Michelle Virtue with BYU Campus Craft & Floral shares ideas for using the gifts of nature in your holiday gift wrap.
One of my favorite things about holiday celebrations is the symbolic exchange of gifts. Whether they are carefully made by hand, providing acts of service, or a thoughtfully planned purchase—each brings joy to both the giver and the receiver. The first impression of care is made before the gift is even revealed. Take the extra time this year to make sure your gift wrap is as special as the gift it presents.
Incorporating elements of nature can offer a very elegant, thoughtful, and economical way to decorate gift packages. Using nature’s gifts creates a simple but beautiful presentation as well as an inexpensive and eco-friendly way to trim your holiday gifts.
A walk through your seemingly desolate yard or one of our beautiful canyons will reveal a wealth of possibilities and can inspire some wonderful ideas for trimming your gift packages. Look for dried berries and pods; choose small pinecones; pick up twigs that have intriguing shapes; collect dried grasses. Take advantage of the season’s bounty!
• Seasonal Foliage
Evergreens of all varieties, boxwood, ivy, dried nandina berries, cleyera leaves, and holly are some of my favorites. Cedar, varieties of junipers, spruce, and long-needle Princess pines are a great way to decorate a present. Simply take a clipping suitable in size for your package and secure it with a bow. You can use the clippings from your yard or even a Christmas tree. If you do not wish to use a bow, you can simply attach it with a spot of hot glue. Use small pieces of evergreens to dress up simple tags or holiday cards. The fragrance of the foliage is wonderful.
• Non-Traditional Foliage
Try wrapping your smaller gifts with tropical leaves or decorating packages with long ornamental grasses. Traditional ferns in varied sizes and varieties are beautiful atop packages—as they resemble the shape of trees when placed on a clear gift wrap palette.
• Sticks and Twigs
As with pine branches, sticks and twigs are another quick and easy eco- friendly trimming. Create an elegant look by making a swag or wreath of sticks on a tone on tone package, such as natural white butcher’s paper with a simple white bow. Curly willows, pinecones, and cinnamon sticks are also beautiful additions to your packages.
• Fruits & Nuts
The season’s fruits are another beautiful and inexpensive addition to your packages. It also brings a traditional holiday flare to the gift as fruits and nuts were common gifts of yore. Fruits such as pears, apples, cranberries, clementines and oranges all offer a beautiful display of color to any package. If you select fruits with a stem, simply tie a florist’s wire around the stem and tie it off to the ribbon. Cover the wire with a floral bow, as it will cover the wire. Some fruits (especially clementines and oranges) can be affixed to packages with a bit of hot glue. Nuts can be affixed with hot glue, made into a garland, or bagged and tied to the package.
• Fresh Flowers
If you are giving your gift immediately, try attaching a fresh flower to decorate your package. Orchids, lilies, roses, gerbera daisies, spider mums, and bells of Ireland are some of my favorites! Be sure to provide a water source if flowers will be out of water for over an hour.
• Let your creativity guide you!
Photos of nature, feathers, ornamental birds & butterflies, or imitating lines and colors of nature are all excellent ways to make nature a part of your gift-giving this year.
For a great selection of fresh flowers and home décor, visit BYU Campus Craft & Floral:
Campus Craft & Floral
1021 WSC
Provo, UT 84602
(801) 422-2840
www.campuscraftfloral.com
Add comment