We have come to that time during the festive month that us mere mortals either love or, love to hate; wrapping gifts.

Seeing as I am a creative being, present wrapping is obviously something I enjoy, but don't you think it can get a bit tedious? Mainly because I'm such a messy wrapper. My crafting materials all have their own place and are not just Aycan organised, but really organised. It's a shame that once they're removed from their neatly presented home, everything goes a little... everywhere. Half the materials are on the floor, and I have no idea where the rest have disappeared to. I end up with sellotape stuck to everything except on the gifts, and that's when I finally cut the right amount of paper.

I'm basically just a very chaotic creative, and even though things may take a little longer, and clearing up is also a mission, I have always been this way and I wouldn't want it any other way. Well, if someone could clean everything up, I would really appreciate that.

Last year I shared three creative ways to wrap gifts, including pom-poms, shaker wrappers, and felt initial nametags. I absolutely loved those techniques and would have been happy to rejig those ideas, or even do the exact same thing, but as a creative blogger, and seeing this is blogmas... I’m not allowed!

As a way of rebelling, I had decided to go for something simple, but who was I kidding? I don't understand the definition of simple.

I usually have some sort of plan when I start a project, it doesn't always have to be detailed, a rough idea is just as good, but sometimes it's nice to just let your creativity run wild. Which is why I sat there amongst a large bundle of gifts and wrapping paper, with no idea what to do.

Actually, the one thing I did plan was selecting my gift wrap. I always like to go for a couple of prints, a few repeating patterns, and a single colour too. I used a few rolls which I had left over from last year as there is no need to waste perfectly good paper. Colour is really important to me, so I've kept to my signature pastels (but mainly pink). I’m actually terrible at wrapping, but it’s the decorating which distracts the eye from the wonky folds and jaggedy scissor cuts.

Why wrap a gift with one paper when you can use two? I love mixing colours and clashing prints, so I had to include this. After wrapping it with one sheet, I just half wrapped it in another and secured them together using washi tape. You can do so many things with washi tapes; I've watched endless videos and it has always blown my mind. I have also used washi tape to attach candy canes, wooden stars, and gift tags to the front of the gifts. These are all very quick and easy ways to bring in new colours and dimensions to your gifts.

Adding decorative trims and ribbons can always make a gift look beautiful. For something more traditional use bakers twine or wide ribbons (I've used both a glittered pastel pink, and an ombre blue and pink ribbon), but if you want to try something a little unconventional, use pom-pom tape, sequin ribbon, or tinsel. You can also use these trims to attach gift tags or embellishments like with a large handmade pom-pom.

Wrapping bottles and jars can be a pain, but what I like to do is turn them into Christmas crackers. It's festive and looks pretty sweet under the tree. Tie the cracker closed with bakers string or other twines. You can turn any flat presents into those old-fashioned sweet bags, by leaving the top open and securing the inside with double-sided tape, and finishing the top with a scalloped edge and ribbon. I went even more festive by sticking on paper glittered snowflakes. I think this would have to be my favourite design; it's so simple but also really effective.

I honestly can't remember the last time I actually purchased gift tags as they are so easy to make yourself (and it's also cheaper too!) Using glittered paper, scissors, and pinking shears, I cut out Christmas trees. For smaller gifts, I cut long rectangles and used the pinking shears to decorate one edge. Showcase their names loud and proud by attaching sticky back foam letters, or cut the letters out from another sheet of wrapping paper and layer it on top, creating yet another contrast of patterns and colours. You can also use these techniques to decorate your gifts with festive terms and phrases.

Let me know in the comments below how you love to wrap your gifts. If you take any inspiration from this post, please let me know! You can see all of my previous blogmas posts on my advent calendar.