Christmas Countdown Day 3: Pretty Little Packages!

Have you always wanted your presents to be ones of envy - not necessarily because of what was inside, but because of the beautiful wrapping! I always envy store displays with bounds of curl ribbon and bouncing bows but have the Yowly One around but a permanent ban on everything curly.

The hot "bow" item this year are toys affixed to the package. In theory, I think this is an okay idea, but knowing my own son's propensity for stopping at the box, I'm not sure we'd ever open the actual present if I put a toy on the outside! I like the idea of putting little Christmas touches on the packages - baubles or ornaments that can be saved and hung on the tree for the next holiday season.

First, I took a simple piece of ribbon, tied it to the present and tied on a floral stem of holiday berries. It adds some interest by breaking up the linear line of the package. It also is likely more economical than store bought ribbon or bows - if you hit a big box craft store at the moment, all the Christmas floral stems are 70% off - stock up now and use them next year as present toppers!

Sometimes you get an odd shaped package - this one was perfectly square so wrapping it was challenging because just how much paper did I need? Well, I had too much! So I used a roll of tulle I had left over from a wedding project and tied a length around the present. Not only is it "cat" friendly, but it hides the not so lovely wrapping job! Attach a pretty ornament and you've got a gift that gives again next year.

I love bows - that is no secret so I love wrapping up a present and topping it with a beautiful bow! I love looping some ribbon around a box and topping it with my perfect bow. I also like the simplicity of the gold bow on my glass boxes - just take a meter or so of ribbon and wrap it over itself, tie with another short length of ribbon and in seconds, you have a nice bow that adds a lovely touch to any package!

Sometimes, we don't have all the lovely ribbon or embellishments, so why not a pinwheel bow on a child's gift? If you had a scrapbook brad, a hole punch and stick, you could turn your bow into another great toy for the kids! Here is a great instruction for making a pinwheel bow from MelangerieNYC!

Candy canes, pine cones from a tree or a few cookies wrapped with cling wrap and a length of ribbon all make interesting and thoughtful gift toppers. Look around your house and what do you see that might liven up those presents?

Thanks for stopping by today - only two more days until Christmas Eve! Tomorrow, I'll share a couple of tried and true holiday appetizer recipes and then on Christmas eve, I'll share a little Christmas Magic for the kids!