Delightful DIY Holiday Gift Wrap Ideas
The feelings of gratitude and generosity that often accompany the holiday season inspire many of us to make gifts for loved ones by hand—but sometimes
the stress of the season waylays these personalized project plans. Fortunately, incorporating thoughtful DIY details into your holiday gifts doesn’t have to entail hours spent at a workbench or easel or with knitting needles in tow.
If time is at a premium but you still want to prioritize personalization, consider opting for DIY gift wrap. The ideas shared below are simple yet special ways to present gifts—whether handmade or store-bought—in a creative, customized way.
1. Use an Unconventional Material As Your Base
Swapping store-bought wrapping paper for an unconventional and/or repurposed material allows you to be both eco-friendly and intentionally expressive. Consider wrapping your favorite travel aficionado’s gift in a vintage map, your music-loving friend’s gift in sheet music—preferably of their favorite song—or your newspaper-reading relative’s gift in a page from their favorite section. If you think outside of the (gift) box, many interests can be correlated with some form of paper/fabric that can be used to wrap presents.
2. Add Decorative Touches to Your Base
In addition to—or instead of—wrapping a gift in an unexpected material, you may choose to write, draw, or paint on, stamp, or otherwise decorate your gift wrap. Adding these decorative touches allows you to tap into your creativity and optimize customization potential without expending too much time. Transform simple butcher paper by writing lines from a friend’s favorite poem in calligraphy, painting the textured sides of fresh leaves and stamping them on your favorite nature lover’s gift, or drawing beloved characters for your animated film-obsessed niece or nephew. These especially creative and thoughtful touches are sure to delight everyone on your gift list.
3. Finish with a Unique and Meaningful Topper
Finishing with a DIY gift topper allows you to incorporate a tangible element into your gift wrapping. In addition to providing a distinctive wow factor, a small handmade topper has the potential to be a keepsake item and gift of its own. For instance, a small ornament topper crafted from polymer clay, felt, or sculpted wire to represent a favorite animal, food, hobby, or shared memory could be the first ornament someone reaches for each December when decorating their Christmas tree.
You may also want to consider transferring a meaningful photo to a round wood slice with Mod Podge. No matter which DIY topper option you choose, the recipient will undoubtedly know that you thought of them and intentionally carved out a bit of time to make them something special. And in the midst of this extra busy season, that’s the best gift of all.
