When I give a gift to someone I try to make the wrapping part of the present. I think the wrapping should be so pretty that they almost don’t want to open it!!(well, almost!)
I have always coordinated my wrapping papers and ribbons since I had my very first Christmas celebration(42 years ago), in my home with my new hubby!!
Back then I used all foil papers with pretty wide velvet ribbon that I just tied in a simple bow. It always looks so elegant, and I love the way the foil papers shimmered under the tree.
As years went by I added some patterns, usually in gingham checks, stripes and polka dots. All in reds and greens.
I went from reds and Christmas greens to reds and lime greens. When my boys were young I liked the tree, and all of its packages to look like a children’s wonderland, full of bright colors!
In the last ten years, or so I have added my signature black and white color scheme added to the lime green and red.
Several years ago I was on the hunt for a black and white awning striped paper that I wanted to become my signature wrap.( I figured I needed a signature wrap after reading Colin Cowey’s ideas on wrapping gifts. His signature wrap is chocolate brown paper.) I was having the hardest time finding anything until I came upon Nashville wraps!!
Score!!! I found it!!! I just ordered another large roll of the black and white stripes. I also added a fun black with white polka dot paper to add to the mix.
This years wrappings will be black and white with touches of lime green!!!!
I love to wrap a pretty package!! I am excited to get the paper I have ordered from Nashville wraps. I re-ordered another roll of the stripe. It is called Domino Alley Stripe.
It comes in a cut-box for easy unrolling and cutting. You can get it in different lengths. I order the 85 ft. roll for $19.95.
I also ordered black with white polka dots. I will be mixing it with white paper and another paper that looks like lime green glitter. I am so excited!! I have a few more tricks up my sleeve!!!
I think choosing my wrapping paper is like choosing fabrics or wallpaper. I love to co-ordinate prints.Once a decorator always a decorator!
What colors and patterns do you all choose for your Christmas packages?
“Enjoy the Process!” Of:
Choosing beautiful wrappings to make your packages special for the special people in your life!!
Kathysue
29 comments:
Yes Kathysue, I am very big on coordinating my giftwrap. I like it have a cohesive feel under my tree!! I normally decide on a colorscheme/feeling for the season and then buy papers in that color way and ribbons that work. I love buying embellishments at Michaels crafts when they are on sale....and having a field day and especially taking advantage when I am really in the mood, getting busy with my hot glue gun and going to town....like you love creating gifts that are almost too pretty to open!
I do coordinate my wrapping paper..I am almost embarrassed to admit it! My home has a country Christmas decor and I buy country paper with raffia bows...and I collect snowmen and often buy snowmen paper...it is fun for me and I hope others enjoy it too!!
i LOVE this post K!
the black and white are my favorite of course. and that first picture. wow!
xo
ashlina
www.thedecorista.com
We're so alike, Kathysue! I always match my wrapping paper to my Christmas decor and use wide, shimmery ribbon. We actually save the ribbon from the presents that are opened at home, and reuse it the following year. My colour palette is white, silver, soft pink, frosted berry and silvery-sage. I love Christmas!
I agree! I have a collection of b & w as well, it was from a company that helped schools with fundraising. It's so versatile, I can use it year-round and pair it with a variety of ribbon colors and solids.
Can't wait to see what you've planned, I know it will be a treat!
Hello Kathysue
Your gift wrapping is superb. I truly admire the artistic flair you employ to embellish your gifts.
Your friends must feel very special.
Helen Tilstonxx
oooh, love it! I'm doing kraft paper this year. I like one of the images in your post where the presents are wrapped and then a vintage brooch pinned to the ribbon. Very cute! You know I love vintage:)
I like to wrap gifts for other people in coordinated themes. Triple stacks of coordinating wrap tied with a coordinating ribbon go to other people's homes, but I like for the gifts spilling out from under our tree to be a riot of color Christmas morning. I like it to be overwhelming color, like every dreamed about toy might be under that tree.
