The Art of Giftwrap

I attended a wedding shower over the weekend, and it was full of women, friendly chatter, yummy food and opening presents. I guess the whole games thing has gone by the way, which is okay by me -- we had enough fun just chatting. But what was fun were the presents! One of them, made up by my sister, was a large wok full of fun kitchen utensils. Only, instead of wrapping the whole thing up in paper, she took two different colors of tissue and stuck them in between the different things so it looked like a crazy pot of color. It was great.

Many people I know feel that gifts are a waste of time. Or at least gift wrapping is -- but I love the look of a wrapped present. There's nothing more delightful to me than to see a stack of gorgeous wrapping and the creativity that people come up with.



I guess it's the off shoot of scrapbooking -- kind of the stamp thing. People get carried away with cards and stamps and come up with ideas that are gorgeous and one of a kind. One of the cards to this party was crafty one with a bride and groom on the front with added decoration. It was the kind of card you know someone had made just for them. It shows thoughtfulness and caring. Some people at my work have a gift card ring going. Once a month, they make up 12 sets of 2 cards and then they get gathered and divided among the participants. The result is 12 different gift tags that are unique and special. I'd be reluctant to use them, because they were so gorgeous.

I know in our crazy world right now, gift bags have become the norm. I keep the bags I get and use them over and over. Some of the gift bags are really cute, with things attached to them or extra decorations to make them more special -- but it's still a bag.



One of my favorite ways to give gifts is in a large basket lined with kitchen towels or large napkins, depending on what I'm putting in it. When I have time and money, I like to really be creative, like my sister was.



Another gift, which kind of doesn't go along with my delight in wrapping paper, is the one we give all my neices and nephews that get married. We find some kind of bucket -- preferably one that can be used in their married life, a bottle of sparkling apple juice and two special glasses. We stick it in the traveling vehicle and wish them well on their life together. This was something that was done for us on our honeymoon, and we enjoyed it immensely. The same shower that I went to, was for the fiance of my nephew. We've already found him an official ice bucket -- however it's red. I don't think they'll mind, but if they do I guess they can always paint it. grin.

We've got the bottle of sparkling juice, now I'm just trying to find the right glasses. We'll tie it all together with a bit of silver and gold ribbon, and they won't care that it's not wrapped.

In reality, wrapping is not all that matters -- but I think it's a definite art form and one that should be continued. Don't let lack of time spoil your joy in the gift that your giving -- make it special for them, and for you.

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