15 Best Gift Wrapping Ideas​ for Out-Of-The-Box Designs in 2024

Giving gifts is ingrained in human societies and cultures around the globe, and gift wrapping ideas make opening them much more fun due to the suspense. While some gifts are meant to be kept and used for practical purposes, others are meant to be passed on to others, the reasons why people continue to give gifts tend to be the same. Gift-giving is driven by our desire to surprise our loved ones, according to the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.

Whether you are hoping to surprise a child with a special holiday gift that they want but don't expect or you simply want a lovely way to wrap birthday gifts for your friends, you'll learn some fun options by reading on!

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• Unique Gift Wrapping Ideas
• Gift Wrapping Ideas Without a Box
• Gift Wrapping Ideas With a Box

Unique Gift Wrapping Ideas

1. Use a Simple Gift Card

Some of the most simple gift wrapping ideas include using simple a gift card — and wouldn't it be fun to use your gift to purchase paint and sip classes, cooking classes or pottery classes? You could do all of that with the Classpop! Gift Card and they work well for gift exchange ideas or secret Santa gifts.

There are plenty of unique ways to wrap up such a significant, yet simply shaped item. For instance, you could include the card in the wrappings of a larger, regular-shaped item such as a book. Follow these steps:

1. Measure the paper as usual.
2. Wrap the book in one end of the paper and turn down the corner on the other end of the paper in a diagonal until it touches the bottom corner of the book. This creates a diagonal and flat piece of wrapping paper.
3. Wrap this over the book to give the front a diagonal cut pocket.
4. Fold over the excess triangle tip edge of the piece you just folded over and tuck it underneath the pocket and tape it in place to complete the pocket.
5. Then fold the paper by the book's edges as usual and tuck the gift card envelope inside the pocket on top of the book.

You could also wrap a bow around both – or in a simpler version, wrap a ribbon around a normally wrapped item and tuck the gift card under the ribbon.

2. Pleated Cover

Unique gift wrapping ideas for birthday girls and boys include delightful wrapping methods like a pleated cover. This works best with rectangular objects, like boxed items including jewelry and books.

To create this effect:

• Cut the paper longer than usual.
• Fold the excess paper in a narrow rectangle multiple times (slowly) and unfold the creased paper.
• Then flip over the paper so you can see the pattern.
• Gently pull each folded rectangle at the bottom until you achieve a pleated look.
• Tape this on the inside of the pleats (not the pattern side).
• Finish by wrapping the item as usual, making sure the pleated piece lays on top.

3. Disguised

If you're looking to keep your item a surprise from the recipient, gift wrapping ideas can include creating a disguise for the packaging. You could combine cardboard boxes and paper towel rolls with aluminum foil and any other crafting supplies you have handy to sculpt any funky shape you want, with your true gift hidden inside. Then, wrap the sculpture as best you can in wrapping paper — or perhaps a bag.

Another option would be to buy a structure, like a pinata (then punch a hole in it to make it clear that is not the gift itself) or one of those jack-o-lantern buckets that is shaped like a cauldron, and put your gift inside the bucket or pinata and wrap that outer item.

For a more fun and strange idea, you could tape the true gift to the underside of a chair and then wrap the entire chair! These are simply a few fun gift wrapping ideas to keep the person you're buying for from guessing what they're about to open.

4. Handmade Touch

Another type of unique gift wrapping ideas for birthdays or holidays of any kind can include attaching a homemade ornament. This adds a superb and personal touch that your loved one, be it child, parent or best friend, will adore. You can find many recipes online for baking ornaments made with salt and dough or clay of various kinds — just don't forget to use a hole punch on the top of the ornament before baking or firing! That will give you a place to thread the ribbon to attach the ornament to the rest of the wrapped gift.

5. Arts & Crafts

What could be more fun and unique gift wrapping ideas than the ones that you make by hand? You'll get a kick out of crafting your own special and colorful wrapping paper designs and your family will love the extra effort you put into sharing your time and artistic talents with them. Begin with simple, single-colored wrapping paper or brown paper from old grocery bags, then use stencils, glitter glue, confetti, mini colorful cotton balls and pom poms or any combination thereof to decorate the paper (either before or after you've wrapped the gifts). Don't forget to write down which gifts go to which person, first! These will be completely unique — because you made them!

Gift Wrapping Ideas Without a Box

6. Gift Wrapping Ideas for a Bag

What is an alternative to gift wrap? The first thing that comes to mind is a bag. Awkward-shaped items like stuffed animal toys and Matchbox cars an be pretty difficult to wrap. But, they fit extremely well inside a decorative bag filled with colorful tissue paper!

If you wanted to, you could also use wrapping paper to create a bag for large triangle-shaped objects like sports balls, by doing the following:

1. Cutting a wide rectangle and folding over the bottom into triangles and taping that shut.
2. Taping shut the connecting side.
3. Then, put the item inside the wrapping and tape shut the final side.

For these, make sure to only insert the item into the bag gently (so as not to tear the paper), then tape up the final side.

Another hack or tip might be to create reusable bags for every member of your family by sewing bags with fabric and then labeling them with each individual's name. In this way, you don't need to re-label gifts for every single holiday. It's similar to re-using monogrammed stockings for Christmas gifts. This way you can save money and the environment by purchasing less wrapping paper.

