Prepare to wrap –

Preparation is key for anything and this includes gift wrapping. In addition to a sharp pair of scissors and clear tape, consider upgrading to a rotary cutter and bringing along a straight-edge. This will make it easy to get clean edges.

see WRAPPING on page 10

Presentation can make a huge difference in how well a gift is received. Northland Outlet in Medford offers a wide variety of wrapping paper, gift bags and bows that will put the finishing touch on any gift.

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Also, when you prepare to gift wrap pick a place that you can spread out all the items. A table, countertop or other large hard surface as a work space can make a huge difference in the final wrapping product.

Working on the floor or carpet makes it harder to control the paper, which is when most people become frustrated, start to rush, and then tear through the paper with the gift’s edges.

Label your work–

For many people, gift wrapping is done assembly-line style to do all the wrapping at one time.

While this cuts down on the mess and time, it can also lead to potential problems when you are trying to remember which gift goes to which person.

To save yourself the embarrassment of having the special gift, you picked out for your significant other, ending up accidentally being given in the office gift exchange, label your work as you go. This could be done with post-it notes or even different colored paper for each person.

Remember the small details–

Things like wrapping a gift upside down so that the paper seams are on the bottom of the box, makes a big difference when it comes to unwrapping them.

Likewise, to get perfect folds on the edges, fold the sides first. Then fold the top flap and the bottom flap to meet each other in the middle (or slightly overlap, depending on your preference) and secure with tape.

If all else fails, decorative tape, ribbons and bows can hide a lot of errors when it comes to wrapping.