 The ART of gift-wrapping
by Janani Amarasekara
Everyone loves receiving gifts,
all the time. Those amuse us and make us yearn for more. Gifts wrapped
from colourful papers speak beautiful thoughts. We love the surprises
waiting inside those.
A nicely wrapped gift enhances the speciality of a great moment.
Sometimes the appearance of a gift impedes the opening of the gift. A
creative wrapping adds thousands of plus points to the gift giver and
labels the person as a ‘person with creativity’.
The more trouble you take to wrap a gift the more it shows how much
you care. Since some people believe that, the gift tells of a person’s
importance in their lives. Creative gift-wrapping has many advantages.
Though it takes a little time, rather than just putting into a bag,
it is well-worth doing. As the old saying says, first impression is the
last impression. Whenever we see a beautifully wrapped gift, we admire
the creativity of the person and sigh for not being ‘that creative’ or
for not having enough resources to do wonders with wrappers.
Worry no more! Wrapping gifts like a professional is a piece of cake,
if you know the right tactics. Today, we arm you with some knowledge to
bring your creativity to light.
Start with the box or container you are placing the gift in.
Sometimes, you may not be lucky enough to choose your boxes as most of
the gifts come in their own boxes. However, remember, if it is necessary
you can always purchase a box separately and place the gift in that.
  Next thing is the wrapping paper. Since it is the most important
element here, do not settle for cheap ones. Never mind even if you have
to pay a little extra. That extra amount will reflect in your finished
product. Then again, you will find great wrapping paper in the most
unexpected places.
Shiny wrapping paper does not do wonders if you use it without a
clue, you should plan ahead of what you want and then use them wisely.
When wrapping baskets, hampers and even chocolates, see through glazed
papers come in handy. If you need to give an extra thought, why not
match the colour of the wrapping paper to the colour of the gift! This
would be interesting but it is not necessary.
Accessories also help enhancing the gift-wrapping. Ribbons, flowers,
confetti, tissue, stickers and even small toys bring a wonderful look to
the final product. Use your diplomacy when decorating the wrapping paper
once you have wrapped it around the gift.
Ensure colours of ribbons and flowers match and do not clash. Try to
keep paper texture in mind when choosing ribbons and other accessories.
Confetti sprinkled in the gifts and at times, confetti balls stuck on
gifts give a wonderful look to the gift. Fresh, crackling tissue paper
adds a touch of class to gifts. Ensure flowers are fresh. Now that you
have successfully wrapped the gift, we have two more things to think; a
card and perfume.
Always keep in mind the colours of the wrap, ribbons, flowers, when
choosing the card and envelope. While fancy cards are good, a personal
note, even on office stationery is more appreciated and will go a long
way than any purchased card with stock wordings in it. Using a hint of
perfume, just enough so the person you are sending the gift to is
reminded of you...
The overall wrap must reflect your personality. Finally, it is the
pleasure of watching someone untying ribbons, taking off the flowers,
smelling and reading the card, enjoying the words, pulling off paper,
unwrapping crackling tissue, and finally seeing the gift that makes all
your effort worthwhile. No matter who the recipient is, always ensure
your gifts possess that personal touch! |
