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How to Easily Wrap A Present Perfectly Every Time | DIY

By: Author lindseymahoney

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Last Updated on October 16, 2024 by lindseymahoney

Gift wrapping is an art that can make any present feel extra special, no matter what’s inside. Whether you’re wrapping for a birthday, the holidays, or any other celebration, learning how to wrap a present neatly and creatively adds a thoughtful touch to your gift.

In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through simple steps and tips to make your wrapped presents look polished and professional—complete with crisp corners, beautiful bows, and personal flair. 

Let’s get started!

Table of Contents

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Wrap the Perfect Present

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How to wrap a present that looks beautiful every time wows your loved ones!

To wrap a beautiful Christmas gift, it is a good idea to have the gift in a box. For the most professional results, you want to avoid wrapping oddly shaped gifts or items with soft edges. Squares and rectangles are ideal!

When placing gifts inside a box, don’t forget to add tissue paper for a finished look.

Materials Needed to Wrap the Perfect Gift

1 | Measure the Wrapping Paper and Cut

How to wrap a present that looks beautiful every time wows your loved ones!

First, you will measure the wrapping paper so that it wraps around the entire box. Use the grid lines (if included) to cut a straight line across the wrapping paper.

When determining how much wrapping paper to leave on the sides of the box, I make sure there is at least enough paper on the bottom and top to hit the center of the box. 

For the cleanest lines, measure the wrapping paper on the open end to be shorter than the height of the package.  If you have more paper on each side, you risk the paper bunching at the folded edge of the wrapping paper.

2 | Tape One Side of the Box

How to wrap a present that looks beautiful every time wows your loved ones!

Flip the gift box over so that the bottom of the box is facing up. Take one side of the wrapping paper and attach it to the center of the box using scotch tape. 

3 | Attach the Wrapping Paper on the Other Side of the Box

How to wrap a present that looks beautiful every time wows your loved ones!

Pull the other side of the wrapping paper toward the center of the package and attach it with a piece of tape. I like to make sure the paper is nice and taut around the box to create clean lines.

4 | Fold the Top Down on One Side of the Box

How to wrap a present that looks beautiful every time wows your loved ones!

Next, you will work on the two open sides of the gift package. Press the top flap of the wrapping paper towards the floor so it creates two triangles on each side of the gift. Tightly crease the triangle edges and corners to create crisp lines.

5 | Fold the Two Sides Toward the Center of the Box

How to wrap a present that looks beautiful every time wows your loved ones!

Fold the triangles toward the center to create another triangle on the bottom of the package. Create a strong crease on the wrapping paper edges so the folds lay flat on the side of the package.

6 | Flip the Bottom Wrapping Paper Up

How to wrap a present that looks beautiful every time wows your loved ones!

Then you will fold the bottom flap upward and secure it with sticky tape. Follow the same process on the opposite side of the package to finish wrapping the package.

Flip the present over for a beautifully wrapped gift!

How to wrap a present that looks beautiful every time wows your loved ones!

7 | Add a Bow to the Top of the Gift

How to wrap a present that looks beautiful every time wows your loved ones!

I always add a gift bow to every gift that I wrap. My preferred gift bow is the crossover bow which looks really sharp and is easy to remove. The crossover bow can be centered on a gift or angled in a corner to switch up the look. 

Using different types of ribbon creates more of a variety under the tree as well. Ribbons with wire edging allow you to create more volume with the bow while non-wire ribbon, like satin ribbon, lie more flat.

For larger packages, I like using thicker ribbons and smaller gifts get thinner ribbons. Because I reuse our ribbons it doesn’t cost a lot of money to add this special touch.

*Check out how to make a pom pom bow for your Christmas gifts!

8 | Attach a Gift Tag

 When wrapping gifts for friends and extended family, I use hanging tags because they look a little more polished. To attach the gift tags, you can either loop it into the ribbon around the gift or, what I usually do, is tape the tag strands under the bow so it isn’t visible.

For our kiddos, I usually slap on the sticker tags.

Now that you’ve learned how to wrap a present like a pro, you can bring a touch of elegance and creativity to every gift you give.

Whether you stick to classic techniques or add your own flair with ribbons, simple bows, or decorative elements, the effort you put into wrapping makes the gift even more special. With a little practice, your presents will look polished and thoughtful this holiday season.

Happy wrapping!

Where is the best place to buy wrapping paper?

The majority of my patterned wrapping paper is from Hobby Lobby. They always have a great selection of Christmas-themed paper at great prices. The roll of paper is thicker so that it doesn’t easily tear and I love the grid pattern on the back to help cut a straight line.

I also like using brown craft paper to wrap gifts for a more neutral look. It is easy to personalize this paper with stamps, children’s artwork, or even paint! Adding a gift bow with ribbon gives it that special touch.

*Check out this easy DIY to make your own custom wrapping paper!

Where can I find affordable ribbon that looks beautiful on Christmas presents?

My go-to place to find beautiful, thick ribbon is at Costco. Again, they have great prices and a lot of yardage so one roll of ribbon goes a long way.

Another place I like to find affordable gift ribbons and even wrapping paper is at estate sales and the local thrift store. I purchased a bag full of vintage velvet ribbons for $1 or $2 per roll.

When wrapping gifts for loved ones, I almost always add a crossover bow to the wrapped package. The benefit of using the crossover gift bow is that it easily unravels with the tug of one tail. 

This allows me to reuse ribbons year after year! I have a bin of ribbons to reuse on gifts every year and it saves so much money!

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