Super Sweet Ways To Wrap Birthday Gifts

Whether you’re looking for an excuse to flex your craft muscles or want to elevate a simple gift to super status, interesting gift wrapping is the answer. Better yet, there’s no need to spend additional money on these trimmings. The two ideas below make use of materials you’re bound to have lying around the house.

Ice cream dreams

If you’re a bit over brown wrapping-paper packages tied up with string, then we’ve got a creative idea that will make you melt. A giant ice cream cone. Yes, you read right. How cool is that?

You’ll need:

• large cardboard box (a cereal box will work well)
• sticky tape
• scissors
• stapler
• the gift or a variety of sweets and chocolates
• tissue paper
• double-sided tape

Open up the box at the seams, lay it out flat on a table, then cut out a big half circle. Curl the half circle into a cone shape, and secure it firmly with several pieces of sticky tape. You’ll find that the tip of the cone may not close entirely, but that’s easily fixed with a stapler. Fill the cone with the gift or an assortment of sweets, small chocolate bars, bags of Jelly Tots, Fizzers, lollies or any other favourites.

To make the ice cream scoops, crumple several pieces of tissue paper into a ball. Think pastel colours like mint and bubblegum. Make sure the scoops are slightly smaller in diameter than the open end of the cone, so that they rest inside it to seal in the sweet treats. You can attach the scoops to each other with a few pieces of double-sided tape.

Sweet tooth

Make any gift look good enough to eat by gift wrapping it as a giant sweet.

You’ll need:

• empty cardboard tube or large piece of cardboard
• stapler (if you’re using a flat piece of cardboard)
• striped or plain wrapping paper
• sticky tape
• string or ribbon
• scissors
• the birthday gift or a selection of sweets and chocolates

Start with a large empty cardboard tube (an empty paper towel roll is a great option) or a large piece of cardboard. If it’s the latter, turn it into a giant tube and secure with a couple of staples. Wrap the tube with simple striped paper and secure with a piece of sticky tape. Twist one end and tie it off with string or ribbon. Fill the tube with your gift or a selection of your favourite chocolates or sweets. Seal the other end in the same way. For a fun alternative, use empty toilet paper rolls to make several smaller sweets wrapped in plain or striped paper.