Love/Hate Wrapping

I have to say, it's a love/hate relationship with gift wrapping for me. I mean, I do love wrapping and putting a special touch on the gift. The special touch can be a full ribbon around the gift to hot gluing some real dried greens and mixing it with faux stuff and adding a little ornament.

Oh, I love handing a gift with a little bit of flare. I love sitting with Christmas music in the background, a pine scent candle burning and maybe even having a glass of wine on the side. I have been able to find time to wrap freely and do all of the above when my kids are asleep and it's been such joy! Can you just picture this heavenly scene?

Without further ado, here are some wrapping, and adorning looks I've done so far. It isn't flamboyant, it isn't too bare and simple, I think it's just in between. Enjoy!

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This year, I am giving some friends & family a "Kitchen Essentials Gift Box." I found the perfect box that folds and closes. They are called Mailer Boxes and are available in different colors and sizes. I chose white because I know the green ribbons I bought are going to stand out and look amazing on them.

In the box, I'm going to put a bottle of Hand Soap, a Wooden Spoon, a Wooden Bowl, a Holiday Kitchen Towel and a small ornament. Easy, pretty & practical.

On the bottom of the box, you can use white tissue wrapping. I had some left over Crinkle Paper so it was perfect.

Gather your gift-wrapping adornments. This is where the real fun begins! I had a variety of flat-shaped ornaments, faux greenery like lambs ear and red berries, real greens from our own backyard and some from neighbors! I had some fresh cedar, pine stems, prickly holly (yes, be careful) and a bright green foliage from one of our potted shrubs in our backyard. Gather an assortment of ribbons in different widths and colors. Lastly the gift tags. I found some vintage Santa gift tags from an antiquing trip that are my favorite.

Here are the different ways I've used my gathered adornments, starting with the flat wreath ornaments and the green silk ribbon. No wrapping of the white boxes needed by the way!

I did use wrapping paper on most and I used White Kraft Paper with a striped Hunter Green Ribbon for a striking contrast. To finish off the gift, I added a combination of frosted lambs ear from a pick and dried cedar and juniper stems.

For wrapping paper, have you seen the many beautiful options out there? So many pretty patterns and colors! I found a set of four rolls that were the perfect color combination.

Gift wrapping, it's a love/hate. And this season, I'm finding I'm loving it more than the latter. It gave me my creative time, my quiet time and the obvious, my soon to be proud-to-be-handing-these-gifts moment.

That's a wrap! :)