ALL WRAPPED UP
Rachael Wood, 33, from Birmingham, uses bundles of tape, embellished paper, precision and scissors to make sure that everyone’s Christmas dreams come true…
Hearing the familiar noise of tape, with wrapping paper cut into precise pieces, that could only mean one thing… CHRISTMAS!
Sat in the corner of the room from a young age, I’d stare at my dad, John, in amazement.
Measuring the gift, he’d then cut the paper with a blade, matching the pattern and taping everything into place.
And I wasn’t the only one that enjoyed his wrapping skills – he got a kick out of it!
Being an electrical engineer, he had his own methods of making sure that the gifts would fit perfectly, with minimal waste.
‘This is how you do it,’ he’d say, guiding me through.
It was certainly different to my wrapping skills at the time – it looked so effortless.
The only thing he wouldn’t do was decorate them – that’s where I came in.
Adding bows, bundles of metallic string and a gift tag, it was my job to make sure that the presents looked like bundles of magic under the Christmas tree.
And when I finally hit the age of having to wrap other people’s presents, it was clear that my dad’s ways had rubbed off on me.
I wanted every single gift to look as beautiful as possible.
Only, my wrapping skills hit an all new level when studying Visual Merchandising and 3D design at college in 2011.
With one of my modules titled professional gift wrapping, it was like a Christmas miracle – I could give dad a run for his money.
So, after learning how to seamlessly encase a box in gift wrap, as well as making decorations such as dried fruits, wrapping presents became one of my favourite things to do. Alongside window displays and prop making, I saw it as an opportunity to start my own creative business in 2013.
This way I could dress hotels, build props for retail stores, and wrap a bunch of boxes to put under displays.
If anything, wrapping was therapeutic.
Only, not everyone saw it that way…
‘I’ve got a huge pile of Christmas presents that I need to wrap, I just don’t have time to do it,’ one of my clients said.
‘This sounds a little strange, but I’m actually professionally trained, I can do it if you want?’ I offered, smiling.
So, within a matter of minutes my client came back into the room carrying bundles of paper, gorgeous ribbons and tags – everything I needed.
‘Do whatever you like, have fun,’ she insisted.
Yet, she didn’t have to ask me twice – that’s what I did!
‘These are amazing,’ she commented, just as I finished the last one.
I’m not sure how long it took me, but the time didn’t matter – I was in my own bubble.
So much so, I caught the wrapping bug!
Boxes, challenging shapes, and even tying a hotel up in a life size crushed velvet bow…
‘I could wrap your hotel to make it look like a gift,’ I said at a client proposal.
So, in December 2015, with my dad’s help, I was commissioned to turn the Hogarths Hotel,
Solihull, into a huge present.
Using chicken wire and lengths of ribbon, the crushed purple velvet bow sat perfectly around the building – it was a showstopper that’s for sure.
And that’s when I decided to add professional gift wrapping to my business – offering wrapping services to those that hated the task.
It seemed like I was the only
The gifts looked like real bundles of magic!
person to offer the service.
So, buying a A3 printer, I started printing my own wrapping paper to make sure that the wrap would match the theme of what presents would come through my door.
And becoming a professional gift wrapper by trade certainly tested me.
There were all sorts of odd shapes and sizes that I had to account for – that was the fun part.
Using tissue paper, and a Japanese wrapping technique called Furoshiki, using material to cover my presents, I thought about how I could make everything eco-friendly.
In some cases, I’ve even mastered using no tape at all.
‘I’d love you to surprise my girlfriend on Christmas morning with a huge box full of presents,’ one customer requested.
Although I wasn’t happy about acting like Santa on Christmas morning, I wanted her to enjoy the festivities.
During Xmas, I’m not even sure how I still stand – I’m like a walking zombie.
And somehow my hands manage to wrap hundreds of presents ever single year, making me hundreds of pounds in return.
‘I can’t believe that people pay you for this,’ my dad says.
I think it’s because he knows he can do a superb job, too.
Christmas is already proving to be a busy one – especially as I’m offering my gift wrapping services in retail stores this year.
Yet, one thing that I’m working on is being more ecofriendly – reusing old cards for tags and saving as much paper as I can.
Ranging from £6 for smaller presents, I know that I will have plenty of gifts to keep me busy – it’s a good job I can wrap one in under five minutes!
Plus, it’s also nice to see what people are going to get under their tree – it’s like I’m an elf!
After the Christmas period is over, I turn my hand to birthdays and anniversaries, with my husband Sean, 38, joining me in making bespoke gifts – he isn’t allowed to wrap!
‘I think your wrapping makes the present look better than it is,’ customers often say! That’s the magic of my job. Everyone loves to spread festive cheer – I’m a small part in making sure that Christmas is wrapped up nicely!
I’m like a walking zombie during Christmas
● To see Rachael’s services visit: polywoodstudios.co.uk