Design and lifestyle expert Francesco Bilotto shares pro tips with CBS2’s Jessica Borg on how to wrap presents.
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – With Christmas just days away, many people are in crunch-mode trying to wrap as many gifts as possible and get them under the tree in time.
But as CBS2’s Jessica Borg reported, making presents look presentable can be a big challenge.
“The struggle is real,” one woman said.
Some folks avoid it altogether.
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“I’ll put a bow on it,” a man said.
“Just the awkward shapes – maybe a guitar or something,” the woman added.
Design and lifestyle expert Francesco Bilotto says if a gift is oddly shaped, “embrace it.”
“Don’t be afraid to make something big and grand even bigger and grander,” he said.
He recommends using a padded, insulated mailer – instead of paper – for the irregular shapes.
“Stick it into one of these great perishable, metallic envelopes that most shipping stores still have,” he said.
If you have a regular shape to wrap, cut the paper close to the edge of the box so there isn’t a lot of excess paper to cut.
“I like to crease the paper as I go, as well. Just to make sure that it doesn’t get crumply and it looks professional,” said Bilotto.
Once the box is centered, leave a half inch of overlap so when you tape it, the paper covers the box.
Once the gift is wrapped, Bilotto says you can dress it up – without using ribbon. Instead, try colorful garland or decorative tape.
“I love using those, because you don’t get that crushed bow when you open a present or travel with it,” he said.
Add some holiday chocolate, and you’re done. In the end, it doesn’t have to be fancy but it should be fun to look at.
“It’s not so much what you give, it’s how you give it,” said Bilotto.
If you have a lot of gifts to wrap at once, experts suggest doing it in an assembly line. Wrap all of them, then add the decorative embellishments so you don’t spend too much time on one gift and get tired.
