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Gift Wrapping Delicate Presents

China and crystal are popular gifts for weddings or special occasions. Make sure you protect these new treasures when you gift wrap them.

To protect most delicate gifts you will need to not only wrap around the outside of the items but inside of them whenever possible. You can use tissue paper, bubble wrap or Styrofoam peanuts when you are shipping to protect delicate gifts. But when you are just giving a gift, tissue paper is the best choice.

Tissue paper is the most adaptable because it can be folded and crumpled to a larger or smaller size. If you are giving a wedding gift and know the bride's color scheme, adding tissue paper to match is a nice touch! Bubble wrap and Styrofoam peanuts are excellent for protection but they do not look as attractive for presentation of a gift.

If you are giving wine glasses or another item that has an opening, crumple tissue paper into soft balls and place inside the wineglass or goblets. Then wrap tissue paper around the goblets or other item. Try not to wrap the tissue paper too hard around any items. Fasten the tissue paper by the ends with a small piece of tape and put that taped end in as the bottom side of the gift.

When your gift has a lid you will need to place tissue paper between the lid and the bottom part of the dish to protect it from scratching. Then wrap tissue paper around the lid and secure the lid as if it was a second gift, but keep the lid in on top of the gift.

If you are giving crystal animals or some type of figurine, wrap tissue lightly around the figurine following the shape of the figurine's or animal's body. Then tape it to the back. Line the box with tissue and then put down sheets of tissue to fold over the figurine for the person to pull back to discover the gift. Line the box with enough tissue so the gift cannot move back and forth or side to side. If the object can move then you still need to add more tissue.

While everyone likes their gift to be a surprise, you may wish to let the person know they are getting something fragile. This way they will open it slowly and carefully. Some people when they open a gift are too eager, and imagine their disappointment at breaking their own gift. Some people even like that old fashioned game of shaking their presents! Put something in the card about hoping they will like their gift and for them to be careful opening it. You can hint that it a "delicate" or "precious" treasure.

When you wrap the outside of the box, turn the box over while wrapping it carefully. There...your gift is ready!

Abigail Beal © 2004.

Related Links:

E-How - How to Wrap a Gift

FINELIVING : How to Wrap a Gift