Just because it's Valentines Day doesn't mean your elegant gift wrapping has to be red, pink and white. Valentines Day is your opportunity to break out of the box and declare your love in any color you like. I probably wouldn't wrap a gift in black though.
Here are 5 secrets for elegant gift wrapping:
1) Don't be cheap with the ribbon. Splurge and buy ribbon made out of satin, velvet or grosgrain. Make it wider than you usually do. It should be at least 1.5" wide. That immediately says elegant. You can sometimes pick it up at the Michael's $1.00 rack at the front of the store. Or buy it from a fabric store. It may cost you $3.00 per yard, but that's still cheaper than the Valentines Day card.
2) Shake things up with color. You don't have to buy the printed Valentines Day paper. It often looks cheap anyway. Besides, what are you going to do with the rest of it? Save it until next year?
Instead, buy a nice solid paper that can be used again for another occasion. Use a nice colored ribbon to go along with it. If you stick with solid paper and real ribbon, you really can't mess it up.
3) Try an elegant patterned paper. You'll often find individual sheets of printed paper hanging over a rack in nicer stationery stores. You'll find paper with interesting textures, colors and designs.
You can also get some newsprint and decorate it yourself with stamps or small paint brushes. You can make polka dot paper by dipping a new pencil eraser into acrylic paint and stamping it onto your paper. Use a color that will match the nice ribbon you bought.
4) Use real or fake flowers to decorate your gift. Read "How to Gift Wrap Using Fresh Flowers" and "How To Gift Wrap Using Fake Flowers."
5) Go neutral in your gift wrapping. Note how elegant this camel colored satin ribbon looks on the ivory paper. What could be simpler and more beautiful?
Do you think Valentines Day wrapping must be red, white or pink? Why?
Mimi
