Ozaukee - Washington Daily News Graphic

December 2006

Wrap it up! (continued) by Laurie Arendt

We have three rules of wrapping," adds Caitlin Carrol, a sales associate at Broadway Paper, which is located in Milwaukee's Third Ward. "They're actually pretty easy, and they really make wrapped presents look good."

The first rule that the staff uses is to use something called a "seamless edge." While most amateur wrappers line up their wrapping paper in the middle of a present, the staff at Broadway Paper lines up their wrap to meet at the edge of a wrapped gift.

"Secondly, we always crease the edges of the wrapping," she says. Running your fingers along each edge of the wrapped box results in a precise wrap job, not unlike the old "hospital corners" on a well-made bed.

Finally, the staff's third rule is simple, but adds a bit of magic to a wrapped gift. "We use double-sided tape," she explains. "We always put the sticky tape on the piece of wrapping paper that's being placed down, so it's invisible on the outside of the wrapping. Plus you can use double-sided tape right to the edge of the paper, and if the piece of tape is accidentally too big, you can always double it back on itself."

Not all presents found under the tree are square, and Carrol has a number of suggestions for wrapping holiday gifts in more unusual and creative ways:

Gift Cards - Small and compact, gift cards can be packaged in a variety of ways. Wrapping paper can be used to create one-of-a-kind envelopes or "wallets" to hold the card. Carroll also suggests creating a gift basket around the card, such as a basket full of movie treats with a movie card.

Wine - As one of the most popular host or hostess gifts at this time of season, a wine bottle often goes unadorned. Carroll suggests using layered paper or a gift wrap to create a paper sleeve around the bottle. You can also create your own personalized holiday greeting "label" to slip over the wine bottle.

Food Items - Broadway Paper sells a myriad of aluminum and paper containers for this purpose. Carroll also recommends using simple, inexpensive cellophane bags. In lieu of a bow, simply fold over the top, punch two holes in the cellophane, thread a ribbon through it and tie a bow.

Finally, as a finishing touch, consider what the Broadway Paper staff calls a "tie in."

"You can use something really simple, like a plastic snowflake," she says. "Holiday shaped cookie cutters also work really well, too.

Article continued on page 3...

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