I have always loved wrapping all of the gifts I give each year with a theme. Either they get the same wrapping paper with different variations of ribbons and bows or they get wrapped in all different papers with the same color scheme. One thing I’ve never loved about wrapping up gifts and taking them to my family’s house is that the stacked packages always get smashed. All of those perfectly crafted bows, delicately applied details, and ribbons galore were all smashed as the boxes were stacked one upon another. A few years ago I got an idea for wrapping them without the added ribbons and bows – I decided to try my hand at hand-drawn gift wrap. I ordered a large roll of solid navy blue wrapping paper – the good, thick stuff – and picked up some white paint pens at the local art supply store. What happened next was one of my favorite holiday experiences ever. I began to wrap gifts as I purchased them but left them plain, no adornments, ribbons, or bows. A couple of weeks before Christmas, I began to draw. I would turn on Christmas music to get in the mood and tackle one package at a time. Drawing whatever came to mind for each, left me open to pure creativity and the ability to create a custom wrapped package for each gift. Everyone was delighted to see their gifts and many of them didn’t want to open them. It was such a treat to see their smiling faces as I handed them the gift – before even knowing what was inside! I haven’t returned to hand-drawn gift wrap after that. The first year after, we were packing to move to our little cabin on the lake. The second year was sort of a whirlwind getting adjusted to our new home in winter. This past year was our third year and I found myself ordering gifts to be shipped directly to the recipient vs. getting the opportunity to wrap and ship them myself. Looking back at these packages has given me a wonderful idea – I’ll create hand-drawn gift wrap for sale in my boutique! I’ve longed to do this all year and had not found a supplier that could offer the gift wrap at a reasonable enough cost (in my opinion). I kept searching and just before the holiday, I found a supplier that offers single sheets of gift wrap at a very reasonable price – meaning I can pass that savings on to you and offer the sheets of gift wrap at a rate that you can afford. While I didn’t find the supplier soon enough to make this happen for the holiday that just passed, I’m thrilled to begin working on some designs and will also be expanding my idea to birthdays, baby showers, bridal showers, graduations, and any other holiday I am inspired by. Take a look below at some of my original hand-drawn designs and keep an eye out for my shop to carry the beautiful custom gift wrap that you won’t find anywhere else!
