It's wedding season and the perfect opportunity to create stylish and striking wrapped gifts! Follow these three simple techniques to add a variation of pleating to any of your gifts.

accordian fan pleat wrap

• This wrap works best with a rectangular gift box. Begin with a sheet of gift wrap that is approximately 5-8” larger than the circumference of the box.
  
• Start with the good side/outside of your gift wrap facing down on your work surface and fold the edge in 1/2” to create a clean edge. Run your bone folder over the crease. This edge will be the first “pleat” that goes across the top of the gift.
  
• Place the paper on your work surface with the folded edge closest to you and the good side of the paper facing down. Hold the edge you just created in your fingers and fold away from you at an angle creating a cone shape. Crease with your bone folder.
  
• Still gripping the first edge, fold that piece back approximately 1/4” (following the cone shape) to create a fan fold. Crease this second pleat with your bone folder.
  
• Holding both pleats in your fingers, fold away from you at an angle, creating a larger cone shape. Crease with your bone folder.
  
• Gripping both pleated edges, fold back 1/4” (following the cone shape) to create another fan fold. Crease in place with your bone folder.
  
• Finish by securing the pleats (on the reverse/back side) with single-sided tape.
  
• Center your gift box on the gift wrap and loosely wrap the sides of the paper around aligning the pleats in the center of the box top.
  
• Once you are happy with the placement of the pleats, place the gift wrap back on the table (do not shift the box).
  
• Fold up the unpleated side of the gift wrap and tape to the gift box with single-sided tape.
  
• Fold the pleated side of the gift wrap around the box and crease each of the box edges. Adhere double-sided tape to the back side of the pleated edge and secure to the center of the box.
  
• Finish the gift wrap by folding in the ends as you would normally. See step ?? of signature gift wrap instructions for details (link to other tip).
  
• Once the gift is completely wrapped add depth to the pleats. Use your fingertips to flare the folds upward by pinching the pleats away from the box.

cylinder pleat wrap

directions
• Using ribbon, measure around the cylinder and add 1” to determine the width. Measure the height and diameter of the cylinder, and then add together to determine the height. You now have the measurement of your gift wrap.
  
• Cut your gift wrap to size.
  
• With the good side/outside of the paper facing down, fold one edge of the width of the paper in 1/4.”
  
• Place the cylinder on the gift wrap so that there is an equal amount of gift wrap on the top and bottom (approximately 1/2 the diameter of the cylinder).
  
• Using single-sided tape, attach the unfolded side of the width of the paper to the cylinder (rough side/inside facing the cylinder).
  
• Wrap the paper around the cylinder securing the folded edge to the cylinder with double-sided tape.
  
• To complete the bottom of the cylinder, place a couple of pieces of double-sided tape to the bottom of the cylinder itself (this will give the pleats something to adhere to).
  
• Using one finger, push the paper down to the double-sided tape.
  
• Continue around the cylinder, pleating evenly around with your finger (this will make each of the pleats roughly the same size).
  
• Repeat steps 4 - 6 to complete the top of the cylinder.
  
• To hide the edges of the pleats, wrap a length of ribbon around cylinder and tie at the top.

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