It’s that time again – where you’ll be spending many an hour sitting uncomfortably on the floor, while feverishly wrapping all your kids presents at the last minute – or is that just me? Well, it seems to be an annual tradition at my place, thanks to a little procrastination and a lot of over-shopping.
So I am in no position to help you with your decorating, but luckily, I don’t have to. I was asked to share some tips for Holiday decorating from Lynn Spence, a style expert with City TV’s CityLine, Around the House and Fashion Friday. She was the decorating editor for Chatelaine Magazine for two years, and now works freelance with various magazines, as well as a contributing editor to Canadian Home and Country Magazine.
Her Tips for Holiday Decorating:
1. Stock Up – Before you start wrapping, make sure you have all of the necessary supplies. Quality scissors and tape will make the gift wrapping experience a breeze (see proof points below):
2. Stay Sharp – Have a sharp pair of scissors, such as Scotch Precision Ultra Edge Scissors, for cutting paper and other materials. It will allow you to achieve greater precision with your cuts. And if tape on your scissors is a pet peeve, Scotch Precision Ultra Edge Non-Stick Scissors use non-stick technology that means no more sticky build up on blades.
3. One of a Kind Tags – You can make your own gift tags by using the back of old holiday cards. Cut pictures or words from magazines, and paste them on the gift card to make it festive. Voila! Your own customized gift tag.
4. Go Glam – Add luxury to your packages with glamorous materials such as metallic papers that will make anyone feel spoiled. Fashioned inspired animal print or sophisticated quilted paper will look luxurious under the tree.
5. Mix It Up – Move away from traditional wrapping paper by incorporating new textures such as rice, foil and matte papers into your wrapping repertoire. Mixed colours and patterns are also a great way to add visual interest to your presents.
6. Au Natural – For a more organic, eco look, use recycled papers or materials such as linen, Kraft paper, fabric remnants, burlap or a fabulous vintage scarf.
7. In Lieu of Glue – For tasks where you’d traditional use glue, reach for Scotch® Double-Sided Tape, a no-mess alternative for light duty attaching and mounting tasks.
8. Fit to Be Tied – Homemade bows are easier to make than you think. Simply tie the ribbon as you would a shoelace, and use fresh greens or other ornamentation to “dress up” the package. The recipient will surely be impressed with the “professional look” of the present!
9. Stay Seamless – Scotch GiftWrap Tape features a unique satin finish that disappears on most gift wrap papers. Makes all your gifts look great! Easy to dispense and sticks securely.
10. Make It Last – The joy of giving is always in style but before you start wrapping gifts, make sure you stock up on quality tape like Scotch Brand to ensure your packages stay sealed until its time to unwrap them.
11. Waste Not, Want Not – Get creative with scraps of paper, ribbons and other found items to add pizzazz to your wrapping and help the environment by keeping these items out of the waste basket.
12. ‘Tis the Season – Before you start gift wrapping, put on some holiday music, relax and have fun! Remember – it’s the thought that counts!
GIVEAWAY!
I am giving away a Scotch Brand package, just in time to try out some of these gift wrapping suggestions, while you’re doing your holiday wrapping! The package will include Scotch Brand Magic Tape, Double-Sided Tape, Giftwrap Tape, Pop-Up Tape Handband Dispenser, Precision Ultra Edge Non-stick Scissors and Tape Dispenser Refills. The package is valued at $50. (And may I just say, these scissors are fantastic).
This is going to be a quick giveaway, so that you can get the package in time, and hopefully use it to help you wrap your presents.
CONTEST ENTRY: Leave me a comment below and tell me about the weirdest thing you’ve ever had to wrap.
*Open to CANADIAN RESIDENTS only.
*Giveaway will end FRIDAY, December 17, 2010 at NOON, and the winner will be chosen by Random.org.
*Disclaimer – I received a Scotch Brand package as well, as a thank you.
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UPDATED: WINNER is #10 – CINDY – CONGRATS!!! Thanks to everyone who entered!!
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
You know, by asking for the weirdest thing I’ve wrapped, I think you assume I give weird things. I do not
Now, I have opened a weird thing or two in my day…. Wait I just remembered I once gave Chris a coat rack. Why is he still with me?
Karen recently posted..Search Term- Downerville
I don’t usually wrap WEIRD stuff per se. The husband did insist that we wrap the bicyle we gave the three year old for his birthday last month. That was a pain in the ass, seriously.
Emma recently posted..Almost wordless Wednesday- They’re trying out for the Sears catalogue
Snowshoes! They are a pain in the butt!
love this giveaway1 Last year I tried to wrap a fishing rod….not as easy as it appears!
