The major gift wrapping season will soon be upon us…which is good news if you love spending hours hunched over a table, working with dull scissors that tear instead of easily cut.
But if you’re like many people, you put off wrapping until you absolutely have to because it can be a pain to drag everything out. And that’s if you can even find what you need!
And while you could hop onto eBay or Amazon…or drive to your local big box store…and spend a couple hundred dollars buying a “gift wrapping station”, chances are good that you’ve already got something on hand that can be used to create a gift wrapping station that is uniquely yours.
What kind of gift wrapping station do I need?
Think about your home and what kind of gift wrapping station makes the most sense.
Should you create something permanent that will stay with your home or should you create a temporary gift wrapping station. A mobile station that can be moved is another option.
Where should it go?
Your location decision will be determined by whether or not you plan to make it a permanent or mobile addition to your home.
You’re not going to need access to your gift wrapping station on an everyday basis throughout the year. So choose a place that is convenient, yet out of the way.
Useful locations include:
- ⬥ On the back of a door
- ⬥ Hanging on the wall
- ⬥ In the corner of a closet
- ⬥ Underneath a bed
- ⬥ In dresser drawers
Think creatively
When you’re thinking about a good place for your gift wrapping station, take a look at your current storage options. Thinking differently will help reconsider your spaces.
For example, if a wire shelf is normally hung horizontally, is there a way it can be hung vertically to reduce space and serve its purpose?
Or perhaps there’s a way you can store your long tubes of gift wrapping paper from a closet ceiling using wire strung from wall to wall. Use your creativity to think outside the box!
Items that can be repurposed
There’s virtually no limit on the ways you can create a gift wrapping station to make wrapping gifts more fun. And make it easier. All it takes is some time and imagination.
Commonly used items for DIY gift wrapping stations include:
- ⬥ wooden dowels
- ⬥ spring-loaded and/or adjustable curtain rods
- ⬥ wire or string
- ⬥ boxes (plastic, wicker, cloth, cardboard…whatever you have on hand)
- ⬥ filing pockets or bins
- ⬥ clothes hampers
- ⬥ large, flat, plastic boxes with lids
- ⬥ pegboards and hooks
- ⬥ cork boards
When planning your gift wrapping station don’t forget to include a place for other things besides those unwieldy rolls of wrapping paper, such as:
- ⬥ cards
- ⬥ gift bags
- ⬥ tissue paper
- ⬥ ribbon
- ⬥ pens
- ⬥ bows
- ⬥ tags
- ⬥ scissors or paper cutters
- ⬥ scotch tape
Look at examples
Sometimes it can be hard to envision the kind of gift wrapping station that would work best for your home. That’s when some time online surfing for organizational tools that you love can really fire your imagination.
When you find what you like, simply copy the look or design your own creation based on a mixture of several different ideas.
Finally, give yourself the freedom to change your mind.
Sometimes you’ll realize that what you believed was a good idea simply doesn’t work for reasons you hadn’t even thought of, so go ahead and make adjustments until you find the perfect fit…
You’ll be glad you did.
