Gift-Wrapping Strategies

Get Creative With Hard-to-Wrap Items

Gingerbread Man

1. Wrap the cookie in colored tissue paper.
2. Slip the tissue-wrapped treat into a clear cellophane bag (available at craft stores) and tie with a ribbon.

Also Good For: Gift certificates, candles, jewelry, beauty products, stocking stuffers, CDs and DVDs.

Baseball Bat

1. A mailing tube disguises long items like this. (Tape two together for something even longer, like a fishing pole.) To keep the bat from moving around, stuff the tube with bubble wrap. "Or use pages from a newspaper sports section or a sports magazine to tie in the theme," says Marian Goodman, operating vice president of shopping services for Bloomingdale's.
2. Wrap the tube in paper and tie the ends, Tootsie Roll-style, with ribbon, perhaps in the colors of a favorite team.

Also Good For: Golf clubs, yoga mats, umbrellas, shawls and scarves (roll them up to prevent wrinkles), a rolling pin.

Ball

1. Remove the ball from its cardboard packaging.
2. Drop the ball into a much larger box. Stuff the edges with tissue or some other wrapping material to keep the ball from rolling around.
3. Wrap the box. "I've done the same thing to disguise a small jewelry box inside a series of bigger boxes," says Goodman. "You'd never expect a ring if the box you see is big enough for a coat."

Also Good For: Hats, handbags, belts, toy trucks, dollhouses, Lava lamps.

Amaryllis

1. Wrap the blooms and stem in tissue paper for protection.
2. Cut two pieces of spun rayon, twice as long as the plant is tall.
3. Lay them crosswise, one over the other, and place the plant in the center.
4. Gather all four ends of the material above the blooms. Tape the ends together, then tie them with a ribbon.

Also Good For: Stuffed animals, luggage, gift baskets.