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!