7. Tissue Paper

Who doesn't love tissue paper! It comes in a variety of colors and it's even more pliable than regular wrapping paper. For funky-shaped gift wrapping ideas, tissue paper is an excellent option. Bottles are especially delightful to wrap in tissue paper as it gives them a beautiful and stylish elegance. You can pleat the paper gently around the sides of the bottle and tie a ribbon around the neck.

Of course, you won't be able to disguise your gift items at all with tissue paper, so make sure you're okay that the recipient will know exactly what is waiting for them. They'll still be just as excited to receive the gift from you!

8. Rackets

If your loved one likes to play racket games like tennis, squash, badminton or pickleball, learning to wrap these items is essential. The basic shapes of a racket are the circular pole and the flat curved top. You'll have to wrap it in two sections (top, then bottom).

Wrap the top in paper, which can include some pleated edges to connect in the middle of the racket netting. Then create a cylindrical piece with wrapping paper and close the bottom. Slide it up into place so the paper of the cylinder disappears inside the paper. Wrap a ribbon around the area where they connect to make it seem like one solid piece of wrapping paper and keeps it together nicely. This will still look like a racket, but at least it will be all dressed up.

9. Candles

Candles make for creative and enjoyable types of Thanksgiving gifts, as well as good gifts for couples. Gift wrapping ideas for candles are fun but decidedly unconventional. To do this you can:

1. Measure the paper in the cylinder shape to fit the candle.
2. Cut the paper longer on both sides than usual.
3. Fold the paper in half lengthwise.
4. Fold the bottom up as if you were folding to wrap as usual, but instead, cut the corners off of this bottom piece.
5. Do this again on the other side (this gives funky holes on either end of the candle once you place the candle in the middle and tape the cylinder shut).
6. Tie ribbons to close the paper where the holes are and around the candle.

This package looks like one of those colorfully wrapped and tied crackers from New Year's Eve – which is both festive and lively!

10. Gift Bow and/or Scavenger Hunt

What are the hardest gifts to wrap? Generally, items that are awkwardly shaped and too large for a gift bag. Sometimes, an oversized gift bag or creative gift wrapping ideas might work. Other times, you can use bed sheets and pillowcases, paired with ribbons, to decorate and somewhat hide your gift.

Something a little simpler involves sticking a big bow on the top of the item — especially items like bicycles and bubble hockey tables (the hockey version of a Foosball Table). Some people (perhaps including this writer) have awesome parents who hide an item in another room or outside of the house and then leave cards with clues throughout the house, each one leading to the next. The first card to start the hunt is in an envelope on the tree with the gift recipient's name. These make for a fun activity on the gift-giving day for both the gift-giver and the gift-recipient, as well as a surprise ending to spread joy! Who doesn't love a little activity with their gift?

Gift Wrapping Ideas With a Box

11. Cookie Tins

Tins full of cookies are perfect gifts for neighbors and friends! For gift wrapping ideas involving containers that are circular, such as cookie tins, there is definitely some creativity necessary. To do this:

1. Measure and cut the wrapping paper as usual.
2. Wrap around the bottom.
3. To cover the walls of the tin, you will need to create pleats. To do this, bring the paper up, then put one or two fingers down at a time on the paper across the top of the container. Fold into pleats until the entire top is covered and there is no more paper to pin down.
4. Tape will easily hold the pleats in place and you'll have a lovely design in the end!

12. Newspaper

How do you make an inexpensive, yet pretty gift wrap? For centuries, easy and cheap, yet effective gift wrapping ideas were to wrap boxes with newspaper. For certain holidays like Christmas, you can use holiday-themed paper like carol sheet music. These are both pretty and make for a fun and readable wrapping paper substitute. Finish by tying a ribbon around the box to keep the paper in place.

13. Fabric

What is a unique way to wrap presents? Similar to the newspaper, a ribbon or rope instead of tape will keep fabric wrappings in place. A scarf makes for a spectacularly simple and sweet box wrapping material. This also will save money and the environment, since you won't have to purchase wrapping paper, and the scarf can be part of the gift or re-used for wrapping later! You could also wrap it with other types of fabric, such as fancy silk, fuzzy cotton or flannel. Maybe something in the colors of the holiday you're celebrating.

14. Au Naturale

Elegant yet uncomplicated gift wrapping ideas can be both exquisite and affordable. Wrapping your gift in brown paper and adding twine around it to hold it in place makes for a pleasant look with an easy way to tuck in something fun and lovely. Once your twine is in place you can add dried flowers, live flowers or wax flowers to decorate the top of the package. Your recipient will love this gorgeous touch. Dry or live blossoms may even give your gift a scrumptious scent!

15. Origami

Cube-shaped boxes can provide a similar challenge to cylinders. Instead of pleating, use origami, the ancient Japanese art of folding. This gives an elegantly hand-crafted touch to your gift wrapping ideas. Try this video to give you a better idea.

The best gift wrapping ideas are going to be the ones that are creative and please your gift recipient the most! That might include a hand-made touch like an ornament or self-crafted wrapping paper. Or maybe it's a simpler, elegant design with twine and flowers or a silk fabric. No matter how you decide to take your next gift wrapping excursion, you'll enjoy your gift-giving experience with this magnificent collection of possibilities.

For even more fun gift ideas, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!