Give Beautifully: Easy Gifts with Visual Appeal

If you’re looking for a way to pack a punch with your holiday gifting, it’s all about the wrapping! Even the simplest gift seems far more impressive when it is wrapped and presented beautifully. I’ve got some tips to help you get the most out of your holiday gift-giving presentations this season.

 

1. Wrapped in Love
Personalizing a gift is easier than you think but I understand if you don’t have time to make someone a full quilt? This gorgeous fleece photo blanket from Shutterfly is surely the next best thing! The design is lovely, and the photos add a personal touch. This would be a great gift for a grandparent! To wrap it up, roll the blanket like a sleeping bag and tie a satin ribbon around it, then attach a handmade gift tag.

2. Your Cup Overflows
A mug rug is a quick & simple handmade gift that looks beautiful but takes far less time to make than a full quilt or another large-scale project. Pair a holiday-themed mug rug in a basket along with a cute mug and a bag of the recipient’s favorite coffee. This gift is perfect for caretakers, holiday party hostesses, and teachers at school.

3. A Sweet Gift
Got a baker on your holiday list? Make a simple drawstring bag out of cheesecloth (which will also be useful in a variety of recipes down the road!) or a parchment paper gift pouch. Fill it with an interesting cookie cutter and a recipe for your favorite cut-out cookies. Tie it all up with baker’s twine for the finishing touch.

4. Something for the Kiddos
Giving a child a book is a holiday tradition, and it’s a gift that will last them long after the toys have broken or become boring. For something a little different, combine a favorite book with a sweet treat inspired by it: Green Eggs & Ham! Here’s a dish little ones won’t refuse to eat – in a car, with a fox, or on a train! Wrap them both up in a simple tote bag which will accompany them on library trips all year long.

5. A Gift Card with Flair
Giving a gift card is as easy as stopping by your grocery store’s check-out line, but the presentation is what really sweetens the deal on the recipient’s end. Package a gift card in a handmade holder that doubles as a holiday ornament, gift tag, or a business card wallet, and you’ve given the gift of a shopping trip (or a night out) plus something that will last even longer!

6. Engage the Senses
It’s no secret that fragrance is strongly attached to memory – so give a gift that smells good and your recipient will think of you often! A scented pin is a way to keep your winter coat smelling fragrant even when it’s stuffed into a closet, and a sachet is perfect for tossing into a drawer full of delicates or a fabric stash! Use a vintage handkerchief to wrap the gift in style.

7. Bookworm Love
If you’ve got a reader on your holiday list, don’t just give him a book – add a custom-made bookmark to the package to top it off! Write a heartfelt message on the back and the bookmark is a gift tag that continues being useful after the book is unwrapped! If you’re not sure what he likes to read, a gift card to a local book store or Amazon.com should work out perfectly.

8. Green Thumb
Giving the gift of a beautiful plant pretty much does all the work for you in the “gorgeous presentation” department. Choose the right plant and you won’t have to do anything else except add care instructions and maybe tie on a bow! Plus, a plant not only beautifies someone’s home but makes their air cleaner as well. What could be better? This idea is especially great as a hostess gift.

9. Write Here, Write Now
For a friend who loves to write (this could even be a fellow mom whose life is full of To-Do lists!), give the gift of a notebook. You can take an average composition notebook and give it elegance & appeal with a quick & simple handmade cover. Tie with a simple ribbon or twine and add a pen in the bow, and your gift is ready for giving.

10. Family Night
Choose a board game or a pack of playing cards, add a DVD, or a gift certificate to Redbox. Then put together: popcorn (microwave or – even better – the stovetop kind and a bottle of popcorn oil), movie-theater candy, and some bottles of fizzy fruity water. Package it all up inside a large popcorn bucket and you’ve given the gift of something very precious: time together having fun as a family!

11. Christmas Morning, Simplified
Many people have heard of cookies in a jar – basically, you put the dry ingredients for cookies together in a mason jar and include a recipe for making the cookies. Take this concept one step further by putting the ingredients for a special breakfast in a jar. With this gift, you’re making it easier for families with young kids to solve one Christmas morning dilemma – how to put breakfast together quickly when little ones just want to open presents! As a bonus, layering the ingredients in the jar makes it visually appealing all on its own; just add a recipe card with instructions and a bow stuck on top of the lid!

