Page 21 - Indulge December 2017

DIY your holiday gift wrap

If you’re like most people, you’ve needed every extra second of the inspirational messages, travel, animals, sports, hobbies and more.
holiday season to prepare. Whether it’s cooking and cleaning or Plus, most of the charms are just a few dollars each, which means
making lists and buying gifts, we all get so caught up in the rush you can make your gift glitter without breaking the bank.
of the season, we have little time left to package gifts in a way that
makes them look like we put as much thought into the wrapping as Finally, if you’ve gone the gift card route for that hard-to-buy-
we did the gift. for friend or family member, stick it in a set of Chinese takeout
containers (available at craft stores or restaurant supply stores).
This is where DIY gift decorating hacks come in handy — and Or, purchase a holiday tin and stash the gift card in there along
you needn’t be the craftiest person in the world to make these with some colorful shredded paper. Tins usually run no more than
hacks work. In fact, you can get away with dressing up your gifts a dollar or two, and can be reused by the gift recipient to spread
with common household items and materials you may already have more holiday joy with baked goods.
on hand. If not, there are craft stores around the Lehigh Valley, such
as Michaels, Hobby Lobby or Joann Fabrics and Crafts where you RELICGi Cards from Make a Great
can get any supplies you need relatively inexpensively. STOCKING STUFFER

Skip the old trick of decorating with newspaper or magazine INDOOR RANGE
print, and get a roll of plain paper of any color. Wrap up the gift.
Then, using markers, crayons or colored pencils, doodle or write to NOW OPEN
your heart’s content. This is also a great way to let kids help with
the wrapping. If the gift is for a family member, why not decorate CGAIFRTD
the package with dates that are significant to your family members
or even a hand-drawn family tree? If the gift is for a friend, get 4671 Egypt Road, Coplay • relichunter.com
creative by writing anecdotes about your friendship.
December 2017 • indulgE LV | 21
Are you giving a gift that you would normally stash in a gift bag?
A pretty sheet, towel, scarf or handkerchief can be used to wrap
around the gift and then tied at the top. This works well for square
or rectangular gifts that have edges, but it also works well for gift
baskets. If you’re wrapping the gift in a scarf, consider that the scarf,
itself, can be part of the gift. Scarves and towels also make great
wraps for giving bottles of wine or liquor for a hostess gift.

Do you have a map or a book of maps handy in the house?
Planning a trip soon with a loved one or friend? Wrap the gift in the
map and circle the location of the place you’ll be visiting. Write the
travel coordinates on the gift tag and attach that for added effect.

Bring in the outdoors and just add some embellishments to your
gifts. Pinecones, leaves, twigs and berries can all be affixed to plain
boxes with the help of some hot glue. Add a pretty decorative ribbon
in the middle, and you’ve presented a wintry outdoor bouquet as
your wrapping.

Jewelry charms and DIY jewelry is all the rage right now. If you’re
gifting to someone you know would appreciate some charms to
add to a necklace, bracelet or earrings, most craft stores now have
aisles of charms to pick from — including charms that focus on