Category Archives: BOWhemian WRAPsody

Wrap with Scrap!

Scrapbooking Paper

Whether you scrapbook or not, there is no denying the endless possibilities when it comes to the patterns, colours and designs available. I often find myself looking at gorgeous paper and fabrics in much the same way….often finding some designs just too beautiful not to have. When it comes to wrapping small gifts…why not expand your thinking and choose from the vast array of papers available, so much to choose from as opposed to the limited stock of wrapping paper available in most stores and/or the extravegant prices you find in higher end specialty stores. Of course, using scrapbooking paper does limit use to smaller gifts or requires piecing together two sheets. However, it is often available for as low as 50 cents for individual sheets and you don’t have to worry about storing the leftover paper!

Important things to consider if you want to use scrapbooking paper to wrap a gift:

  1. The size of the gift. Scrapbooking paper is available in 12″ X 12″ sheets (as well as standard 8 1/2 x 11 or smaller), so it will only work for small gifts or you can decide to tape two sheets together on the reverse side enabling you to play with a piece that is approximately 12″ X 23″ (with overlap for taping). If you aren’t sure if it will work and you don’t have any at home to test the size, just make a template from newspaper or plain brown packaging paper. In fact, you could keep it as a template for future gifts as well.
  2. Make sure you are purchasing a light weight paper. Some paper is definitely heavy stock and will not be very pliable for wrapping.
  3. If you need to purchase the paper, you may want to look and see what you already have on hand for ribbon and embellishments. Instead of purchasing more, see if you can coordinate your paper purchase with items you already have at home. I think it’s safe to say that most people that are creative and/or crafty…have a stash of stuff they “just had to buy”. Think of gift wrapping as a way to use up some of those crafting items ….perhaps not how you initially intended, but this way you get to purge and be creative at the same time! Make sure to take the embellishments you have with you to the store ~ DO NOT TRUST THAT YOU CAN MATCH THE COLOUR FROM MEMORY….believe me it is next to impossible. You think you can until you arrive at the store looking for teal and realize that even teal has a zillion different tones/shades…yikes!

Check out my latest video from my channel: BOWhemian WRAPsody to see how you can wrap with scrap!

Au Naturel!

I always keep basic brown packaging paper on hand. It’s actually one of my “go to” gift wrapping papers. It is cheap, readily available at any dollar store and oh so versatile! You can dress up the paper (using stamps, paint or sharpies) or leave it plain and just add embellishments. The paper is such a neutral colour that you can literally combine it with almost any colour to create a great look.

For this gift, I simply added a unique “ribbon” I found at the dollar store. It combines a rustic type of cord with tiny leaves to create an organic look. I then cut a few slips from flowers I had in the house. It looks awesome with a simple slip of greenery or combined with a simple flower such as a daisy. Love this look and so simple to pull together! Look for more great ways to use basic brown paper in up coming videos!

Tab Top Surprise!

If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, this gift wrapping idea is not new. Today I posted a new video with a birthday version of the concept. I had originally created a blog post outlining the steps for using a pull-tab tin can as a gift wrapping container in a Christmas post. It is one of my favourite hacks and I can honestly say my family is forbidden from ever using the tab to open such cans. We always use the can opener, so I have a small collection of cans I save as a unique way to present/wrap small gifts.

Simply Lattice Gift Wrapping

With plenty of frustration but even more determination, I posted my third Youtube video today! There is so much to learn and every time I think I have something figured out, I encounter a glitch that costs me several hours to sort out. However, despite the set backs, I’m determined to give this everything I’ve got and to capitalize on my time off by learning the tricks of the trade and becoming more adept at the whole process. Needless to say I’m hoping the quality of my videos will improve as I go!

Today’s video highlights a lattice look gift wrap with two types of ribbon combined to create more interest. I also used some buttons to add to the overall look! I hope you can get some good ideas and enjoy the video!

Purple Pizzazz Gift Wrap

Check out my latest video which demonstrates how to add dimension and glamour to a gifts. Use iridescent gift bag shredding and Christmas Cracker balls to create a gift that makes a statement!

