How to wrap Christmas presents with Jane Means

 Jane Means is a gift wrap expert who provides present wrapping services and workshops for clients worldwide. We welcome her back to Cox and Cox, to share more of her clever ways to use wrapping paper and ribbons to produce the most exquisitely presented gifts.

Every roll of luxury wrapping paper in our range has a complementing selection of ribbons, so that finding a beautiful scheme is easy - and you can even match the gift to the tree with our Christmas trends. But how do you make the most of your chosen paper and ribbon when your Christmas gifts aren’t square? Jane talks us through how to wrap some common awkward shapes whilst addressing a few gift-wrapping questions to show us how. She also shows us how to make use of ribbon remnants for a more sustainable Christmas.

Jane has used our robust Candy Cane Tissue Paper to show us how to expertly wrap gifts with an unusual shape like our Footed Terracotta Vase. This wrapping idea works equally well for bottles of wine or champagne - always a gifting favourite!

Cut a rectangular length of wrapping paper two and a half lengths of the vase. Begin with the shortest length, and hold it against the vase with one hand.

With the other hand, begin to pinch and pull the paper up and towards the neck of the vase. Creating pleats in the tissue as you go.

Once you arrive at the back of the vase, swap hands. Beginning again at the front, and working towards the back, start the process again, tucking each pleat under the holding hand.

Stop at the last corner and pleat in the short bit. Keep pulling the paper up until the paper is tightly around the top of the vase.

8. Secure the paper with a tie of ribbon. Here, Jane has used a pre-tied bow Christmas tree decoration, but you can use any matching ribbon.

The finished present, all ready for under the tree!

A trick to awkward, oversized gifts is to create a custom-made gift bag out of your chosen wrapping paper. Beautiful wrapping doesn't need to fit the gift exactly.

Take the box your items arrived in, and loosely wrap it (if not suitable, find a box similar in size to your gift as your template).

Use double-sided tape to secure the bottom and the sides (always a neater finish). Leave one end open

Simply place the gift inside the gift bag and fold it over the top with a traditional double fold. 

Add decorative flourishes - a sprig of seasonal dried flora or a small tree decoration. Secure your ornament using the final tie of the bow.

Items that are flat and floppy such as clothes should be neatly folded into a compact size. With some clever folds and double-sided tape, make a gift pouch that is similar to an envelope. These can easily be pre-made saving a last-minute rush. 

Use your gift as a guide and measure your wrapping paper so it’s three times the size of the object with some excess at the sides.

Fold both full-length edges by approximately 1 inch / 2.5cm. Next section the paper into thirds; taking one section, and folding it against the next.

Pop your chosen gift inside the pocket that has now formed.

Neatly fold down the corners of the remaining third section to form the lip of your envelope.

Seal with double-sided tape, or simply secure with ribbon.

Secure a tag or ornament with the final tie of the bow.

Creating a gift bag is the perfect solution for presenting gifts more professionally especially for soft presents where the wrapping paper on the parcel can end up looking pinched at both ends.

Use your gift to ensure that you have enough paper to go around with plenty of excess at the top and bottom. Seal along the seam with double-sided tape.

At the bottom of the paper, fold one short end over approximately 10cm.

Squeeze in both sides to form a double diamond.

Fold both diamond ends over into thirds and secure with tape.

Pop in your gift, and fold over the top edge, secure with tape.

Decorate with a complementing ribbon.

There are many ways to tackle a circular gift, but here are Jane's tips for the candle, a much-loved choice when Christmas gift-buying.

Cut the paper to size using your gift, the paper should cover half of the bottom/top.

Wrap the paper around the gift and secure it with double-sided tape.

Begin at the crossover of the paper.

Fold small pleats around the top.

Once complete, tidy the final fold.

Secure with double-sided table for a neat finish.

Decorate simply with a length of complementing ribbon.

Top with a decoration (a clip tree decoration works well!)

This luxurious floral embellishment is easily created from off-cuts and remnants of ribbon, making it the perfect sustainable wrapping decoration.

Here Jane took two lengths of ribbon which were too short to tie in a bow. She wrapped them round the parcel and secured the ends together with a length of cord. 

Gathering more remnants of ribbon, she cut the ends on an angle lay the strips on top of each other to create a flower shape.

At this stage, she attached a charming bell decoration.

And then tied the flower to the present using the remaining ends of the cord.

Once everything was secure, she trimmed the petals to similar lengths and tweaked them into shape.

Wide ribbons with contrasting textures, are perfect for creating these flowers.