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Get creative with gift wrapping

Innovative ideas for wrapping wedding presents and unusual shapes. By Jane Means

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Wedding ideas

● Old white net curtaining looks great for wedding gifts. Just wrap in white tissue, then do a second layer with cheap netting (from John Lewis or Dunelm)

● When you receive flowers with test tubes of water on the stems, re-use them. A fresh bloom added to a gift not only looks fabulous but can smell gorgeous too

● Write a short wedding poem with a metallic gel pen on to a large ivy leaf

● Wedding gifts are often valuable so add your gift tag inside so it doesn't fall off

Old diamanté shoe buckles and costume brooches can be added to give your gift that touch of luxury chic

● Use scented drawer liners to wrap a gift or spray your paper with a subtle room fragrance

● You can tie in artificial flowers from Sugarcraft and cake shops for an eye-catching look

● Photocopy old photos of the bride and groom to make personalised wrapping paper. For larger gifts take your photos to a printer who can supply larger sheets.

● Small gifts can also be wrapped with recycled laundry sheets (such as Bounce sheets) with tissue underneath. It will emit a fresh aroma and feel super-soft too

● Make a fabric rose with an arm-length of wired ribbon (approx 70cm), a wired bead and some stem tape. Tie this in to a wedding gift for a luxurious look

● For wedding vouchers or money, leave the envelope blank and tie ribbon, trimmings and a tag around it. This will transform it into a gift

Wrapping awkward shapes

● Tie awkward shapes with remnants of fabric or paper napkin

● Use an eggbox for an unusual gift box, ideal for cakes, sweets, soaps, small gifts etc.

● Paper tablecloths are an ideal medium for wrapping large and awkward shapes

● Re-use Cellophane from bunches of flowers. Once it's tied around the new gift you won't notice the creases

● Use wallpaper remnants to make a robust stunning gift bag. Just use the wallpaper to wrap an empty box at one end, then remove the box. Insert your gift and add ribbon

● When you have to wrap a large box, stick two pieces of paper together with tape then cover the join with ribbon. This looks really effective when you use two different-coloured papers

● When you're wrapping an awkward gift, rather than scrunching the wrapping around the object, start with the shortest sides and gather with small pleats. This will look a lot neater

● Remember that paper often doesn't work with awkward shapes and you're better using flexible wrapping like tissue, cellophane, crepe, fabric etc.

● Recycle plain gift bags by punching a hole between the two handles. You can then tie a bow to close the top of the gift bag so you don't see the contents

Wrapping ideas from Jane Means