BOWhemian WRAPsody!

Hi All!

My full time job has been very demanding this year and quite honestly, I didn’t have much left at the end of the day! I love teaching kindergarten, but 5 year olds do have a special way of zapping your energy!

Enough said…summer holidays are here and I’m pumped! I’ve had a new project on the horizon for a few months now and just launched my new Youtube channel! I am super excited about this project, but also terrified! Anyone who knows me will vouch that I’m camera shy. I absolutely hate getting my picture taken and that’s why 99% of our family pictures highlight other members of our family. I am yet to take a selfie and starting a Youtube channel is way out of my comfort zone. However, this concept was dropped in my spirit from the most reliable source I know, so I am trusting that I’m to take a leap of faith and walk this journey out.

I love wrapping presents and the idea of combining two things I love to do: wrapping and teaching seems like something I might actually be good at. My channel: BOWhemian WRAPsody will be strictly featuring anything and everything related to gift wrapping. The concept is still new and the ideas are still evolving, but expect to see a whole channel that will answer many of your gift wrapping questions…what to use, how to use it, how to think outside the box, how to create beautiful gifts that leave a lasting impression and much more! I will also be creating a new category on my blog that will connect all of my new videos with some of my past posts related to gift wrapping. There is so much to do, but I can’t wait bring it all together! Keep your eyes open for the new BOWhemian WRAPsody tab in my category list….hopefully up and functioning by mid July.

Check out my first video! (You may notice I mention my other videos…I actually taped several but this was the first one that I finished editing and posted…oh well, there will be plenty more to come!)

You’ll notice that I managed to use a camera angle that basically omits me from the frame…yay!

Gift Wrapping Tips: Post 4 Pull Tab Cans

This is one of my favourite gift wrapping ideas. I am not sure where the original idea came from, but I found it on the internet a long time ago. This idea involves the constant collection of pull-tab cans. Whenever we purchase canned food that comes with a pull tab (such as Eagle Brand Milk or individual Ravioli tins), we don’t use the tab to open it. Simply turn the can upside down and use a can opener to open the can and save the tab for a special gift! (Don’t forget to save both the base and the tin….simply wash and store for the perfect occasion.)

Turn can upside down and open with a can opener.
Here’s a shot of the tab top and the cut off bottom.
Fill the tin with the gift (from the open bottom). Hot glue the bottom back on the base.
Hot glue the felt on the base of the tin to cover the glue used to put the tin bottom back on.
Choose some items to embellish your gift. I have red paper covered wire, red ribbon, red raffia, bells, buttons and some white curly ribbon.

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Gift Wrapping Tips: Post 3

silver bows

I love purchasing these cheap little bow sets. They are so tacky and yet can be incorporated into an overall look that is very elegant. This particular package is a bit different from the bow in my example, but it came from a cheap set like this that I bought at the dollar store. I really like the “mesh netting” I used in the example below and am always on the look out for this particular style. The ones above work in much the same way, just a bit different look.

Pulling it all together:

  • These little boxes were purchased as a set (of 2 or 4?) from the dollar store.
  • I made the matching gift cards with a snowflake stamp and white ink on matching blue paper that I cut into circles. I added a button brad to the center and a few dots of glitter glue to add a bit of sparkle.
  • The embellishment on top consists of one of the dollar store mesh bows, opalescent shreds, basic white curly ribbon and a 6 -8 inch strand of wire holly garland twisted to give the look added dimension.

The above shots are all of the same gift, just different angles. I love the little flap on the dollar store box that also has a snowflake on it. So cute, for so little!

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Gift Wrapping Tips: Post 2

I love all things pretty, but am also very frugal. Cellophane is one of my secret weapons when it comes to making gifts look great on a budget. Of course, you can pick-up a roll for a buck and get numerous bows out of one roll.

cellophane

I purchase printed cellophane, solid colours and also love the look of the clear.

