Cross-Tying

• Beautiful wrapping complete with ribbon makes even frugal gifts look regal. Wrap your gift on all four sides with easy-to-tie ribbon. You'll need a long piece of ribbon, about a yard long for small packages. Lay the front of the wrapped gift face down on top of the ribbon. Cross the ribbon around the back then flip the gift and around and tie the ribbon in the front. Either tie the ribbon in a bow or snip it and tape it secure. Top off the ribbon and bow with a pretty little keepsake like a Christmas ornament or a monogrammed luggage tag. It's like an extra gift!
  
  

Double Ribbons

• Wrap gifts with doubled ribbons. Choose a color combination that works well together. Some examples would be the currently popular mint green and light brown color combo. Or bright yellows and greens are lovely together. Use a bright neon pink with a light pink as double ribbons. Lay the two colors on top of one another and make your favorite bow. Or wrap the double ribbons around a gift bag handle and let the ends stream down. Clip the ends of the ribbon by cutting a V-shape into them.
  
  

Cloth Ribbons

• Cloth ribbons made from silk or gauzy organza are lovely keepsake ribbons. Save these ribbons for use on extra-special gifts. You might tie a note on the package that says "Keep me. I'm a keepsake ribbon." Cloth ribbons can be ironed and used again and come in beautiful patterns. Rick rack, satin and dress trims all are unusual cloth ribbon embellishments you can add to your packages.