Can I tell you a little secret? I LOVE wrapping gifts. When I was younger, I would hastily wrap my holiday gifts as soon as I got them home, and then promptly ask the rest of my family members if I could wrap the gifts on their shopping list too (they enthusiastically agreed). Several years later when I was lucky enough to snag a job at Tiffany & Co. (a dreamland of precise packaging…and not to mention, beautiful sparkly things), I learned the intricate art of bow tying, adding a new skill to my gift wrapping repertoire. Since gift wrapping season is here, I thought I’d share the technique for a picture perfect job, every time.

1. Cut a piece of wrapping paper to fit your item and place it down in the middle of the paper. Fold the edges about 1″ at the end and fold the first to meet in the middle.

2. Fold second edge to meet the first in the middle, secure with tape.

3. Face one open end of the gift wrap toward you, and fold flaps in on the top and the sides like an envelope.

4 Lift the bottom edge up and secure with tape.

Repeat step 3 + 4 on the other open end.

1. Take your ribbon and lay it out vertically on your gift with the loose end of the ribbon toward you, making sure to leave a little extra length on this end.

2. Hold ribbon from step 1 in place and wrap the roll of the ribbon vertically around the gift one time.

3. Take each end of the ribbon (one loose end and one still attached to the roll), twist them around each other once and pull both in opposite directions.

4. Take a little slack from the roll of ribbon to even the length of the loose end.

5. Cut this end from the roll.

6. Take the newly cut end, tuck it under the other 3 lengths of ribbon and pull it through.

7. You should now have four lengths of ribbon holding the gift together, with the two loose ends facing opposite ways.

8. Tie a bow with these loose ends.

Clip edges of ribbon on a diagonal to prevent fraying.