Gift wrapping in Japan is an art. However, many of us don’t have the talent or fine motor skills to create such beautifully wrapped creations–including me… To understand how this is a “skill” you have to watch this Japanese video. She shows us how the Japanese department stores wrap their boxes. As you will see, it’s completely different from Western style wrapping and they only use one piece of tape to hold it together! It’s truly amazing! This woman most probably worked at a Japanese department store and has wrapped gazillion boxes in her lifetime, so don’t expect to be able to do this immediately.
For the rest of us, who don’t have the ability to wrap so perfectly, here is an idea for Asian style wrapping.
Asian Origami Accent Gift Wrapping
Begin by wrapping your gift with solid color paper so that it’s a neutral or complimentary color of the accent. Fold a beautiful origami flower with an Asian print and attach to the gift. This makes a simple personal touch for friends and family! For seasonal wrapping, try using plain brown paper wrapping with red and green Asian printed origami!
How to Make an Origami Flower
Supplies:
- Origami
- tacky glue
- paper clips
- toothpick
- scissors
Directions
To make one flower you will need 5 pieces of small origami. Each makes one petal of the five-petal flower. I used standard sized origami sheets and cut them into four equal squares. You will need two sheets to get five pieces. Please watch my video for simple directions!
In Japan, we say keeping your fingers nimble by doing crafts such as origami, keeps the mind sharp. So to sharp minds and creative souls, keep folding!
For your origami supplies please visit Origami Monster, where you can order online.
