- Angel K. Lee, the owner of It's A Wrap NYC, told Insider how to wrap
presents like an expert. - Quality materials, bold colors, and adding extra elements can make your
gifts stand out.
The holiday season means many things: time with family, twinkly lights, delicious food.
For many, it's also the season of gift-giving. As fun as it is to receive presents, you also typically have to spend hours wrapping gifts for your loved ones.
It can be tempting to just throw your presents in a bag, but having a beautiful presentation for your gifts makes the whole experience better for your loved ones, as Angel K. Lee, the owner and creative director of It's A Wrap NYC, told Insider.
Lee shared her gift-wrapping advice with Insider ahead of the 2021 holiday season.
First, she said that you want to set yourself up for success by making sure you have good materials to wrap with.
"One thing that I've learned throughout the years is to start off with quality paper," Lee said, as it will give you cleaner seams and better edges, and it's easier to cut.
"That's really important because no matter how bad the package may look, you can work with good paper and have nice creases in a nice balance and work from there," she added.
Sharp scissors are important, and Lee also recommends using double-sided tape to wrap gifts because you won't be able to see the tape when you fold the paper.
"That makes it look nice and professional and clean," Lee said.
When it comes to picking a color of paper, Lee said it's best to go with bright, solid colors made of eco-friendly materials, especially if you're hoping your presents will look good in pictures.
"On film, certain colors pop," she said. "You might look at a color, and it's a really weird teal or something, but it's going to come across much differently on film."
"That's not where you want to worry about a lot of embellishments," she added of wrapping paper, emphasizing that solid colors or stripes with good contrast are the best choices.
When it comes to bows, Lee is a firm believer in using real ribbons instead of stick-on options, both because stick-on bows aren't reusable and because they don't have as nice of a look.
"We like to use a nice, quality ribbon," she said, often choosing ribbons made of satin. "That way it can be reused, and it comes across as a more luxe presentation."
If you want to take your gifts to the next level, Lee recommends adding little pieces of decor to the outside of a present, like a sprig of holly or a jingle bell.
Lee recommends using affordable options like cinnamon sticks or greenery on your gifts, as they will get you the most bang for your buck.
For children's gifts, Lee often attaches cookie cutters to her packages, as it gives the receiver an additional present and adds to the overall aesthetic.
Lee also says to never use a gift bag if you can help it, as they don't have the same luxury look as a wrapped package.
"What I prefer to do is to actually make a nice big bow," she said. You can leave the gift itself unwrapped, but put a bow and other embellishments on it to make it look festive.
You might think of wrapping presents as a chore, but Lee encourages people to think of it as a gesture of love.
"I think that it shows that you've taken the time and the effort. It's a way to show that you care," she said.