Gift wrapping is one of the easiest ways to personalize a gift. In Japan, the art is known as tsutsumi. In Kunio Ekiguchi's book Gift Wrapping: Creative Ideas from Japan, tsutsumi is described as the "gentle concealment" of the object: "Just as one helps a friend into a coat carefully and courteously, a gift should be wrapped tenderly and conscientiously." In that spirit, we offer up these simple but thoughtful ideas for presenting your present.
Above: A feather adds a flourish to a package discovered via Haus Press. Wrap with White Butcher Paper ($26.12 for a 200-foot roll on Amazon) and Gray Hemp Cord ($6.28 for a spool of 205 feet from Hemptique on Amazon), and attach a Kraft Paper Envelope ($6 for 25 at Jam Paper) and a feather from your nearest coop.
Above: Fresh fir and pine strike a holiday note; photographs via Sunday Suppers. Tie up a brown cardboard box with braided jute twine (Natural Twine is $9.42 for a 325-foot spool at Amazon), and tuck in cypress leaves or acacia florets.
Above: Go monotone with a fresh sprig of rosemary imperfectly wrapped in White Cotton String (a roll of 475 feet is $5.48 on Amazon) against white paper. Photograph courtesy of Love That Party.
Above: Keep it simple with a reusable cloth bag; photograph via In Haus Press. Charming and affordable, Cotton Drawstring Muslin Bags are $17.90 for 25 from Amazon.
Above: Paint splatter adds a little amusement to kraft paper. To personalize it, attach a Soft White Gift Tag (a pack of 50 is $3 from Etsy seller Prairie Dog Paper Co.) to black string (see below). Photograph by Molly Winters.
Above: Brown paper packages tied up with string; photograph from Cox and Cox. Black Waxed Twine is $6.24 for a 25-meter spool from Fire Mountain Gems.
Above: Repurpose an old magazine or newspaper by using its pages as gift wrap. Use Shimmery Gold Washi Tape ($3.95 for a roll of 25 feet from PaperChase) and red berries to make it festive. Photograph by Erin Boyle for Reading My Tea Leaves.
For more inspiration, take a look at Having a Moment: Black Gift Wrap. Wondering where to stash your wrapping paper? See 7 Quick Fixes: Wrapping Paper Storage Solutions.
Looking for gift ideas? Take a look at all our Holiday Gift Guides.
N.B.: This post is an update; the original ran in December 2011 as part of our Christmas Parties issue.
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