When you finish wrapping, is there wrapping paper everywhere, tape hanging off surfaces, glue on our fingers, and ribbon and glitter turning up in unexpected places for days? This scenario describes about 90 percent of us.

If your gift wrapping doesn’t turn out the way you would like, there is no need to despair. Learning wrapping techniques is simpler than you imagine. The holiday gift wrapping tips here make wrapping easy and quick.

There are a few items that will make these expert gift wrapping tips and tricks more manageable.

• Wrap on a hard surface
• Use sharp scissors
• Get a tape dispenser and cutter
• Use two-sided sticky tape
• Use plenty of tape
• Determine the amount of paper needed
• Fold edges over before wrapping
• Finish by creasing the top edges

Regardless of how sharp a pair of scissors is, cuts in wrapping paper will have rough edges. Making a half-inch fold of the paper on itself eliminates the rough edges. The finishing touch is running your finger around the edges to crease them around the package.

Gift Wrapping Tips and Tricks

There are many unique and creative ways to wrap gifts. The expert gift wrapping tips described here are achievable even for beginners. Like most skills, the techniques require a bit of practice. Try the techniques and impress family and friends this holiday season.

Wrap Boxes Diagonally

The easiest gifts to wrap are those that come in rectangular boxes. It can still be a challenge to get them looking the way you want. A tip to wrapping any box is to do it diagonally. It gives clean, crisp edges and corners. The technique also uses less paper, which makes expensive wrapping paper go further.

1. Put the box in the center of the wrapping paper.
2. The piece of paper must be large enough to lift the opposite corners of the paper and cover the four corners.
3. Lift the corner nearest to you over the package and tape it to the opposite edge.
4. Fold the left-hand corner of the paper and lift it to get an edge flush with the box. Use a piece of tape to secure it.

5. Repeat at the right corner.
6. Fold the remaining corners in the same way to create flush edges. Lift the paper to the opposite side and tape it.

Add a Pocket to the Gift

1. Another inventive way of wrapping box-shaped gifts is adding a pocket to place the card or other items. Be creative with what is placed there. It shows how thoughtful you are. The technique also looks great and saves money on name tags. It guarantees a card doesn’t get lost in the opening mayhem.
2. Ensure the paper is large enough, as you would for the above technique.
3. This time, place the rectangular box at an angle by a corner. Fold the paper at the corner closest to you and the corner to the left and tape them together.
4. Fold the edge of the long side flush with the package. Lift it over the side and tape it.
5. To make the pocket, fold the last corner flush with the sides of the gift and tape the edges.

The Art of Tying a Bow

No matter how tight and crisp a gift is wrapped, all the hard work is for nothing with a dodgy-looking bow. The only thing people look at is the bow. A perfectly tied bow elevates the look. It gives an air class and sophistication.

1. The ribbon you need should be long enough to wrap around the box five times.
2. Hold the ribbon at the center from a length that is about one and a half times the box’s width.
3. Wrap the long end around the box to meet back at the center. Fold it on itself to form a right angle and wrap the ribbon around the package to create a cross effect.
4. When it returns to the center, wrap it around a corner in the middle.
5. Pull on both ends of the ribbon to tighten it. Adjust it to form a neat cross.
6. Turn the box 90° so the long end of the ribbon points over the right-hand corner at the top. The short portion should be over the left corner at the bottom.
7. Run the short end of the ribbon over your thumb to create a loop.
8. Wrap the long end over and around the loop, creating a small circle.
9. Tuck the long end through the circle, creating a second loop. Pulling both loops makes a bow.
10. Adjust the loops to look even and centered.
11. Fold both ends of the ribbon in half and make a 45° angle cut from the top corner of each end to create a double-pointed effect.

Create a Wrapping Paper Gift Bag with Handles

Not every gift is boxed-shaped. Wrapping odd-shaped gifts like a teddy bear or bottle can be difficult. An excellent solution is to put the gift in a gift bag. A store-bought bag is boring. Learn to create a bag from ribbon and wrapping paper.

1. Roll the item in gift paper to fully cover it to measure the width you’ll need.
2. Measure the height leaving two to three inches at the top and three to four inches at the bottom to make a base.
3. Fold the top over by approximately an inch and repeat, secure under the seam with glue or double-sided tape.
4. Fold the sides to the center and overlap slightly, secure with glue or double-sided tape.
5. Fold the bottom over by approximately four inches.
6. Fold the bottom to meet in the center. Opening them out to create a diamond shape.
7. Fold the points at the top and bottom of the diamond to overlap slightly and secure with glue or double-sided tape.
8. Fold the two edges in about two inches to make the sides. Open the bag. It should resemble the shaper of a grocery bag.
9. Punch two holes at the top of opposite sides of the bag.
10. Thread some ribbon through each side and tie them to make loops.

Wrapping Tube Shaped Items

A tube-shaped gift seems like something simple to wrap. The easy part is rolling the paper around it to cover the gift, cutting off the excess paper, and sticking it together with tape. How well your wrap the ends makes or breaks how good the finished gift looks. Many people do it incorrectly.

1. Measure the paper by rolling the tube in wrapping paper until it is covered and slightly overlapped. Trim off the excess. Leave enough wrapping paper at the top and bottom to cover the tube.
2. When the paper is ready, roll the tube back in the paper and use glue or double-sided tape under the overlap to stick the seam together.
3. At the bottom, create a series of triangular folds to go around the base until it is covered completely. Secure with tape.
4. Repeat the process at the top.
5. For a ribbon spiral effect, use tape to attach a ribbon to the top of the tube.
6. Rotate it around the top at a 45° angle until reaching the bottom. Cut off the excess ribbon and tape it to the bottom.
7. You can add an extra touch with a flower bow.