If you're like us, Christmas Eve day is going to be spent in a big gift wrap frenzy. As much as I love those brown paper packages tied up with string, I really love when the gifts I'm giving look as festive as the holidays themselves. Here, 12 of my favorite ideas for wrapping gifts that will make your packages stand out from the stacks covered in store-bought paper.
They'll almost be too nice to open, though my anxious kids will beg to differ. -Christina
This clever yarn-wrapped gift for kids comes with a little present on the top: A colorful handmade monster ornament from Knock-Knocking.
Design Sponge has some great ideas for wrapping gifts with things you already have in the house, like this map. It's recycling in the most festive way!
Who says tape can't have a little fun this holiday? Love how some patterned Japanese washi tape adds "pop" to plain old kraft paper.
Can't find washi tape? It's easy to create your own Christmas masking tape with this easy printable.
We saw this neat tutorial for wrapping gifts with pipe cleaners at Thanksgiving, but it could easily be adapted for Christmas or Hanukkah--just change the colors.
If you're giving out gift cards, they get more personal when you make your own tiny gift card envelopes with paper you may even already have on hand.
Cuteness alert! Gather some little trinkets from your home for a clothespin gift topper that is different from the ubiquitous bow. Plus, the clothespin can then go onto a branch of the tree.
Tis the season for a little sparkle, so we love Ambrosia Creative's glitter stickers that were inspired by this season's Miu Miu booties. Tres chic!
Have lots of little hands that want to "help"? Grab some festive stamps and let the kids decorate plain paper with their own designs. They may not come out as perfect as the one here, but that's kind of the charm.
If you're ready to graduate to giftwrap 202, craft mavens can make their own fabric poppy flower gift toppers with Creature Comforts' video instruction.
If you find yourself with lots of fabric scraps: Martha Stewart shows how pretty Japanese furoshiki--wrapping gifts in cloth---can be. Step-by-step instructions available here.
Handmade pompoms and snowflakes make these simple kraft paper-wrapped gifts ones you'd want perched on top of all the others----another project that's great for kids' participation.
