A Custom Gift Wrap

When I was in high school, I worked for a custom gift shop in the Los Angeles area. The shop sold exclusive personalized gifts that were very expensive. I worked in the wrapping department with a friend of mine. On Saturday's, she and I would wrap gifts while chatting and laughing the hours away. It was great fun....and the perfect job. Once in a while, famous people would come in....like Pat Benatar or one of the Jacksons' (as in 5).

Last week, on an average trip to Ikea....I saw this

Thin colored drinking straws....and then I remembered....I USED TO WRAP GIFTS WITH THESE!! Here is how we did it....start with a plain white box

Make a label  for the recipient (we used the name of the store)

It must ALWAYS go in the bottom left corner (every gift from this store had to be recognizable and uniform).

Using colored cellophane, wrap the box.

Grab a small handful of colored straws that coordinate with your ribbons

Wrap a few pieces of ribbon around the bundle of straws

Chop off the bendy parts

Pull the ribbons extra tight to form a straw bow and attach it to the package

The cellophane allows everyone to see the exclusive name

This brought back such great memories....and my daughter's friend loved how her gift was wrapped. What job(s) did you have in high school?

**Linking to Craft-O-Maniac**