Gift Wrapping Ideas for All Skill Levels


[Please Note: This post was created in partnership with Marshalls; all opinions, images, and content are our own.]

When Marshalls (yes, that Marshalls…the store full of unexpected, surprising finds at incredible prices!), asked us to team up to write a post about gift giving, we were totally on board. Because we buy a lot of our gifts at Marshalls already. We both pop in our local stores at least once a week to check out the new home decor, and we often leave with last-minute gifts for any baby shower, housewarming party, or birthday celebration we have coming up on our calendars. 

And how could we not mention the gift wrap?! We pretty much buy all of our tissue paper, wrapping paper, cards, and gift boxes at Marshalls because they always have unique prints and patterns that give our presents that “wow factor!”

Gift Wrapping Ideas for Every Skill Level

But if you’re not the best wrapper or an excellent bow maker like Casey’s mom, you can still give a gorgeous gift. In fact, we have 3 levels of difficulty when it comes to gift wrapping.

Level 1: Use a Basket

We’re not gonna lie, we both choose this option a majority of the time because you don’t even have to whip out the scissors or tape. All you have to do is make the vessel a part of the gift.

For this housewarming gift, we purchased a cute basket and filled it with all kinds of goodies from the home and food aisles at Marshalls. Gourmet olive oil, candies, a faux plant, and new hand towels tucked neatly into the basket make for a useful, yet gorgeous gift.

Our basket was quickly full, but there were so many items from Marshalls we wanted to squeeze into this basket. Wooden coasters, copper mugs for drinks, hand soap…so many stylish items that could work perfectly in this housewarming basket.

It reminds us of this housewarming gift we’ve given before, but even easier to throw together last-minute! No wrapping necessary. Our favorite part is that new homeowners can use the basket (and everything inside!) in their new home.

Level 2: Buy a Gift Box Set

Sometimes the hardest part of wrapping a present is finding all of the supplies to get the job done. We’re usually scrambling to throw together a gift last-minute, and you go to get some tissue paper and you’re totally out! Or you run out of tape when you only have one side of the paper taped down. Ugh. The worst.

Marshalls has these gift box sets with every.single.piece included. Seriously. The box, the tissue paper, the ribbon, and the tag. Everything!

It took us about 2 minutes to wrap up this fleece. Whenever we see these gift box sets available, we scoop up a few. So good to have on hand for gift-giving emergencies!

Level 3: Go All Out

Finally, we have the “normal” way to wrap things…wrapping paper, ribbon, and a gift tag. Even if you’re not the best wrapper in the world you can do this! 

We won’t go into tips on wrapping the actual package (we are both horrible at that step of the process), but we will say that it’s all about the paper! If you have cute, high-quality paper…you’re golden! We love unique prints because we think it really elevates the gift and the entire look of the present. This bicycle print was just too good, especially paired with the striped ribbon, so I (Casey) scooped it up to wrap a few gifts for Baby Mac. 

A DIY wooden tool puzzle (I mean, I had to!) and some baby bandanas (I get all googly-eyed whenever I see a baby with one of these on), were the perfect small gifts for my bestie’s baby. 

If you want to get really good at tying the perfect gift wrapping bow, you can check out this post. But for this gift, I kept it simple with a normal bow. Because I don’t have the best penmanship, I used stickers for the gift tag. I highly recommend this simple trick because the letters will stand out and appear much bolder. Plus, it makes the gift just looks that much better while still adding a personal touch. 

I think Baby Mac would approve.

Gift giving is one of the best parts of the upcoming holiday season. But we think any day is a good excuse to give a special gift. Even if it’s just something small you pick up on your next trip to Marshalls, it’s well worth it to bring a little bit of joy to someone’s day!

Head over to MarshallsOnline to learn more about how we approach gift giving!

Bridget&Casey


The Year of Casey

Hey there!

Iโ€™m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m a Chicago gal teaching you how to design, DIY, and maintain your home…by yourself! Learn more about me right here.