The Secret to Gifting + 4 Holiday Gift Ideas
Pin this for later ;)
presentation is everything!
That’s our #1 ‘secret’ to taking your gift-giving to the next level : Styling your gift in an unexpectedly beautiful way. We hate to call it gift-wrapping, because what we do is so much more than that, and for good reason. Presentation really does matter, especially with gifts! You could be gifting candlesticks, a loaf of bread (yes, we’ve done that!), or even a handwritten note: When you do it well, it lets your recipient know before they’ve even opened their gift that they’re worth it: worthy of beauty, thought, intention, and all the effort you put into crafting their package.
We’ve tested it on co-workers, our kids’ teachers, strangers, in-laws, children, and yes, MEN. Nobody is immune to being wowed by a gorgeously styled present. Here’s our 4 curated gifts, and everything you need to style them!
4 elevated gift & styling ideas
salad tongs
These are tongs are such a unique shape, and are so affordable/versatile! We like to have a few of these prepped year round for spontaneous gifting: great for teachers, hostesses, etc.
Styling: Once you have all the elements, styling is simple (but stunning)! Bundle the bottom of the salad tongs up in the linen napkin with your dried/fresh greenery and fruit, then secure with a velvet ribbon.
Notes: We’ve linked dried oranges and lemons, but there are so many good tutorials out there on how to do it yourself, it’s incredibly easy! As always, when it comes to greenery, we forage our backyard first before buying: fresh and free is the best. Our rosemary comes from our neighbor’s yard, but if you aren’t as lucky, we’ve linked it above as well.
Wine & wine chips
A good bottle of wine is a classic gift that most anyone enjoys. Here, we paired it with an elevated version of chips, that are flavored to go perfectly with different varietals. Wine and chip pairing? Who could resist?
Styling: Once you’ve wrapped the chips and wine, leaving the neck uncovered, use your jute twine to secure the fabric, and add in whatever combinations of berries, pinecones, and greenery your heart desires! Finish with the velvet ribbon and a craft or linen paper nametag.
Notes: If you prefer fresh berry stems like we do, we found ours at our local grocery store.
book with salt & pepper shakers
A gorgeous design or cookbook, paired with measuring spoons and S&P shakers make the perfect elevated gift for any homebodies in your life.
Styling: Let the beauty of these items shine! Bundle them up, and wrap/style with our essentials. You might be sensing a theme to our gift-styling - there is one. Elegant, understated, and organic. We love to utilize natural materials and earth tones! Once you have the right materials on hand, it’s sooo easy to create something so special.
Notes: We chose a design book, obviously! We know a couple (wink, wink) that are fantastic, but there are coffee table books for literally any interest or hobby! Utilize our books, or customize this gift to your recipient’s interests.
tapered candles
Yet another versatile gift that works wonderfully for dinner guests, neighbors, or even as a beautiful garnish for a larger gift. Affordable, but still styled to be elevated and unexpectedly elegant.
Styling: Use your favorite dried florals here! I used flowers from a gifted bouquet that I dried myself. If you want to learn how to repurpose your fresh flowers quickly, here’s my Instagram Stories highlight on how I did it. Honestly, the results were amazing.
Notes: The linen napkins I used for this gift were a splurge item from one of my favorite linen napkin sources, Cultiver. Well worth the investment, for the person you know will appreciate it! Also, I didn’t use these, but would have if i had them on hand: these whittled candles are so pretty.
