Every year at this time, as the boxes begin to stack up in my closet or the place in the attic where I hide things from the kids, I realize that I will actually have to wrap everything inside of those boxes at some point. I usually then do a panicked trip to Target or Homegoods to buy out a random assortment of papers and ribbons and pom poms and hope that I can make something out of it, while secretly wishing that I was more like my friend Kate, who could wrap presents without any tape showing and told me that her family had designated colors for wrapping each year so that everything looked nice under the tree together.

I’ve never been able to achieve that level of organization, but this year, I’m trying to be better, especially since it’s trickier to go shopping in person. I found all kinds of cute ideas to buy or make which are linked in the pictures below. I found so many cute ideas of ways to wrap with kraft paper that I decided to see if I could do my own interpretation and I’m so happy with what I landed on. Since I’m not very crafty or artistic or patient, if I think it’s easy, it actually is!

Cute Wrapping You Can Order:

Target has so many cute and easy options, and their paper from Sugar Hill has lines on the back to help you keep everything straight and organized. In my efforts to be a better wrapper, I’ve learned that it’s all about cutting the paper to the exact right amount-too much paper makes it look messy, so you want to measure and cut it exactly the first time.

For more luxe options, Dogwood Hill and The Preppy Bunny have beautiful paper with matching gift cards, and Paper Source has all kinds of fun decorative options, like this tassel ribbon.

In my research for creative wrapping ideas, I found so many cute ideas for using kraft paper, which worked so well with the slightly rustic feeling that I wanted this year. It’s also more environmentally friendly and so easy to interpret the way you want to. All you need is one giant roll of paper, tape, and then whatever item you want to use for embellishment-pine cones, jewels, ribbons or bells-the possibilities are practically endless!

I decided that I wanted to come up with my own interpretation that would go with our Christmas decor, was easy to purchase and make, and the idea that it would be nice to color code the girls’ presents so that they can immediately tell if a box is for them. I bought a big roll of kraft paper, some paint pens and colored twine. I did each girl’s theme in a different colors of paint pen and twine, so that they could quickly identify their packages, but you could mix them up or do them all the same, if that wasn’t important to you. I also like the packages to be able to stack and to not have things tied to them for the kids, but for Chad or other adults, I’m planning to tie on a jingle bell or candy cane for some extra flair.

How do you think I did?