Oh, What Fun it is to Wrap

I've always enjoyed wrapping presents. This year I had the good fortune of being almost out of the old paper, so I was a happy girl when I "had" to go shopping for new.  What a variety is out there in paper and ribbons, not to mention gift bags.

An elegant gift calls for elegant paper.   Chocolate brown with turquoise velvety ribbon  fashioned into a rosette, and a sparkly thang on top--plus a happy discovery:  how the cinnamon scented pinecones from Michael's come in a brown netting makes the bow smell good. I simply scrunched and scroonched the netting till satisfied.

 

 

Sometimes the look you want is whimsical. Practically edible. Often the tissue paper is too cute, ya gotta make it take center stage.  Tie it with scraps of lace ribbon, and you have yourself some eye candy.

 

  Sparkly paper, sparkly ribbon, sparkly "bow"...



And sparkly nails on the hands of Zo.

More velvety turquoise animal print on a different present.  My photography isn't so hot, but you get the idea, right?  This color combo here reminds me of Hanukkah--but the letters clearly spell out
 C-h-r-i-s-t-m-a-s.   :)

 

I just love wrapping gifts to look like candy rolls.  The paper echoes the colors from  my tree and decor this year.  Jewel tones.

 

 

 Can't you almost taste the striped mint paper?

The bonus on the wrap is one of the  crocheted ornaments my late father-in-law gave me for Christmas our first year.  He was a plumber and often got little gifts from grateful clients. Not having a Christmas tree himself, he passed the pretties on to me and my sister-in-law for our trees.

Perhaps our future grandchildren will receive this ornament someday?

 

This next paper is my all-time favorite in my stash.  For many reasons.  First, I love the old-fashioned stamped envelopes and Victorian Christmas card scattered scrapbook-style about.  I love the candies that seem to pop right off the paper. And the feel of it--thick and glossy--is just wonderful to work with.

 I spy with my little eye my favorite winter songbird. Can you?

I wrapped a big box with it and couldn't decide which ribbon to use.

So I tried my hand at tying all three together.

That was a flop. I sat there after 25 minutes of fussing and fuming and thought, "Government bow.  Everything in triplicate, ending with a 'mangled-up, tangled-up mess.'"

So I simplified, and then added a pale gold silk poinsettia for the final panache.

 

So, which of the wraps of these do you like best? Which package intrigues you most? Just curious.