Little Details

Wrapping up a gift is very important to me. I love receiving a really well packaged present, and I always put as much thought into wrapping my present as buying the gift inside. Special little details are important to me, even if they only last a few moments until the paper is yanked off! Here are a couple of little details that I have added to my gifts this year, as well as the pom pom gift wrap from an earlier post.

Magic Wand
I have decided to give all my girlies a little magic and make them a wand! It was literally a 30 second make using two 30cm pipe cleaners. I made a zig zag with 4 points at the top, 5 at the bottom and the each end being slightly longer than the zig zags in between. I bent it round for the two points to meet and there is your star. Twist the two ends together and then using the second pipe cleaner wrap it around the twisted ends and there you go. Wrap it around any ribbon or ties that you have on your gift and it adds a 3D element that's a bit special.

Stamped gift tags
Gift tags are something that I have always made myself. I don't understand people who get upset because they can't find a gift tag in the shops that matches their paper. Make your own people!! I just got a large piece of card, took my Christmas stamp set and got a bit stamp happy... Then I cut them out into tag shapes and voila! Done! :)

Good luck with your wrapping people, only four more sleeps 'til Santa!! X

Origami Gift Box

Sometimes, when wrapping all the gifts commences, you suddenly remember something important. For me it is mostly "ahh a box!". So I learnt to make this easy peasy origami box. It can be used for anything, but the best thing I love about it is that it matches the wrapping paper your using; because you can use the wrapping paper!

So what do you need?
* Ruler
* Line drawing implement (pen/pencil)
* Wrapping paper

What do you need to do?
1. Draw out a square roughly 3 times the size that you need the box to be. I made my 30x30cm and it came out 10.5x10.5cm.

2. Putting the print side down and the inside facing up fold the square in half sides touching, open and repeat with the other side so there is a creased cross across your square.

3. Then take all 4 corners and fold into the centre where the two previous creases are crossed over.

4. Next take one edge and fold it over so the edge touches the centre of the square and fold, repeat on the opposite edge.

5. Repeat the last step with the top and bottom thinner edges. You should now have a smaller square.

6. Then unwrap all your folds except for the last two opposite corners touching in the centre like so...

7. Then, looking at the above photo, the square in between my thumb and finger fold inwards on the diagonal to match the edge of the paper to fold in towards the centre of the square, and repeat 4 times around the box.

8. Then take the last corner and fold over the folds and down back into the centre of the box. Repeat on the other side and fix with tape if needed.

Make two squares in total. The second square should be smaller to do the bottom of the box. Mine was 28x28cm and fit just nicely. 

Then all you need to do is stuff with your gift and add a bit of a sparkly ribbon and a lovely tag. Then pass on to the person you love and watch as they are amazed that your box is so pretty... :)