Wrap it Up!

My husband and I were having a conversation with some friends the other night, about whether we were the kind of people that knew when to "wrap it up." You know, whether you know when to wind down a phone call, or if you know when to stop talking and just listen. Or whether you overstay your welcome at a friend's house.

Of course both boys thought they were awesome at "wrapping it up." When in fact, they're not. So I guess maybe there's no way to really know.

The people who are actually good at it.....probably would say they are. But the oblivious people who talk on for hours when your dinner is burning....they probably think they're good at it to. 'Cause by nature, they're oblivious.

I was gonna ask which kind you are. But I guess it's pointless to ask, since you'll just think "yes" whether it's true or not.

So let's bypass that kind of "wrapping it up", and talk about a more fun kind. ACTUALLY wrapping things up. You know....for gifts? It's one of my favorite things to do. I spend way too much time on it.

But here's something to think about....

My husband comes from a family that gives you a gift in the bag they bought it in. That's just how they roll. And for a long time I never felt like he ever gave me any presents. But he thought that he gave me lots of presents. Come to find out, when he came home from Target with a $5 copy of Steel Magnolias...
I thought it was a "hey, here you go".
He thought it was a "I got you this nice present."
Hard for me to tell the difference.
So just consider that putting an extra few minutes into wrapping something nicely, might just show that you REALLY care. That you were thinking of the person, not just realizing that you need a gift and buying it in the checkstand on your way out.

Remember when I promised that I'd show you how to wrap up the blankies that we made last week? Well, here you go. Here's an EASY way to wrap up your gift. It looks cute, and shows that you took extra time.



Start by folding up your blanket into a square. (or rectangle) Take EXTRA time to make sure it's as perfect as you can possibly get it.



Fold 2 of the corners under, and flip one over so that your inside is peeking out. I usually like to put the plain color on the outside and reveal the pattern. But that depends on which material I use for this next part....

Take a leftover strip of material from your blanket. You usually have one piece or the other that's a couple inches bigger. Just make sure you keep your scraps. Sew two strips together if you need to.



Use the strip as a ribbon to wrap around your blanket. Just leave the edges all raw. It makes it look cuter, and they'll just throw it away anyway. Tie it in a knot. (I like that better than bows. But you can do a bow if you want) And cut the ends to make them look pretty.



Then I usually throw together a simple tag with either "baby" or the new baby's initial. I also really love to hang it with a really big safety pin. I just think that's a nice touch.

And there you go. An easy, home-made gift....that's wrapped up cute. You can put it in a bag or something if you want. But I don't, usually. I think this is plenty.

It's like knowing when to "wrap it up". Sometimes you gotta practice "less is better." I am the queen of over-doing things. You gotta edit yourself. And make it simple.

So I'll edit myself right now.

And "wrap it up!"

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