It's that time of the year again: time to wrap all of the stuff you've bought for all of the important people in your life.
While wrapping
yesterday afternoon, I got to thinking about the various ways one can wrap decorative paper around a rectangular prism.
The second package I needed to wrap was this small box
for Bobblehead. First step,
assemble your materials.
Wrapping requires the wrapper to answer some questions.
Do you buy the cheap wrap from the Dollar $tore, since the stuff's just going to be ripped to shreds on Christmas morning? Or do you invest in the really high quality stuff, which is going to get shredded just as readily and which may very well cost more than the gift which it encases?
Do you tape the box shut, thereby making it nearly impossible for the recipient to open their gift without recourse to the multi-tool
on your key chain? Or do you simply hope that the flimsy box they gave you at the store will not spontaneously give way during the unwrapping phase, sending its expensive, fragile contents to the ceramic tile floor where they will shatter into atomic subparticles?Do you tape one (or more) edges of the paper to the box in order to prevent the paper from slipping off the box while you are struggling with the tape dispenser? Or do you pray that this time the stupid dispenser will yield its sticky strip with grace and reliability, unlike every other time in the history of Scotch tape?
Once you have answered those questions, you are on your way. Cut the paper to the appropriate size. The next step is to decide how
I "hem" the wrapping paper.
Once you have the wrapping paper situated, you need to decide what sort of "corners" your ends will have.
We have identified two distinct types of corners here: "dad corners" and "mom corners". Number Guy's dad always made corners this way...
Poke both sides inwards and crease then
fold down the triangles and secure.
Mom always made her corners this way...
Fold down the top edge and crease,
then poke the sides inward and finally
then poke the sides inward and finally
fold up the bottom and secure.
Number Guy is truly his mother's son: he makes his first corner on a package a mom corner since you use the table to support the operation and the mom corner comes out tidy.
Number Guy is truly his father's son: he makes his second corner a dad corner since once the first corner is done, he stands the package on the completed mom corner end and the dad corner is very quick to do.
I prefer dad corners. Dad corners have the beauty of symmetry. I am all about the symmetry
and the tidy.
Good present wrapping music.
Posts
7 yarns:
I definitely make "mom corners". I bought a couple of the double sided mega rolls from Sam's the last two years to supplement the wrapping paper that I got on sale the day after Christmas when my oldest was a baby (she's 9 now). Most of the rolls I picked up I paid .50-.75 cents. Needless to say I bought a lot of wrapping paper that day. :~)
Mom corners. :)
I have cheapish wrapping paper, mostly - since I tend to pick it up on sale after the holiday, I end up with some randomly good stuff.
I buy plain wrapping paper all the time... I just picked up a bright green :) We use it year round, so it's more economical, but I do buy some fancy ribbon and decorate them. And, I use a silver sharpie to write people's names on the presents instead of gift tags :)
My mom always did "Mom corners" but after years of observing the sales ladies at stores doing gift wrap, I decided that "dad corners" are superior. Although when I wrap, sometimes I do one, sometimes I do the other. Mom corners on thin things like books, where the ends are longer than the depth.
I like symmetry in my wrapping. Sadly, I rarely achieve it...
I wrap like a toddler with ADD so I tend to use gift bags. I've been known to take the tags off gifts and hand them over in the store bag.
I'm a dad corners :) Could you come and wrap my presents, please? (I haven't bought any yet, I'm so behind!)
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