I love all the holidays and celebrations at this time of year. Most of all I love the gift giving. Spending time picking the perfect gift for each person and then wrapping it in beautiful paper and ribbon is my favorite part of Christmas.
What I really don’t like, is leaving all my wrapping until the last minute, carting wrapping gear all over the house and not being able to find everything I need (it is always the tape that goes missing and it is impossible to wrap gifts without tape).
I am thrilled to be sharing my wrapping station with Toni and her lovely readers today. Having a dedicated space for wrapping and storing supplies makes the act of gift giving so much more enjoyable.
My wrapping station is located inside the closet in our home office. The left-hand side of the closet was all open and not very functional. We installed a bench on that side to make best use of the space.
Above the bench I keep my most used wrapping paper, which at this time of year is brown craft paper and a plain red paper. I love to decorate my wrapping with pretty ribbons so I tend to keep the paper fairly plain. The paper is on a curtain rod with little cup hooks on each end. To change the paper, all I have to do is remove one of the finials and slide it off.
On the shelf above the bench, I keep a big box which holds all the gifts I have purchased. I like to keep a few things in here throughout the year so I am prepared for unexpected birthdays and impromptu parties. As it gets closer to Christmas, I will add another box to that shelf. One is for the purchased gifts and the other is for wrapped gifts. Then on Christmas Eve, all I have to do is pop them under the tree.
I use the bench for holding items I use regularly. I have a big jar with Washi Tape, a bunch of coloured pens, scissors, paper cutter and tape. I have a jar of Candy Canes to tie on the top of presents or pop into a Christmas card (or eat while wrapping!).
All my greeting cards are stored in this basket. I have divided them into the categories; Birthdays, Thank You, Baby, Wedding, Sympathy and blank cards are kept at the back. Having them divided into sections make it so easy find the perfect card for any occasion.
On one side of the closet I have a hook which holds my most used gift bags. On the other side of the closet I have a frame hanging which I use to keep track of all the birthdays we have coming up. I have a page for each month which I swap out then use a dry erase marker to write down any birthdays, weddings or anniversaries.
I purchased this over the door hanger from a hardware store and use it to organize all my wrapping supplies. I keep my curling ribbon and other ribbons on the top two shelves. On the next shelf I have some jars to keep everything tidy, they hold tags, twine and some wrapping decorations. I have some smaller jars on the next shelf which hold more twine, raffia, and extra ribbons. All my wrapping paper is kept down the bottom of the hanger. I love being able to see all the paper I have and it not get all crinkled in storage. I put a paperclip on each end of the roll to stop the paper from unraveling.
Under the bench I have a little cube storage shelf with some canvas boxes. In the first box I keep all my extra supplies, spare scissors, extra tape, ribbon, twine, glue and pens. I also have a little notepad for writing messages to go with gifts. The next box has all my tissue paper and the bottom two boxes hold gift bags and gift bows.
Leading up to Christmas I keep this basket on top of the cube shelf, it is my Christmas Card basket. Inside I have Christmas cards, my Christmas planner with my card list and addresses, envelope seals, postage stamps and a pen. Having everything I need in one basket means I can take it to my desk or the kitchen table to write cards. I like doing a few here and there so my messages remain sincere and heartfelt (also so my handwriting doesn’t get sloppy).
I am so happy to have a beautiful and functional gift wrapping station and glad I am able to share it with you. Wishing you and your family a happy, organized and stress-free Christmas, I will be back in the New Year to share some more organizing projects with you.
To learn more about organizing, visit Jessica’s blog Forever Organised
Jessica Scott
My name is Jess and I am from Canberra, Australia. I am a lover of all things organized, meal plans, chocolate, craft projects, fresh peonies and writing lists. I can’t live with out my day planner and a cup of tea in the morning. My happy little piece of the internet is Forever Organised, where I blog about organizing, cleaning, decorating and creating. As a long time fan I am beyond excited to be a contributor for A Bowl Full of Lemons.
Tags: gift wrapping, holiday, organizing
Blog, christmas holiday, contributors, Forever Organised, gift wrap station, November 2013 Posted in
11 comments
11 comments on “Organized Gift Wrapping Station”
What a great inspiration for me to get organized in this area. Having it all together would definitely make the wrapping process much more efficient and fun.
One question, though. You keep referring to a bench, but I see a shelf. Is that just a term difference between Australia and the US?
A bench here in Australia would be a counter in the US
Toni, This is so helpful and fun. I have picked up some really good ideas and I am already trying to figure out what closet I can convert to my gift wrap center. Thanks!!!! Robyn
I must do that!!!! Quickly this would be my next week project!!!!! Thank you
This has got to be my favourite gift wrapping station so far! I definitely want one of those in my home…if only I had a spare closet…Thanks for sharing!!
Ooooh, Jessica, I love it. My favorite is how you stick to a few simple wrapping papers and them embellish them in fun ways. Love the Christmas card mini-zone, too!
I love the idea of plain paper with ribbons. I think it looks so much better than the pricier ones anyway!
Awesome Jessica! Nice to see a guest post from an Aussie!
Lovely wrapping station, you’ve given me quite a few good ideas!!
Looks great! I was just asking about something like this on ABFOL FB group. Can you tell me where you purchased the piece hanging on the door and what it’s called?
Jessica, Where did you purchase the red Christmas planner for your Christmas card addresses? Dianna