Mix Things up with These 3 Creative Gift Wrapping Ideas 

The holiday season is a time of creative inspiration for many people. This often means discovering new ways to wrap presents for your friends and loved ones. Explore some fun ways to wrap presents with these ideas from us at Pottery Barn, and enjoy the beautiful spread of gifts under your tree.

Rewarding Wrapping

Surprise balls are a fun way to present gifts that consist of several small components with one standout item. A set of jewelry with earrings, a necklace and a ring is something that can work well with this wrapping style. If you’re looking for creative gift card presentation ideas, this could be the perfect match, too. A surprise ball is a fun and festive way to make an event out of opening gifts.

You’ll need your gift and a lot of different-colored crepe paper rolls. Also, have scissors and glue, washi tape or stickers to secure the ends on hand. You can use any holiday-themed colors or items you’d like, but you may want to choose a theme with three colors or draw hues from what’s in your washi tape. Start by wrapping your gift card in all directions with one color of crepe paper. Gradually start building up the form of a ball as you wrap. Once the gift card is completely covered and your ball shape starts to form, add in little pieces of candy or your small toys here and there under the paper. As you run out of one crepe paper roll, secure the end and start with another. Once you have a substantial ball filled with treats, you can trim your crepe paper, secure the end and use your washi tape or stickers to decorate the outside of the ball. As the gift recipient unwraps the ball, he or she will get little treats on the way to the main gift in the middle.

All-Natural Beauty

A lot of holiday gift wrap is brightly colored and patterned. If you want your presents to stand out from the crowd, go for something quietly beautiful. Use plain white, brown or black paper with a simple bow to wrap the item, then gather some greenery or flowers. You can use trimmings from fresh evergreen garlands or your tree, holly sprigs with berries, rosemary branches or mistletoe. While it’s nice to use fresh, fragrant greenery, you can also use crafty fabric or paper recreations. Create a small bundle of your plant decor and tie it with a small bow. Then, tuck it under the ribbon you used to secure the gift. The effect is lovely and eye-catching, while also bringing a refined sophistication to your gifts this year.

Reusable Wrapping

Eco-friendly gifters often look for elegant ways to wrap presents without wrapping paper. There’s a smart solution that’s perfect for small to medium items. Japanese furoshiki are beautiful cloths designed specifically to wrap gifts. Once they’re in the hands of the recipient, these cloths get a new lease on life as home decor, stylish accessories or lunch bags. Furoshiki are typically square-shaped pieces of thin cotton and are roughly the size of a bandana, though you can scale the size up or down according to the size of your gift. You can purchase pre-made fabric squares or make your own, taking care to hem the edges to prevent fraying.

To use a furoshiki wrapping cloth, prep the gift by removing any price tags. Then, if it’s a small or fragile item like jewelry or a ceramic decorative object, place it into a suitably sized gift box. Finally, place your item (or items – furoshiki is a great way to wrap multiple small things in one package) in the center of the wrap. There are multiple different ways to bind up the ends. One classic tying method, called otsukai tsutsumi, involves tucking one corner of the cloth around the item and folding the opposite corner across, then taking the other two sides and tying them into a handle with a small bow. There are dozens of different ways to wrap different item shapes. You can even create an elegant wrap for a bottle of wine or liquor by rolling lengthwise and tying the two loose ends in a bow at the center.