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Presentation techniques

The right wrapping always makes a gift more beautiful, but wrapping presents is not always as easy as you might think. It’s something about cutting the correct amount and shape of paper to start with, placing the gift in the right position and then being able to hold the paper tightly around the item while ripping off the tape in small strips and then getting them to stick in the right place. It’s all about practice; wrapping gifts is after all down to technique. With time you will be able to master what might at first have seemed the hardest of techniques. Everything becomes easier and you will find that making gifts for friends becomes a pleasure and not so much of a chore.

Wrapping in paper

There are so many types of paper you can use to wrap gifts. Don’t be fooled by the very cheapest as these are often rather thin so rip and tear, making the process a misery. Make sure that you choose slightly thicker paper, but do think about all the other papers that are available to us. There are old telephone directories for small gifts once the new one has been delivered through your door. Consider using maps, yesterday’s newspaper, magazines, instruction manuals or large sheets of brown paper that you have printed on. How about wrapping your offering in large leaves tied with string or making a bag for your gift to live in that is an extra present in itself? Try layering one paper with a bold print under a finer tracing or parchment paper.

MARBLING

Marbling is fun to do and so easy, you don’t need to worry about the outcome – but it can get messy so be prepared. It works by getting paint to float on the surface of water, which you then gently stir and manipulate to form a pattern. Then you lay your paper on the swirling paint and it adheres to your paper. Untreated newsprint or sugar paper work best as they are porous and so provide a good surface. Add 100 ml (3½ fl oz) of methyl cellulose to 4 litres (7 pints) of cold water in an old washing up bowl. Mix well and leave it to stand for an hour. Use acrylic paint and water down to the consistency of pancake batter. Now either drizzle or splatter the paint onto the surface of the water mixture in the bowl. When you have covered the surface of the water, lay your paper so that it floats on the solution. Let go of it and make sure that there are no air bubbles under the surface. Gently lift it from the solution and hang it out to dry on a washing line.

Making boxes

Be on the look out for all types of boxes because they are so useful. You could use them as they are or deconstruct them to use as templates for your own boxes in your chosen paper or card. You could also consider using other vessels for delivering your gifts such as picture frames, old trays, cups and saucers, teapots, old bottles, vases and odd glasses.

CONSTRUCTING A PACKAGE

When constructing a box or package in card or paper one of the things to remember is the importance of a sharp, crisp fold. This will make any construction you make work much better. One way to achieve this is to fold the length of the edge down over a book or table or up over a ruler. Once you have established where the fold is you can now reinforce this by folding at this point and lightly pressing the edge of the ruler over the crease starting from the bottom nearest you up to the top edge while holding the bottom of the fold with your thumb to the table; it’s a little like ironing – in fact you could use a cool iron gently to do the same job if that suits you better. The finish it will give to the end result is really worthwhile.

HOW TO MAKE A BOX

A box is a wonderful structure, not only is it a pleasure or challenge to make it can also be a great vessel to transport goodies from one place to another. You have not only lovingly made the contents of the box, but have also spent time considering how it will be presented and then spent time building the receptacle. A very happy marriage of edible and craft based gift.

Here are a few patterns or rather box nets, which you can either trace or photocopy to produce a box of the right size for your food. It might be a good idea to do a thin photocopy of the nets you like as they are and then make up to see the size of the box. The nets can be either copied larger or smaller. Only then will you know if it works for your gift. Don’t be frightened these are easy, if in doubt just copy one onto a scrap piece of paper and have a go at gluing together, before you cut up your beautiful sheet of paper.

Points to remember

• Use a very sharp scalpel, steel rule and a cutting board or good scissors to cut out. Accuracy is everything here.

• It’s very important to fold all the creases before gluing.

• Use the right glue for the job – good quality paper/card glue is best.

• Get some paper clips ready to hold the joins in place or hold in place until ready.

Now all you need to do is work out which shaped box you need to hold your precious goods.

Box templates

Illustrations are not drawn to scale.

CUTTING

Fit a new blade onto a good-quality craft knife each time you start a new project. A steel ruler and a cutting mat will also make all the difference to the finished cut. Place the paper you wish to cut on the mat and position the ruler. Hold the ruler in place with your thumb and forefinger and lightly drag the blade down the length of the cut from top to bottom. Repeat this with a pressure, again running the knife towards you. If you are working with thick board it might take a few cuts. This is invaluable when tracing around a box you have deconstructed and wish to re-make using another type of card.

Decorating a box

CURLING / SCROLLING

Curling, or scrolling, has a long history; it is the art of rolling thin strips of paper into a sort of paper filigree that emulates ironwork. In the eighteenth century it became popular for ladies of leisure as it was considered not too complex for their gentle natures! It is formed by rolling tiny, narrow strips of paper around a cocktail stick or something similar and then leaving them to uncurl slightly before gluing them on their side edges to a base paper or other items such a box lid. You can slowly build up the curls to form a pattern or picture. This works best if you place lots of them together and build up a solid surface texture. White paper on a white background can look very beautiful and sophisticated.

BOWS AND PAPER POM-POMS

These really make a difference to the final touches of a gift. I find it easiest to tie a knot first and then continue with the bow as that way you are not trying to keep the ribbon tight at the same time. If you make a series of bows you can place them on top of one another for a glorious effect. For a paper pom-pom use seven sheets of tissue paper on top of each other and fold them into pleats, first one way and then the other. Cut the ends in tassel points or round them off. Now either staple through the centre or secure with wire. Gently tease out the layers of tissue from each other to produce a ball.

SEWING

This book only contains a small amount of sewing. It can either be done by hand or machine. The only stitch used is a running stitch so there’s nothing too complicated. If you are very good at sewing you can really go to town by embroidering some of your gift tags.

COLOURS

When choosing a colour scheme for your gift tags and wrapping be careful not to overdo it. The best rule to remember is that less is more. Over-complicate your palette and the colours will take over from the structural and visual look of the gift. To help you decide on your scheme choose two or three colours that fit in with the product you have made. That’s not to say that a huge range of colours don’t go well together, just take it easy.