If you ask us, gift wrap is half the fun of gift-giving. Even if you don’t have the perfect present inside, putting a little something extra into your wrap job always impresses the giftee. We went all out for Christmas gift wrap hacks last year, and now it’s time to channel that energy into our favorite Feb holiday: Valentine’s Day! Scroll on for three easy ways to gussy up your already-wrapped gifts and make them even more Instagram-worthy.
Pixel Weave Gift Wrap
The pixel weave is an old classic here at Brit HQ — our co-founder, Anj, introduced it waaaay back in 2011! We thought we’d give this weave method a little V-Day spin for these gifts.
Tools + Materials:
— wrapped gift
— paper (2 colors)
— tape
— paper cutter or scissors
Instructions:
1. Cut your paper into one-centimeter-wide strips.
2. Line up your first set of paper strips in a row on top of your wrapped gift. Fold the strips where they meet the edge of the gift box, then tape each strip to the side.
3. Weave the second color through the taped strips to create a heart pattern.
4. Tape down the second side of your first set of strips once you’ve finished weaving. Then carefully tape down the other set of strips.
To begin, cut one-centimeter-wide strips of paper in two different colors. We cut nine strips in dark pink and eight strips in light pink.
Next, line up and center the first set of strips on your wrapped gift. Fold each strip where it meets the edge of the box, then carefully tape each strip to the side. You can use double-sided tape for this step if you don’t want your tape to show.
Now, for the fun part! Carefully weave each strip of your second set through the taped strips. Study these images to get the heart shape down, or go rogue and make your own pattern. It’s kinda hard to make a pixel weave look ugly, so have fun with it! When you’ve created the pattern you like, tape down the second side of the first set, then tape each side of the second set of strips.
This technique would also work using yarn, ribbon or fabric strips. There you have it! You just gave your V-Day gift a facelift in less than five minutes.
Confetti Tape Gift Wrap
We challenge you to find an easier way to dress up your gift wrap. Seriously.
Tools + Materials:
— wrapped gift
— confetti
— double-sided tape
Instructions:
1. Place a strip of double-sided tape on your wrapped gift.
2. Cover your tape in confetti. That’s. It.
First, place a long strip of double sided tape on your present. You can keep it simple with one strip, or add more to amp up the drama.
Next, place your confetti on the sticky tape. Because we used large confetti, we placed each piece on one by one, but you’re welcome to us a “dip” effect, too. The smaller the confetti pieces, the harder it is to mess this one up :)
Another pro tip — go with a very simple wrapping paper pattern if you’re using multicolored confetti. This way, the viewer’s eye will not feel overwhelmed by all of the differing shapes and colors.
Look at that gorgeous gift wrap! A little confetti goes a long way, huh?
Peek-a-Boo Heart Gift Wrap
Like with the confetti tape hack, using simple wrapping paper patterns is best with this technique.
Tools + Materials:
— wrapped gift
— wrapping paper
— pen or pencil
— X-Acto knife
— scrap paper
— tape
— cutting mat
Instructions:
1. Make heart stencils: Draw different-sized hearts on your scrap paper, then cut each out with your X-Acto knife.
2. Trace half of each heart stencil onto your wrapping paper.
3. Cut along the traced lines with your X-Acto knife, then fold over the cut piece so that it creates a heart shape.
4. Tape the wrapping paper to your wrapped gift. Voila!
First, draw different-sized hearts on your piece of scrap paper, then cut them out with your X-Acto knife. These are your stencils for the peek-a-boo hearts.
Trace HALF of each heart stencil onto your wrapping paper, and repeat as many times as you’d like. Be sure to space out each trace so that they won’t overlap when you eventually unfold each heart. When you’ve drawn all of your half-hearts, cut along the lines with the X-Acto knife. Then fold over your cut piece to create a full heart.
Once you’ve unfolded all of your hearts, tape the wrapping paper to your wrapped gift. Be careful as you fold and tape the paper, ensuring that you don’t squish the folded hearts.
Not that we’re picking favorites… but this technique is kind of our favorite ;)
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