Make your gifts the prettiest under the tree

Want to make your presents extra special this holiday? Check out Kelsey's tips on how to wrap your gifts with style: 

Some of my most beautifully wrapped packages used non-traditional sources for paper. I've wrapped gifts in butcher paper, chalk board paper, and even wallpaper samples I had on hand (like the one above, wrapped in remnants I had left over of Mitchell-Black's Shagreen wallpaper in Signature Green.) 

These papers all tend to be thicker and more luxe feeling than a standard wrapping paper, and are a good use of something I already had on hand (wrapping paper itself often feels like such a waste... you use it once then toss it.) 

Along the same lines of using materials you already have, so as to create less waste, I've created some beautiful packages wrapped in fabric. Check out the one above, wrapped in remnants of our Kauai One fabric, tied off with a hair elastic and some bright red grosgrain ribbon.

You could take fabric from a beautiful blouse that has a tear, an old napkin or tablecloth, or remnants from a sewing project. Fold it up and top it with a beautiful ribbon and you have a really special gift without creating more waste.

Yup. Yet another post promoting my love for the basket. The basket fits our love for form+function and won't simply be thrown away once opened. This one is filled with some of my favorite new-baby necessities (a MiliMili sleep sack, ComoTomo bottles, Water Wipes, and ThinkBaby sunscreen), all packaged up in a cute basket I picked up at Target.

Other great sources of inexpensive and unique baskets: check out Nextdoor, Craigslist, Homegoods, Ikea, or local flea markets to create the perfect vessel to hold and display your gift. 

I personally abhor standard gift bags. Yes, they are super useful and I cannot deny how wonderfully reuseable they are (and I definitely have a closet full of them - and have used them before out of sheer convenience) but they feel less special to me. So instead of a standard gift bag, I love the idea of a simple (and far more reuseable!) fabric bag, tied up with a great bow.

Easy, not wasteful, and chic.

Remy is obsessed with art. She loves to color, paint, smear, smudge, dop - you name it. So this year we taped a bunch of paper together with cool washi tape and let her go to town with her paint set (I selected the colors, she provided the artistry). The final product was really great and extra special - especially for grandparents. Then we wrapped up some smaller gifts with her paper and tied them up with some great ribbon.

Once the gift is wrapped (or bagged) it's going to need a little pizzaz. A great fabric ribbon is a good start, but you can also use twine, yarn, raffia - whatever you have on hand that adds another layer of texture and interest to the package. Then you can make it feel even more finished and special by adding a little gift or treat to the tie - it could be as simple as a sprig of wonderful smelling rosemary, an ornament (as shown above), some rock candy, a piece of faux jewelry, OR <nudge nudge> our scrunchies and teethers make great accent gifts as well (like they did on the packages shown below!)  

If you really want to go the more standard gift wrap route (like we did in the green and black wrapped packages above), make sure you select something truly special so there is a chance that it might be saved and reused. I love the gift wraps available from Minted - they are nice and thick and feature the artwork of artists, making your gifts pieces of art in their own right.