How to wrap Christmas presents if you don't have enough paper
The method is perfect for when a piece of wrapping paper is slightly too small
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With Christmas just days away, it’s officially time to wrap the presents and place them under the tree.
Fortunately the process doesn’t have to take hours and rolls of sparkly paper, as lifestyle blogger Kallie Branciforte has a gift-wrapping hack that will cut the time, and supplies, in half.
Branciforte shared the “diagonal wrapping method” on her YouTube channel, “But First, Coffee,” last year - and it has since been viewed more than 17 million times.
In the video, Branciforte places the box in the middle of the wrapping paper and then folds the corners in and tapes them onto the box, wrapping diagonally rather than horizontally.
She then folds the edges up until they are flush with the box, moving around the box as she does so - and the result is a perfectly wrapped gift.
According to Branciforte, the method is especially useful if you aren’t sure you have enough paper to wrap a gift - and it will save you money because you don’t need to buy as much wrapping paper.
In the same video, Branciforte also shows viewers how to make a gift bag out of wrapping paper for any awkward or unusually shaped gifts.
To make a gift bag, you need to cut a piece of wrapping paper that would be big enough to wrap the present like you would normally.
After folding the two sides of the paper in half to create a seam in the centre and securing with double-stick tape, you then fold up a quarter of the way from the bottom.
The next step is to open the flap and lay it flat to make a diamond shape, and then fold up the two triangles from the bottom and the top.
After taping the paper in place, you are left with a bottom to the bag - which you can then flip over and place any gift inside.
The makeshift gift bag can then be taped close or tied with a ribbon.
And to ensure the entire gift-wrapping process goes smoothly, gift-wrapping expert Jane Means previously told The Independent the first step is to make sure you have everything you need before you start.
“A perfect tool kit would include sharp scissors, a handy Scotchtape dispenser, double sided tape, wrapping, tags and ribbon,” she said.
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