And if I – as artistically-challenged as I am – can pull these off successfully, I know you can….and most of all, have fun with it!

• A beautiful fabric bow can turn a bog standard present into a standout gift, so it’s worth saving any bits of ribbon or other fabric from other packaging and re-using them for your own wrapping. Reusing ribbon will also help cut down on tape and therefore single-use plastic.
• If you don’t have any ribbon or fabric, you can make a present wrapped in brown paper much more interesting simply by weaving together six strips of leftover patterned wrapping paper you have left over. Wrap your woven paper around the present and voila, you have your own pretty criss-cross design.
• Skip the usual wrapping paper and opt instead for paper bags, large envelopes or little hessian sacks. Decorate with paint, tags and ribbon and your recipients will be super chuffed to receive your classy and thoughtfully-wrapped gift.
• Old sheets of newspaper make brilliant wrapping paper, though try to use black-and-white pages with no ads or colour print for the best results. 
• If you have children, save their doodles and artwork to use as original and meaningful gift wrap – grandparents will love it!
• You can make gift tags or embellish presents wrapped in plain paper using dried slices of orange and dried star anise tied together with wire or string. Include a recipe for mulled wine or cider to encourage your recipient to reuse the fruit and spices!
• I’ve recently discovered plantable wrapping paper, gift tags and cards – there are some really beautiful ones available. The recipient is encouraged to keep the seed-filled paper until spring, plant it in a sunny spot and wait for the flowers to bloom. So if you need to buy gift wrap, this could be the way to go – and what a special touch!
• Gifts wrapped in black paper tied with rustic white string or raffia and natural touches like a sprig of evergreen tree, red berries and/or a pine cone look extremely striking but are really easy to create.
• For a fun and attractive way to label your presents, track down an old photo of your recipient, make a copy and stick it to your present or make a label out of it. Friends and family will enjoy looking at photos of each other and your presents will be a fun talking point even before they’ve been opened!
• If calligraphy is your thing, you can make plain brown or white paper look stunning with some beautifully-written and personalised festive greetings. Not so skilled with a fountain pen? Paint pens are an easy way to create your own colourful and unique designs on plain paper you have lying around.