Gifts to other people sit under our tree during the runup to Christmas in there pretty coordinated wrap. They're replaced with a few dummy boxes for the last couple of days, then sometime between Christmas eve when the kids go to bed and Christmas morning they're replaced by crazy, wild, color and glitter, of all shapes and sizes.
Can't wait to see the other responses to this. Fun discussion!
Hi Kathysue,
Yes, I do! Coordinate my wrapping paper, that is. I like to mix tartans tied with raffia or burlap and butcher paper tied with tartan ribbon. I start out that way anyway, but by the time December 24th rolls around, I'm shoving everything in a bag! I love your black/white awning stripe paper. You will have so much fun wrapping with it. I can see it tied with lime green ribbon too!
Hi Kathysue,
Yes, I coordinate my gift wrap. I really like the site you mentioned and just placed an order. Thanks for introducing me to Nashville Wrap.
Karen at Garden, Home and Party
TOTALLY get into Christmas wrapping, Kathysue....just like you I did black and white (and silver) last year. This year I am thinking bright greens and gold accents. So much fun to be considering this...thanks for getting my creative juices flowing. Please show us some of your finished products!
Last year I did cream and white paper for my family but used different colors of ribbons. The nice thing about using this non-traditional combination was that I was able to use the paper for wrapping birthday gifts throughout the year too.
Kathysue..Yes, love coordinating paper and also love to wrap items in items that are reusable. I love to buy old linens throughout the year and I use the linens as my "wrapping paper"..tie it with a beautiful satin ribbon and you have two presents in one!...Love, love all things Christmas and I pretty much started my blog to have friends and family, etc access my Christmas pics.
Thanks for your great ideas...
Shirley @ housepitalitydesigns.wordpress.com
Kathysue..Yes, love coordinating paper and also love to wrap items in items that are reusable. I love to buy old linens throughout the year and I use the linens as my "wrapping paper"..tie it with a beautiful satin ribbon and you have two presents in one!...Love, love all things Christmas and I pretty much started my blog to have friends and family, etc access my Christmas pics.
Thanks for your great ideas...
Shirley @ housepitalitydesigns.wordpress.com
Kathysue..Yes, love coordinating paper and also love to wrap items in items that are reusable. I love to buy old linens throughout the year and I use the linens as my "wrapping paper"..tie it with a beautiful satin ribbon and you have two presents in one!...Love, love all things Christmas and I pretty much started my blog to have friends and family, etc access my Christmas pics.
Thanks for your great ideas...
Shirley @ housepitalitydesigns.wordpress.com
Kathysue, I have done the same thing. Everything coordinated together. The paper, bows and tree. I love the black and white together. Cant wait to see it.
*** What you're doing THIS year is deeeelightful, Ks~~~ so fresh!!!
I go "somewhere NEW" every year (w/ wrapping paper, schemes, etc), & think wrapping all those presents is SOOO fun!!!
When we lived in Germany, my BFF & I used to bring alllll our "stuff" to one of our homes, & we'd start of "playing" with it all & sharing ideas, sipping hot chocolate, playing Christmas music, wearing silly Christmas Tee-shirts, etc... Then, by the end of the day, when exhaustion completely just took over, we'd take command of a bottle of wine (or two!) and pat ourselves on the back!
This year I'm doing something I haven't done in YEARS~~~ am using brown "mailing" paper, & old newspapers. If it's wrapped in the brown, I make the names out of newspaper letters~~~~ If it's wrapped in newspapers, then I cut out their first initial in the brown paper, filling in the REST of their name on the inside of the "card". I think the grand-nieces and grand-nephews will get a kick (albeit a verrrry small one!) of out it! (I KNOW the adults will appreciate it!). On EACH package the "ribbon" is red raffia for one family, and green for the other, tying it all together. (It looks fun, different AND saves a little "confusion"!). Funny, this is ONE part of Christmas I REEEEEEALLY ENJOY!!!!!!
