It’s a great search for the perfect gifts to make someone’s holiday really sparkle. So with all the time spent on what to buy, doesn’t the just-right -gift deserve an equally special presentation? Forget Martha Stewart. Beautifully simple and funky ideas for wrapping gifts can be a fun holiday project done alone or, better yet, with friends and family.

Much of the necessary items can be found in your own craft drawers, cupboards, or at local craft store. To get started creating your own gift wraps, gather an assortment of basic tools including scissors, pinking shears, a hole punch, hot glue gun, glue sticks, regular glue, tape, acrylic paint, paintbrushes, paper plates, re-sealable, gallon, plastic storage bags, white and brown paper bags, glitter, fabric paint, assorted ribbons and other decorative items of your choice.

Create a work space with room to move, away from other surfaces that may need to be used for other purposes. Allow a block of time so you can enjoy the process.

The internet is packed with websites featuring ideas for unique gift wrapping. Some of the suggestions make for beautiful presentation but have too many steps to make them reasonable for multiple gift wrapping. Several ideas, however, are simple and quick with impressive results.

For instance, make tissue bedding at the bottom of a white paper bag, place a gift inside, and fold over the top. Punch two holes in the folded over section with a hole punch and run a wide length of ribbon, one end through each hole, and tie a big bow. Then tuck a candy cane inside the bow. You can design something fancier if you prefer but white with a classic red bow is Christmas-ready.

Sturdy, white gift boxes can be had at local dollar stores for very reasonable prices. Pour some selected paints in paper plates, each with their own paint color, spreading paint to a thin layer. Now take a not-too-ripe piece of fruit (pear, apple, anything that is not too wet) and press the “stamper” into the paint. Use some copy paper to practice stamping until you achieve a stamp you like. Then, position your box so you can stamp the flat surface. Remember less is more; you can always add but you can’t take away. While this technique may seem primitive and child-like at first glance, the use of iridescent paints and light-handed glittering can give your gift a designer sophistication without a lot of work or cost. You can also utilize plastic bottles, marbles, and sponges as stamping tools.

If you like snow globes, you will love wrappings made with plastic storage bags. First wrap your gift in tissue paper, gathering the top of the paper with ribbon. Remove the zipper seal on the sandwich bag with a pair of scissors. Place the gift in the bag then add loose artificial snow, glittering confetti, tinsel, angel hair, pine cones and cinnamon sticks, pretty buttons – whatever you like. Catch up the cut end of the bag with a ribbon and tie with a bow. Accent the ends of the bow with beads or snowflakes crafted from heavy white paper stock.

Empty cereal boxes, oatmeal containers, and shipping discarded boxes get a second look when decorated for Christmas. Known as “baxes”, these gift receptacles are a cross between a box and a bag. Wrapped in fabric, “wallpapered” with stamped, white butcher’s paper or “decoupaged” with recycled Christmas cards, and hole-punched for ribbon handles, these “baxes” can be as pretty as they are practical!

If you have a few smaller items, you may want to try making your own origami boxes with scrapbooking paper. Instructions can be found on line at www.rd.com, a website of Reader’s Digest. The finished products make a lovely presentation, requiring a little extra time.

Often it is the little details that make something special really shine. Your gifts, presented in your own one-of-a-kind wrapping sends a particularly poignant message. “This gift was selected especially for you, from my heart to yours.”

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