Wrapping gifts can either be fun or a chore depending on your skills. Do you find yourself buying loads of gift bags and tissue paper and calling it a day? Or are you a wrap master who did an internship at Santa’s workshop? Rolls of gift wrap call your name and you have gobs of it stored in fancy containers.

Though we give gifts year round for various special occasions, holiday season is different. It means tons of crazy-shaped packaging, if there’s any at all. Don’t be intimidated by wrapping odd shaped gifts. Don’t be enticed by gift wrapping services either. Buying fifty gift bags is tempting, but there’s another way.

Learn to wrap your oddball present without spending extra on assorted gift bags, hiring a pro, or the classic move of sticking a bow on it. Guest and wrapper extraordinaire Amy Goodman stopped by The Meredith Vieira Show to share a simple technique for those who aren’t the greatest at giftwrapping.

Custom Gift Bag

Materials

• Roll of wrapping paper
• Tape
• Scissors

Directions

1. Cut the Paper

   On a flat surface, unroll your wrapping paper and set your gift in the center. Bring the seam to the gift’s middle point and extend the roll about 3 to 4 inches over the midpoint of the gift. Cut the paper off the roll in a straight line to fit the size of your gift.

2. Fold and Tape

   Fold each edge of the gift wrap to the middle with a little bit of overlap. Tape the seam vertically, from top to bottom. If you want to use double-sided tape for a neater look, go for it. Amy notes it’s perfectly fine to leave gaps between your pieces of tape!

3. Make the Base

   With the width of your present in mind, fold the base of your wrapping paper up so that it’s wide enough to accommodate your item. Both openings should be facing upwards now.

4. Create a Diamond

   Gently open the base and, starting on one side, fold it into the shape of a triangle. Next, fold in the other side until you have created the shape of a diamond in your base.

5. Make Your Points

   Take turns and fold the top and bottom points of your diamond to the middle. They can overlap slightly. Tape down the points where they meet each other.

6. Open the Bag

   Open the top of the bag and fluff it out, making room for your gift item. Place your gift inside.

 

As mentioned in the video, make sure your paper is not too thin or too thick. On your finished bag, you can either do as Amy did and fold the top over neatly and tape the bag shut for a closed look, or you can add tissue paper and leave it open. Experiment with different-sized cuts of gift wrap to match up with various odd shaped presents. Embellish the look of your custom gift bag with ribbon, bows, or charms.

Once you’ve tried your hand at making a few of these, you won’t have to labor through last minute gift-wrapping messes. Do you have any special hacks for presents? Are you a novice or a whiz? Share in the comments.