All wrapped up Papers, ribbons and bags to make your gifts look special
MIX IT UP
Wrap presents in understated brown and white paper and tie them up with two or three different widths of ribbon and sparkling twine layered together. Merry Christmas paper, £6 for 5m; glitter-stamped Snowflake Raft paper, £6 for 5m; Kraft ribbon box, £12; Ultimate Nordmann Fir tree (7.5ft), £450; decorations, from £4 each; cluster fairy lights, £55; all The White Company
Natural beauty
1 SPECIAL WORDS
Keep it simple and wrap gifts in plain paper tied with brown string. Add some seasonal magic with embossed star and leaf metal gift tags with festive messages. Saison gift tags, £18 for 24; Wilba parcel string, £4; both Rowen & Wren
2 FINISHING TOUCHES
Not just for the Christmas tree, pretty decorations also look beautiful tied to parcels with a length of ribbon. Complete the look and introduce some seasonal colour by adding a berry sprig or two. For similar paper decorations try Nkuku, from £1 each. Bakers’ twine, £4.50 for 20m; natural woven ribbon, £3.99 for 5m; both Pipii. Similar wooden stars, £6.50 for 24,
Rockett St George. Similar papers, Paperchase
3 WOODLAND FINDS
Decorate gifts with pine cones and feathers together with sprigs of scented eucalyptus and illustrated tags. Finally swap the glitzy ribbons for unfussy bakers’
twine. The Woodland wrap pack includes four brown paper bags, four muslin bags, four hand-stamped tags, three drilled wood slices, 2m green bakers’ twine, and a selection of feathers, £6.50, Rastall & Daughters
Modern classic
4 GREAT VALUE
Inexpensive good quality paper is a must if you have lots of presents to wrap. Ikea has a great selection to choose from. Just add wide ribbons tied in bows to instantly create a luxurious finish. Thick grosgrain or wired-edge styles are easiest to work with – tie in a knot before creating the bow to avoid it slipping.
Vinter papers, £4 for three 3m rolls, Ikea
5 TIED UP WITH STRING
Keep your wrapping uniform by sticking to the same motif but in a different colour variation, then use subtly different string or ribbon. Less can be more for a chic effect. Skiing Bertie wrap (seen in two colourways), £1.50 a sheet, Plum & Ashby. Similar twine, Re
6 WINTER SCENE
Mix and match plain red and silver-grey papers with bold forest-inspired designs, decorating them all with pretty stick-on bows, Scandi-inspired wooden decorations and shiny curling ribbons. Awkward-shaped presents are best given in gift bags. Giftwrap, bows, baubles and string, from a selection at John Lewis
FRESH COLOUR
Red and white is a festive favourite. Give it a new twist by introducing pale mint-blue papers and trims. Oversized wooden tags are a fun contemporary option, and decorated paper bags sealed with festive stickers are a great speedy wrapping idea. Rather than stacking your gifts under the tree, turn them into a wow feature and show them off inside a wooden tree shelf. Paper bags, from £3.25; gift paper, £14 for a roll; wooden gift tags, £6.50; paper gift tags, £1.70; wooden display box, £ 239; all Bloomingville