Wrapping those holiday gifts is one challenge . . . packing them for mailing is another. Here are some suggestions and tips for not only getting those gifts to their destination so they look as pretty when they come out of the carton as they did when they went in, but also how to make the carton itself look more like the holidays.
Finding the mailing carton can often be a trick in itself . . . especially if you will need more than just one or two. If you have a saved carton around the house and it is still in reasonably sturdy condition, it can be reused. If there are labels on the box, they can most often be easily removed by using your heat gun. No heat gun? A hair dryer will also work. It will just take more time. Best of all is to turn the carton inside out. All cartons are held together with one overlapping flap in one corner. Pry it apart (a heat gun will often help here as well) and you will be able to turn the entire carton inside out. This also works with many boxes that store bought items come in . . . coffee makers, mixers, etc.
Packages with pretty bows can be packed in any number of ways to preserve their prettiness. One way is to cut a piece of corrugated cardboard the same size as the carton itself plus one inch added on two sides. Score along the one-inch borders and fold down along the scored lines. From the center of the piece, cut an opening the size of the gift box. Place the cardboard inside the carton with the folded flaps facing down so that the top surface of the cardboard sits up one inch from the bottom of the carton. Insert the gift into the opening. It should stay secure for the entire trip. A second way is to place the gift in the carton then stuff around the outsides with foam, foam board or slices of corrugated cardboard to make the gift box tightly secure. If you have multiple packages to send in one carton and they have bows on them, recycle plastic containers such as empty cottage cheese, margarine or whipped cream bowls to place one over each bow. Secure with a rubber band.
Before sealing the carton, place a piece of paper inside with the name and address of the recipient, as well as your name and address. This way, if the carton gets mangled somewhere along the line the post office will still have the necessary information.
After securing the gift in the carton and taping it closed, all that is needed is a mailing label and postage . . . but a crafter needs to do more. The carton can be decorated in any number of ways. Here are a few suggestions:
- Rubber-stamp some brightly-colored Christmas motifs on the outside of the carton. To make life easier, stamp the designs onto adhesive-backed paper then just peel and stick. For added interest, stick a few of the patterns to a piece of foam board and cut the foam to fit. Attach these to the carton for added dimension and interest. The package will need to be hand stamped at the post office.
- Paint designs or Christmas patterns with glitter paint on the carton. Because tape will not adhere to some glitter it is a good idea to seal it shut first then decorate with the glitter. A little glitter goes a long way to look festive. Allow plenty of time before heading to the post office. The glitter paint usually takes overnight to dry thoroughly.
- When the carton is open and ready to be turned inside out, coat the surface with a thinned white glue or decoupage adhesive and cover the carton with Christmas tissue paper. It will dry securely attached to the carton.
- Try this two-in-one trick. Open the carton and lay flat. Cover with velour Con-Tact paper in either red or green. Fold back into the carton shape, and where the flaps will overlap, cut and peel off the Contact and replace with double-stick tape to seal the flaps closed. Place unwrapped gift in carton before closing the last flap. To add a "ribbon" to the package, cut strips of a contrasting velour the desired width and required length. Cut matching strips from the velour on the carton, peel off, and replace with the cut strips. Print out a "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL CHRISTMAS" tag on a piece of the velour using your computer. Again, peel off a space on the carton, then replace with the tag. Add some gold glitter for a string holding the tag in position. Cut another space for the postage and take to the post office. A lot of work, but it will be a one-of-a-kind gift package.
Resources velour Con-Tact adhesive-backed paper
Available at local retailers.
Kittrich Corporation
Website:
www.kittrich.com
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