By: Mary Boothe
The part I often worry about the most is how to wrap a gift. Sure, I can get the best paper and big bow, but my wrapping ability leaves something to be desired. Sometimes I’m lucky and the gift is square. But more often than not is soft and bulky. Or it’s a bottle. Luckily, I came across the information below on the best way to wrap. It really helps!
How to wrap a box:
- Find a large, flat, clean surface to work on. (The floor is great if you don’t have a table big enough for the gift)
- Spread out a sheet of wrapping paper and place the box on it facedown.
- Wrap the paper loosely around the box to ensure that it will cover every side, then lay the paper flat again. If you’re using a roll of wrapping paper, cut the sheet to size.
- If the box is rectangular, turn it so that one of the shorter sides faces you.
- Fold the left and right sides of the paper so that they overlap at the centerline of the box. The paper should be flush against the box so that it forms subtle creases along the edges.
- Tape the overlapping sides of the paper together at the centerline.
- Push the left and right sides of the wrapping paper in toward the side of the box that’s facing you, then press down on the top and bottom sides of the paper so that the paper forms 40-ish-degree angles.
- Fold the top and bottom flaps toward each other and tape one over the other.
- Repeat those steps on the remaining side of the box.
How to wrap a bottle:
- You’ll also want a clean surface for this, but it only needs to be large enough to fit a standard sheet of tissue paper (20” x 26”).
- Lay out two sheets of tissue paper on top of each other, and place the wine bottle in the middle of the top sheet.
- Fold all of the sides upward toward the neck of the bottle, and secure them in a loose grip.
- Tie ribbon or twine around the neck of the bottle to secure the paper.
If you’re still nervous about wrapping and want it to look perfect, then have it gift-wrapped at the store. Most offer this service. Even Amazon will offer to gift wrap most of their items. Best of luck and if you have any other advice for those of us who are gift-wrap challenged, please let me know!
