Christmas Gift Wrapping Station + Simple Gift Wrapping Tips

After years of wrapping gifts on the floor and on the bed, it was time to turn an old college desk into a Christmas wrapping station! I love the change (which took an hour of my time), and more importantly my back appreciates not having to wrap on the floor this year.

Hi friends! I'm so excited to share a fun little Christmas DIY project and wrapping station with you today. Plus some wrapping tips and a whole lot of inspiration at the end!

I started by transforming this old desk from college into a painted beauty. Most recently, my plain dark-stained desk had been tucked into the corner of our master bedroom, buried under wrinkled laundry that needed a good ironing. Womp. Womp.

A desk before it's gift wrapping station makeover!

I've toyed with the idea of getting rid of it, but I never did, just in case I wanted to use it someday. And I'm glad I kept it now. I think it fits perfectly in this space in all of its white chalk-painted glory. Don't you think?!

I painted two coats of Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint in Pure White {this chalk paint works great, too!}. Then I gently sanded the edges and the spots that would naturally wear with fine-grit sandpaper, sealed it with clear wax, and called it a day!

Now I love it in this space!! But enough about the desk, let's talk about the pretty papers!

Here's a little tidbit about me. I hate, hate, hate wrapping gifts. Eek! Don't stop reading now, because I hope to redeem myself. Maybe you're a wrapping hater too, so this is how I get myself excited about wrapping.

I treat wrapping like decorating. I want the gifts under the tree to look as pretty as the rest of the room. So I pretend I'm picking out coordinating fabrics when I choose my wrapping papers and embellishments, so it feels like decorating instead of wrapping. LOL I have no idea why I hate it so much, but now you know my little secret.

And because the gifts are part of the decor, I search high and low for beautiful wrapping paper.

This year I found some at none other than Minted. You know, the place where you can buy beautiful art and gorgeous Christmas cards?? Well, I absolutely fell in love with the stunning navy, green, blush and mint colors that go so well with the rest of my decor.

I grabbed the …

Holly & Vines Paper in Navy and Mint
Watercolor Gingham in Gray, and
wallFLOWER in Navy

I love that these are unique designs by individual artists for Minted, and they're absolutely stunning in person. You won't find papers like these in stores. {Trust me, I've looked!}

Simple Gift Wrapping Tips

1. Use a variety of coordinating papers. You knew this one would come first, right? It's so fun to find wrapping papers that look good together under the tree. I try to pair a large pattern, a small pattern, and solid colors. You can never go wrong with a roll of kraft paper, so I always keep one on hand for big gifts I don't want to use up my pricey paper on. {See my gifts under my tree in 2018 and again in 2019 for more ideas on coordinating wrapping paper.}

2. Don’t hold back on the cute ribbon and twine. I'm developing a real ribbon and twine hoarding problem. I just fall in love with some of the cutest stuff.

And don't skimp! Wrap those presents up good. Multiple wraps of twine go a long way toward making a gift look super cute. Trust me on this. And bows galore. I shot these photos while my wrapping was only partly done, so expect to see a lot more ribbon and twine when you see them finished under my tree.

3. Add fun embellishments like ornaments as gift tags, figurines, or wreaths. Get creative and let the ideas flow. It's so much fun to open a gift with a fun figure or ornament on top that becomes part of the gift. The recipient can take it home and hopefully think of you when they pull it out year after year.

SCROLL DOWN TO SHOP THESE ORNAMENTS & GIFT TAGS FOR THE PERFECT EMBELLISHMENTS FOR YOUR GIFTS!

4. Grab some fun gift tags. I haven't gotten to this step yet, but last year I rounded up some of my favorite free printable gift tags out there (click here). They're all too cute, so check them out and warm up the printer for some adorable holiday gift-giving!

There you have it! A few simple tips and ideas for getting that wrapping done and making it fun, even if you're like me and don't looove wrapping gifts. It's so much more fun when you think of it as decorating under your tree (and blessing your friends and family with cuteness)!