Holiday giftwrapping tip 3: get sentimental

One of the simplest, most charming ways to add a personal touch to gifts is to use a special photo in your design. This example isn't a holiday gift; it for my friends Greg and Carolyn's wedding. All the same, it's easy to see how a well-chosen photo can make a gift come to life.

The happy couple shared their engagement portraits with friends, and I just downloaded an image, printed it and added it as the feature focus of the wrap. With photo sharing sites like Snapfish, Picassa, and Flickr, it's easier than ever to do the same.

This idea is especially fun for young kids, because there are no gift tags to read. I made this one for my niece when she was two.

Supplies:
- a beautiful photo
- solid and/or patterned paper (keep patterns subtle)
- cardstock
- ribbons of varying colors and widths
- vellum sheets
- stick-on gems and other prezzie-bling
- double-sided tape
- Glue Dots
- super-sharp scissors
- decorative edge scissors

How-to:
- Wrap your gift (use a box!). I like 2-piece, top-and-bottom boxes because you don't have to tear the paper to open it, and something like this makes a sweet keepsake.

- Apply your ribbons in a pattern of your liking. I've used a basic criss-cross here, but you could easily use the woven plaid pattern from holiday gift wrapping tip #1. *Secure your ribbons using glue dots; double sided tape is too wide for most ribbon, and regular glue is not strong enough. It will also make a big mess.

- Prepare your photo. You can simply crop it or make an overlay frame with the vellum, as I have here. To cut a window out of the vellum, center your vellum sheet over a ruled cutting mat, and use a ruler and X-acto knife to carefully trace the window. *Use an extra sharp blade, too. Dull blades will fray up what you're cutting, and they force you to press harder than you need to, which is dangerous if you slip.

Next, Apply a glue dot to each corner of the photo, and carefully align your vellum window layer over it. Since the glue dots will show through the sheer vellum at the corners, cover them with a ribbon. Cut a short width of ribbon, and wrap it diagonally around the corners and secure them on the back with another glue dot. This creates a ribbon photo corner that will attach to your cardstock frame to add color and dimension.

- Make a frame. Using the decorative edge scissors or punch, add texture to the edges of a sheet of cardstock. I've used a scalloped-edge scissor here, but there are tons of choices in craft stores. I love the zigzag of pinking shears, too. Super cute. This example has two layers, but you can do as few or as many as you like.

- Put it all together. Attach the photo to the frame, and dress it up with your favorite prezzie-bling. I used little rhinestones, pearls and a tiny bow for this gift. Then attach it to the box, over the ribbon.

That's it - a picture perfect gift. And be sure to take lots of photos this holiday - you can use them for next year's gifts!

Fine Giving on Fine Living

Years ago, I worked for Kate's Paperie in New York City. Fine Living asked me to share tips on gift wrapping. Check out this how-to video on making your gifts personalized and special.

Holiday giftwrapping tip 2: get inspired by fashion

Is it just me, or is this a downright somber period of fashion? Everything I see lately is unstructured, slouchy, and distressed. What’s with all the grey, tan, beige, and um, grey? What I wouldn’t do for a gorgeous, tailored, vibrant ensemble in a luxe fabric! Like a modern kimono!

Alas, you may not be able to dress yourself like a geisha princess, but you can dress your gift like one. This prezzie is a bit fancier than the last post, but still totally doable.

Supplies:
- Japanese yuzen paper (available in craft stores or online) This stuff is a bit pricey, impossibly beautiful, and may actually break your heart to cut it. But trust me, it’s worth it. Yuzen and chiyogami papers are used to make washi eggs, an exquisite artform that warrants its own post.
- Satin ribbon (coordinate color with paper)
- Satin cord (coordinate with paper, but contrast with ribbon)
- Glue Dots
- Double-sided tape
- Super-sharp scissors

How-to:
- Wrap your gift (use a box!) with the yuzen paper. *Always use double sided tape. Regular tape is just plain tacky. Think of it this way: if your gift were an outfit, visible tape would be like visible pantylines.*

-  Cut a length of the satin ribbon to go around the box, with a half-inch extra. Secure it with a Glue Dot on the bottom.

-  Cut a length of satin cord to go around your box twice, with 2 inches extra. Wrap it around the box twice, so when you look at the bottom, the cord appears as two parallel rows. Then join them on the top in an x-shape and secure them in a tight knot. A tight knot is important because the cord can be slippery and can undo itself easily.

The mini-geisha pictured here contained a gift-card. I found the boxes at Michaels in the baking and treat-package aisle. This wrap looks especially sweet on small packages, which is also good because small gifts require less precious yuzen paper. But don’t hold back if you have a shirt box-sized gift; yuzen sheets come in sizes as large as 2 feet by 3 feet, so if you wish to splurge, by all means, splurge away!

That’s my prezzie for today, friends. Now you try. Give pretty!

Holiday giftwrapping tip 1: basic wow

Now that we're done giving thanks, let's get down to business. If you braved the Black Friday madness, chances are you have some lovely gifts. Here's a simple way to dress them up with very basic items.

Supplies:
- vibrant giftwrapping paper (I like foil.)
- ribbons in varying colors and widths. (Try satin or grograin. Save your organza or wire-edged ribbon for another project. If you're in New York City, try Kate's Paperie. If not, Michaels or A.C. Moore will do just fine.
- Glue Dots.
- really sharp scissors (NEVER use them to cut tape. You'll gum up the blades and they won't cut cleanly.)

How-to:
- Wrap your gift (use a box!) in the paper or foil.

- Make a band using one ribbon around the box, and secure it with a glue dot on the bottom.

- Make another band going around the box, criss-crossing the first, and secure it the same way.

- Repeat several times, weaving over and under the existing bands to get the plaid effect. I like skewing the nexus of the ribbons off-center because I find it more interesting. But do your own thing. It will be beautiful.

* Advanced tip: plan your pattern before you apply the ribbon. To get the true plaid-pattern look, vary your colors and widths in both directions so you can have contrast of color and size. And don't feel like you have to stick with the traditional red/green or blue/silver palettes. Bright citrus tones or pastel/dark neutrals (like pink with dark grey or black) are super chic! Just make sure you manage the contrast, so the color pops.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for another tip soon. Until then, give pretty!