 Cellophane Bows:

    • Purchase dollar store cellophane and cut off 2 to 3 strips. I generally make my strips the about 4 inches wide and the length is equal to that of the width of the roll.  The size can be altered to fit the size of the gift you are decorating.

      cut cellophane strips

      This bow was made with only two strips of cellophane.

    • Stack the strips.
    • Scrunch up the strips in the center so that the entire strip is gathered together in the center. (You know, similar to the tissue flowers we made back in the 70’s!) The YouTube video gives a great tutorial for making the tissue flowers, but these are much easier. Less layers, no folding (just scrunch), no trimming the ends to form a petal shape and less to pull apart after.

      Scrunch up cellophane

      Scrunch up the cellophane in the center of the strip, until the entire length of the strip has been gathered up.

    • With the center pinched tightly, tie a string or ribbon around the cellophane to secure it in the middle . You can tie it onto the gift at this stage or after the flower has been pulled apart. Regardless, the final step is to pull the layers of cellophane apart to create a very full looking cellophane flower.

I always incorporate a few other things to finish off the gift. In this case, the final look was made with these three items:

Green Raffia, Polka Dot Cellophane and White Star Wire Garland
Cellophane Bow
Cellophane Bow

The thing I like best about cellophane is that you can create any kind of look you want depending on the colours and patterns you use. The ribbon and other embellishments can make you gift look fun or elegant, depending on what kind of look you are going for. Get creative and see what you can add to your gifts to dress-up a simple cellophane bow!

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Gift Wrapping Tips: Post 1

I love to decorate gifts. Back in the “olden days” when I didn’t have so much on my plate, I would be done my Christmas shopping by the end of October and be completely wrapped and ready to go by the end of November. Sadly, I have hardly started this year. On line shopping is looking better and better all the time! Well, when I used to wrap early, I used a strategy that allowed me to store all of those wrapped gifts easily. Basically, I wrapped all the gifts in one sitting (or at least most of them). This would take me several hours, but I did not add any ribbons, bows, tags or embellishments at this time. I simply chose paper, wrapped and then wrote the person’s name (very small) on the bottom of the gift. This allowed me to stack and store oodles of gifts without having to compensate for the bows.  I would then set aside another an entire day or evening and set to work decorating each gift. I love to do this and I thought I’d share a few of my favourite tricks!

Wrapping on a Budget

First of all, I spend very little on wrapping paper and embellishments. I always purchase when the Christmas stuff is on clearance and for the last two years I’ve picked up beautiful wire rimmed ribbon at Michael’s for 90% off. I also purchase many of the items I use from the dollar store. The example I am sharing today includes mostly dollar store items.

Bow: Represents family ties and the fact that we should be tied together in bonds of goodwill.

For this particular project, I used dollar store wrapping paper and dollar store wire rimmed ribbon. I can’t remember if I bought the wire holly garland and metallic shreds at the dollar store or not, but probably.  I had both on hand from last year.

I tend to use primarily wire rimmed ribbon. I will occasionally use the curly ribbon, but most often to dress-up the embellishment a bit. I wrapped the gift with one band of ribbon and tied a nice big bow. I then slipped a bit of metallic shreds beneath the bow. The shreds are not silver or gold, but rather that clear “opalescent” look. (Don’t you love that word?)  I love how it just punches up the bow and seems to fill the dead space a bit. I then like to take a 6 to 8 inch piece of wire garland and slide it under the shreds and then twist it on top of the bow to hold everything in place. I like to leave the ends of the wire garland sticking out. This look is really easy to achieve and yet takes a simple ribbon and bow and kicks it up a notch. I often choose gift tags with a string. I just prefer the “hanging” look over stickers. Such is the case with this tag. I just looped it over the wire garland.

You already know how obsessed I am with re-using and re-purposing items, so I am sure you won’t be all that surprised to know that I collect the ribbons and bows on Christmas morning and re-use many of them the following year. I have even been known to leave the tags attached and use it for the same person. Thus, my stash of beautiful ribbons and bows does not need to be replenished that often.

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