We received the gift of a beautiful crystal wine decanter & defuser last year from Tiffanys, so the BOX is quite BIG, and I LUV that beautiful color like MOST people do! THAT goes under OUR tree here in AZ, OF COURSE, along w/ a few other "snob appeal" boxes... they add extra fun when someone at our Christmas party says something like "OOOOH, that's from _____?!?!?!". THAT's when I say "yes, but the box is EMPTY so far this year, darn it!" ~~~ It brings a chuckle, and puts things back to their right perspective, IMHO!!!
This is waaay too long... sorry, but I LOVE this subject & could go on and on and.......
Warmest holiday hugs,
Linda in AZ *
bellesmom1234@comcast.net
ohmy, I am really a misfit. Not a fan of wrapping gifts; I say every year, I'm going to think this through and have fun with it. Ummm, no, hasn't happened yet. We really don't bring out the gifts under the tree until Christmas eve but at least they are wrapped! I know someone who DOES NOT wrap at all; she piles the presents she's purchased in separate piles for each person. For real. I do try to buy pretty wrapping; I'm just not into bows (esp those already made and sold in packs of 25 or more). I like a simple presentation. I like those button toppers in one of your photos.
Oh most definitely! I even will re-wrap presents if they don't match with the "theme" of Christmas paper- seriously we can not have shabby looking presents under our beautiful tree! And yes, my family makes fun of me and I am ok with that as I will continue to have the tree compliment the presents and vice versa!! Kinda sad isn't it? Oh well
Okay, Kathysue, we have definitely confirmed that most of us who read your blog are OCD. Of course, I coordinated my Christmas wrappings! In the past, I have used kraft paper and wired plaid ribbons; one year the wrappings were all gold or silver with wide ribbons and ornament embellishments; this year I am using polka dot papers in either lime green dots on white background or aqua dots on white with luscious layered ribbons, topped with vintage silk flowers once used for millinery. I also have matching colored oversized tags in lime and aqua.
I set up my tree -- live, 10 feet high -- turn on my Christmas music (Johnny Mathis is a favorite) and take about four or five days to decorate the tree and wrap the presents -- and I love every minute of it.
It was such fun to read the comments and see what others are doing and, by the way, I love the black and whit stripes. Have a great day.
Best...Victoria
Best...Victoria
I adore the idea of a signature wrapping paper! that os so cool! I'm going to work on that this year :)
Stacy
I love choosing paper each year for gifts under the tree. I have been collecting ornaments for my tree since college, over 20 years, and only use silver and clear ornaments. This gives me so many options each year for paper, since anything goes with it. I haven't started looking yet, but always like to find the 'perfect' wrap!
Yes yes yes, I love this!!! Makes me happy to know I am not the only one who likes to do this :) I love the coordinated look, still trying to dream up what I'd like to do this year :)
Thank you SOOOOO much for your super kind words over at BB&B today, you are the BEST Kathysue, I can't get over the wonderful encouragement you are to your blog friends :)
Nancy xo
Yes, absolutely do I coordinate my wrapping theme with my tree theme. No point creating a theme for your tree if you ruin it with mismatched presents I think. Wrapping presents is one of my favourite things about Christmas and I enjoy the wrapping more than the unwrapping. It always drives me nuts after going to such trouble when everybody comes around and dumps their non-coordinated, sloppily and lazily wrapped presents under the tree and it ruins everything! :)
some great ideas there! the black and white is a nice idea for christmas..love the music wrapping the most : )
x
I can tell you enjoy wrapping. You need your own little wrapping station somewhere in your home if you don't already have one! I love to wrap gifts as long as I don't leave it all to do at once! xo
Not that I don't love black and white...cause you know I do! But is am loving that dark gray paper with the letters on it and the green ribbon.....I will be on a hunt for that!
Thanks for the tip on whre to find the black anf white striped wrap. I was having a hard time finding rolls larger than 17ft and smaller than 415ft. Ribbon prices were good as well!
I love your pictures of the beautifully wrapped packages. It ALMOST makes me want to start wrapping. I recently purchased some pretty paper from Target. I bought two different designs that coordinated and spent $30.00 on just paper. This year I'm going with dark brown and dark red with sparkly accents. LOVE your black, white and lime!! Can't wait to see it all under the tree.
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