And Presents Under the Tree

Pretty packages make me smile.  Each year, I try to be "wrapped and done by December 1" and this year I actually made it!  There are two great benefits to finishing our Christmas shopping early.  The first is that we get to relax and skip the stress and hustle of shopping during the busiest days of the year.  The second is that we (who am I kidding?  It's just me.) can enjoy looking at beautifully wrapped packages under the tree for a few extra weeks.

Each year, I try to keep all our gifts wrapped in one or two different types of paper.  Crazy, I know, but it makes me happier.  This year I branched out and decided to try something new: washi tape instead of traditional ribbon.  And, I did sticky bows.  If you had asked me two years ago if I would ever use sticky bows, I would have emphatically replied that they were practically against everything I believe in and that I would never use them.  My how times (and lack of time) has changed!  I actually love how the packages look and I'm glad I tried something new.  

I found this cute paper at Marshalls last year.  I bought two rolls, but I only ended up finding one so I had to buy extra.  Of course, like two days after finishing my wrapping I found the other roll.  Boo.

This pattern is from Target.  The paper is thinner, so it was more difficult to wrap with.  Next year, I'll stick with more quality paper.

I found the black and white and red washi tape rolls at Target, and layered them on top of each other. The sticky bows are also  from Target, and the gift tags are free printables I found on this blog!