use old newspapers. Line the box with it and put the present inside. Fill some more to the top and close the box. Don’t forget to put some newspaper inside it if it’s a hollow item, like a vase.
Now, the item should be safely cushioned inside the box. Tape up the box. For the last step, you’re going to use wrapping paper over the box or it’s going to look like it’s just arrived in the mail. Fortunately, wrapping a box in wrapping paper/fabric is straightforward.
Add a ribbon, and voila!
Technique #5. Just Add a Ribbon
In some instances, taping a ribbon on an unwrapped, unboxed gift can work.
However, this technique works great for large gifts like TVs, refrigerators, and sound systems. There is something about this that is both funny and cool. After all, if the item is large enough (a car, for instance), it’s not made for wrapping, period.
This means, if you buy your kid an action figure, you’ll want to do a bit more than tying a ribbon.
And typically, having the recipient cover their eyes before walking into the room with the gift is the best way to give it to them. They’re going to be in for a surprise.
Bonus Technique: Newspaper
This is a great idea for romantic gifts.
It’s really as simple as wrapping the gift/box in newspaper. But, the date of the newspaper has to be relevant here. If you can get your hands on any newspaper from the day you met or married your significant other, do it.
Then, wrap the gift in the newspaper, using one of the mentioned wrapping techniques. Make sure that the date is visible. You may have to give them a hint about the meaning behind this type of wrapping, but make no mistake, your significant other is going to love it.
Wrapping Techniques for Your Convenience
Choose your favorite wrapping technique and make your gift as perfect as possible. These wrapping techniques can help you make the gifts that you get from Kustom Products look amazing, no matter what shape they are. Remember, the packaging also has to look the part.