12. Tea Time
Tea is almost universally appealing, making it a great gift for anyone on your list. From black to green to red to herbal, there’s a tea for almost everyone out there! Give the gift of tea in style – inside a vintage teacup with a saucer! Fill the cup with a pouch of loose tea leaves, a decorative tea ball, and add a box of tea cookies on the side. You can usually find the cups at thrift or antique shops, and they’re beautiful. Whether your recipient uses the cup to actually drink tea, store her jewelry on a nightstand, or turns it into a pincushion, the possibilities are endless for this vintage-inspired gift.

13. Time out for Mom
Busy moms have to sneak in a break wherever they can find one. Help your fellow moms out with a gift that is built-in break time! Gather the following items: a few fashion or crafty magazines, a decadent bar of fancy chocolate, a single-serving facial mask, some scented hand cream, bubble bath, scented candles, and a “Do Not Disturb” sign to hang on the door. Wrap it all up inside a rolled plush towel and tie it with a ribbon. Top it with a sleeping mask or headband instead of a bow. Voila – instant “me” time for a mom who deserves it!

14. Wash your Cares Away
Did you know it’s actually pretty easy to make handmade soap? Just whip up a batch using a melt n’ pour soap base, peppermint essential oils, and red soap coloring – and your candy cane soap is ready to go! To wrap up this gift, add a luxurious washcloth, then the soap, and then tie it with ribbon and a mini candy cane on top.

15. Baked with Love
For your neighbors or a holiday hostess, put your kitchen to work! Bake up a batch of sugar cookies or mini sweet bread, like pumpkin or banana, and wrap them up like this: wrap the whole loaf in either plastic wrap or parchment paper. Add a band of brown kraft paper around the center. Punch a hole in a recipe card so they can make more if they want to, and thread the card onto some raffia tied in a bow around the whole thing.

16. Insta-Gift
If you’re a big fan of Instagram, use that to your gift-giving advantage! Print up copies of your Instagram photos and Mod Podge them onto ceramic tiles to make coasters (full DIY here). The visual appeal is in the photographs, so a simple gift wrap of a ribbon and tag will do the trick with this one! Use photos of your garden and your favorite scenery as a hostess gift, and include photos of your kids doing goofy things for your parents and other relatives.

 

Bonus Tip – Wrapping Paper Alternatives:

• For Foodies, wrap a gift in a tea towel and tie it with baker’s twine. Add a cookie cutter on top and you’re set!
• For wine lovers, wrap their favorite bottle in a carrying bag that’s perfect for BYOB holiday parties.
• For eco-friendly friends, wrap their packages in reclaimed items like newspapers, then add bows made from paper flowers or recycled T-shirts.
• For book lovers, wrap gifts in vintage book pages from the thrift store. Add a few bags of their favorite tea on top for the gift of reading & relaxation.
• For musicians, use sheet music (you can often find it at a thrift store as well or print your own online). Include a gift card for iTunes or a flash drive filled with fabulous tunes (the newer version of a mixtape).
• For a fellow sewing enthusiast, use vintage sewing patterns (or the odd size pieces you aren’t using anymore) as gift wrap. Include a fabric flower brooch on top or a handmade scrap-tacular ornament.
• Use fabric instead of paper to wrap gifts that are both eco-friendly AND fun for anyone creative. Use vintage lace for something elegant, or a holiday novelty print for fun & whimsy.

Need more gift wrapping ideas? Visit my Pinterest boards for more inspiration!

If you have a favorite way to give beautifully during the holiday season leave a comment below. I’d love to hear about it or add it to the Pinterest board for next year!

 

 

 

 

Hello! Are you new to The Sewing Loft?

If so, I’m glad you stopped by and hope that something has inspired you to keep your needle moving!  Don’t miss a single project and subscribe via email HERE!

Bonus- free download template with newsletter sign up.

Another great way to connect with me is via Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter , or Follow along with Bloglovin.  I’m looking forward to getting to know you and creating together!