I had to wrap a box of lobsters for my MIL, she is from the east coast and wanted a taste of home. No matter how much wrapping it still smelled like dead fish
Most non square shaped gifts are hard for me to wrap! The baseball bat I got for dh one year was tricky
I believe the hardest thing I have ever had to wrap would have to be the instrument filled drum that I bought for my daughter, Jacqueline Kennedy last Christmas. It was a weird shape and no box
We got my son a tricycle for his 2nd birthday..there was no way I could wrap that with ease..so we ended up throwing a bow on it lmao.
I wrapped a sled (very badly) one year.
Weirdest thing? A pocket protector for a “tackiest gift gift exchange”. Hardest to wrap? I can’t remember what it was, but it was in a VERY large box, and I only had small rolls of wrapping paper. It took 3 rolls (of different print paper!) to get the thing wrapped!
Cindy recently posted..Margarine vs Butter
The weirdest thing I’ve ever wrapped was one of those green turtle sandboxes. I ended up using newspaper to wrap it because purchasing gift wrap would have broke the bank!
…but the newspaper wrapping was taken off with just as much glee as the gift wrap would have been…so it was all good!
ty
nancyrobster at gmail dot com
i just wrapped a PillowPet for my daughter..i should have just put it in a box!!! Softie things are very hard to wrap, let alone a BIG softie thing!!!
Christy recently posted..and Day 3
It’s probably not terribly weird, but it’s the weirdest thing I personally have ever had to wrap – a duvet and two pillows. Since they’re soft, paper was not an option. I ended up wrapping them in a lovely sheet with some ribbons and it turned out way better than I thought it would.
I wrapped a car part once for a guy I was dating. And it wasn’t a little part, it took 2 rolls of wrapping paper!
Sarah recently posted..Teaching people to use their computer
When I was 5, I tried to wrap some “Michigan Air” for my uncle. Very hard to get that under wraps, I remember it being sort of triangular.
GREAT giveaway
What a fantastic idea. I think the weirdest gift I wrapped was my husband’s iPhone last Christmas. I had it all charged and activated (he had no idea) and then wrapped it and put it under the tree. I dialed his number from my cell and VOILA the phone started ringing under the tree on Christmas morning. It was awesome 
A Crafty Mom recently posted..Home-made crayon muffins!
I wrapped a sled for my son one year. That took a lot of wrapping paper but he was thrilled to see such a big present under the tree.
A golf club (driver).. try making that inconspicuous!
A bag of rice and a case of beer for my brother when he was a university student.
Weirdest thing – this year, present for my husband. A reminder of a past vacation – a horseshoe crab.
Hardest thing to wrap – small dirt bike for my son. Ended up tying string inside package with string leading outside to the dirt bike. Wrapped badly in a lot of wrapping paper.
Jennifer Taggart, TheSmartMama recently posted..Book Review- 48 Things To Know About Sustainable Living by Victoria Klein
One year for an ugly gift exchange, I wrapped the weirdest, ugliest toy soldier made of varying sizes of terracotta pots. The “winner” took it home and her daughter LOVED it so she had to keep it. The dang thing came back to haunt me 11 years later, though, when I was invited to a party with the same group of people. So it sits in MY basement again, waiting for the next ugly gift exchange.
When I was a preteen my older brother was dating a girl who always said how much she liked our toilet paper. Turns out her mom only bought one ply so she was very impressed with out “luxurious” two ply. So my mom got her a huge pack of two ply to go along with her Christmas gift from us and I was the wrapper so TP is the weirdest thing I’ve wrapped.
edmontonjb recently posted..New Proactiv Canada Blog Tour with Giveaway
I can’t really remember the weirdest thing I have ever wrapped but this year I unwrapped an extremely weird gift… a half eaten box of Brandy Beans.
I wrapped up a can of peas and carrots.
Yup.
I did.
weirdest thing I ever wrapped, was my daughters nintendo years ago,,for fun I wrapped each part separate,,she kinda got frustrate,,
I would says was some downhill ski’s, that was not fun at all, and a large 5ft palm tree for my mom.
Tennis rackets were pretty hard to wrap without being a dead giveaway!
A stuffed teddy bear was pretty hard to wrap as i didn’t have a box for it.
Weirdest thing I’ve wrap was a carpet
The weirdest thing i have ever had to wrap – that would be a pregnancy test like 5 years ago. you dont get to do that every year
Devan @ Accustomed Chaos recently posted..Childrens Play Is No Place For Weapons
Wrapping a water cooler was not the easiest thing in the world!
Mitch recently posted..Mitch Visits One Police Plaza
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