I’ll be honest- Wrapping gifts is not my favorite part about Christmas.
First of all, I’m not even good at wrapping. Everything ends up wrinkly and uneven and I hate it.
But this year is different. This year, I discovered a whole world I knew nothing about, and it’s called Kraft Paper.
Are you familiar with it? Maybe I’m behind the times, but this is the first time I knew this stuff existed. Kraft Paper is brown, thick, and perfect for doing your own decorating. And that’s exactly what Allison and I did.
If you’re looking for new ways to spruce up your Christmas decorating, here’s how you can use washi tape and/or Kraft Paper to decorate your gifts!
What you need:
- Kraft Paper
- Washi Tape (Christmas-themed or Christmas colors go great!)
- Christmas stickers
- Gift tags
- Pen
- Scissors
- Tape
Most of this can be found at Hobby Lobby (Make sure you buy during their 50% off sales or print a 40% off coupon from their website!), or you can buy them online (Links are above for convenience!).
Step 1: Wrap your gift
This might be the easiest part for some of you. I’m still not an expert wrapper, but I managed to get a couple looking nice.
And for those of us that are really wrapping-challenged, you can buy plain brown boxes or bags for your gifts. By the way, all of this came from Hobby Lobby and their 50% off sales. The Kraft Paper was Christmas, and the bags and boxes were part of a different sale. Frugal life for the win!
Step 2: Search Pinterest for ideas
I did not get all of these ideas myself. Pinterest is an amazing resource for getting ideas because it’s such a visual website. At first, I searched for “Creative wrapping ideas” and that’s where the Kraft Paper and washi tape came up. Then I narrowed down my search to “Washi tape gift wrapping” and then I was overloaded with cute ideas.
Step 3: Get Creative!
This is where the fun begins. You get to use your imagination and get to work!
The best part about decorating your own gifts is that each one will be different. You can individualize each gift; and when a lot of your gifts are in the same kind of box or bag, adding your own creative flair can make a huge difference in appearance.
Here are some ways I used the washi tape:
-Sometimes simple stripes just do the trick! I did one vertical and one horizontal, or sometimes two going in the same direction. Some of them I made an X.
-My favorite washi tape decoration is the Christmas tree. You can use one color or alternate, but just make each line of tape shorter and shorter until it looks like a tree. I’m kind of proud of myself for that one.
-As you can see, I also bought some Christmas stickers. You can add a star to the top of your trees, or add presents underneath… the possibilities are limitless.
If you have kids, let them get involved! Allison was SO excited to help decorate each gift. She made up her own little story on each one using the stickers, and that really adds a creative touch that family will love. Every day now she keeps asking, “Can we wrap more presents???”
If you’re not careful, you could go overboard and spent way too much money on gift wrapping. Did I spend more on wrapping than I did the actual gift? I seriously hope not. But at least our family has something nice to look at while unwrapping!
This Christmas will be awesome. I love how uniform everything looks under the tree and it’s just so pretty to look at. We had so much fun decorating, I think we may do this again next year!
Do you have any special ways of wrapping or decorating your gifts? Leave a comment and let us know!
Jaime is a Nutrition Coach through the ISSA and professional writer. She has 4 years experience coaching and 9 years experience in writing. She enjoys cooking easy meals, running, and learning more about food.
Jaime specializes in helping women with ADHD learn to meal plan and cook healthier meals without getting overwhelmed.