Cellophane is a versatile material that has so many uses. It was initially designed as a food wrap and adhesive material. However, people have discovered that it is also an excellent material for wrapping flowers and other gift items. Because of this, manufacturers have even begun printing designs on cellophane to make them more suitable for use during special occasions. How do you use cellophane for wrapping gifts?
You can use cellophane to embellish gift boxes. The material can also be used as a protective cover for your food items in baskets, mugs, jars, and other open containers. Finally, the cellophane can be used as a protective cover for your gift-wrapped items.
When you have beautiful things to give to your loved ones, you want to showcase them. And what better way to display and still protect items than to wrap them in plastic? Unlike most gift-wrapping papers, the cellophane allows you to show what is inside your gift because it is see-through. The problem is wrapping your gift with just that plastic can make it look not very interesting. Let’s find out how we can beautifully wrap gift items with cellophane.
How do you wrap a gift in cellophane?
There are many ways that you can use cellophane for wrapping gifts. It varies depending on the type of gift that you are wrapping and whether you want to use the cellophane as the main wrapper or just an accent piece.
How to wrap a gift hamper
Wrapping a hamper of different gift items can be tricky. You start the process by gathering all of the items you want to put inside your basket or tray. Check if the items will all fit nicely inside the container.
Remember that you want the hamper to look filled but not too crowded. If the container is too big, you should consider adding more goodies or getting fillers.
Step 1: Get your cellophane roll. Most hampers are wrapped with plain, clear cellophane, but you can also choose a patterned one if that is your preference. Get a roll in the size that is big enough to cover the entire hamper with its contents. Lay the roll on a flat surface. Place your filled container long-side along the middle of the plastic.
Step 2: Check if the cellophane is big enough to cover everything plus half a foot or so extra before cutting. Lift the corners of the plastic and bring them all into the center over the container. This will make four flaps.
Step 3: Fold the four flaps against the container. Secure the plastic using clear tape. Then, pull the corners tightly halfway down from the top. Collect the plastic and push it inwards. Twist that part up to two times to create a firework effect. Use clear tape to secure the flared corners and any awkward edges of plastic around the container.
Step 4: Decorate the basket and hide the taped part of the cellophane using ribbons. A popular decoration for gift hampers is a bow of curly ribbons.
Step 5: Get your curling ribbon. This is the serrated type of ribbon that you can buy from craft stores and big supermarkets.
Get a medium-sized box and loosely wrap the ribbon at least six times around it. The more times you wind it around the box, the more ribbon curls you will have.
Cut the ribbon at the desired length and gently slide it off the box. Keep the loops together.
Step 6: Using a short piece of ribbon, tie a tight knot in the center of the gathered ribbon. Grab your scissors and snip the loops. This will separate your ribbons into separate strands.
Hold tightly onto the middle of the ribbon bundle. With your other hand, scrape the ribbon strands one by one using the scissors’ blade. Start from the middle and scrape outward.
Do this quickly. The process of scraping and stretching will create the curls on the ribbon. Do this for all the strands in the ribbon bundle.
Using another piece of ribbon, tie your bunch of ribbon curls onto the gathered part of the cellophane wrapper. Stick a premade bow on top of that curl for added decoration. Add your other accessories and tags.
How to wrap baked goods and other food items
Baked goods, chocolates, candies, and fresh fruits look better inside transparent containers because your recipient can instantly see the delicious treat waiting for them. If you don’t have ready-made bags at home, you can easily craft them out of cellophane. Remember that if you are going to use the material for wrapping cookies and other food items, use only food-grade cellophane.
Step 1: Get your cellophane roll and unroll it on a clean, flat surface. Using your measuring tape, roll out about 12 inches of the material. Cut the piece smoothly.
Step 2: Fold the two sides of the plastic sheet towards each other. Make the two edges overlap by half at least half an inch and secure this seam with tape. Fold the portion of the plastic sheet where the seam is twice. Seal that with tape.
This sealing method will ensure that the bag is sealed tightly so that ants and other insects will not be able to get through the material to your baked food item quickly.
Step 3: Fold the bottom and seal it with tape. Fold it over one more time and seal the entire bottom with tape. Now you have a bag of some sort to showcase the food item you want to give your loved one.
Step 4: Using a cupcake liner or food-grade paper doily, line the bottom of the cellophane bag and pile your baked goods or other food items inside.
Step 5: After placing all the items in the bag and arranging them nicely, seal the bag completely by folding the other end of the container. Use clear tape to stick the plastic sheet together. Fold the end one more time, and then seal it with additional tape. Now, you have an insect-proof container.
Step 6: Decorate your goody bag with ribbons, stickers, a bow, and other accessories that would match the items inside the bag. With this type of gift, you’d want to keep the design minimal because the star of the present is the food inside. For the most part, a simple bow will suffice.
How to use shrink-wrap cellophane
If you plan on getting your gift hamper delivered, no matter how careful the courier is, the items will shift and probably end up looking like a mess. To prevent this from happening, you can either tape the items onto the filler inside the container or use shrink-wrap cellophane.
Shrink-wrap cellophane is an essential part of a gift basket. Not only does it hold the individual gift items in place, but it also gives the gift a more polished look.
You can buy shrink-wrap bags in different sizes. They are pretty cheap and very easy to use. They can be bought from local craft stores.
But if the items you will be wrapping are meant to be eaten, get your food-grade shrink-wrap bags from baking supplies stores or any other similar shop.
Step 1: Arrange the items you are gifting in the basket, tray, or any other container you plan to use. Rearrange the items until the whole thing looks nice and balanced.
Step 2: Get the cellophane bag and open it. Place the gift container in the center. The seam of the bag should sit on the bottom of the container.
Step 3: Pull the sides of the bag up. Gather it either an inch away from the handle of the basket or half a foot away from the tallest gift item inside the handle-less container. Secure that part with a rubber band.
Make sure that everything is as smooth as possible. Once you start heating and creases appear, you can’t remove it anymore, so take the time to arrange the folds the way you want to plastic to look in the end.
Step 4: Once you are happy with how your gift hamper looks, get a craft-heating tool and start heating the plastic. Start from the bottom and go all the way around. Slowly work your way up the hamper.
If you don’t have a heating tool, a hairdryer will also work. Make sure that you keep it in its lowest setting, so you don’t scorch the plastic material. If the wrap is not shrinking, gradually increase the temperature.
Step 5: Give your hamper a final pass with the heating tool to ensure that everything is tightly wrapped all over. You can now secure the bag’s opening by tying a ribbon over the rubber band that you used. You can also add other accessories at this point.
How do you seal cellophane wraps?
Cellophane wraps and bags are typically used to contain multiple small gift items. They can be pieces of beads for jewelry, small tiles, seeds, and of course, food like cookies and candies.
If you use a cellophane wrap for food, it is essential to seal the package correctly. Otherwise, water and insects can get into the present and ruin the items inside.
To seal the bag, you will need a heat-sealing machine. It is also known as an impulse sealer. You can buy these at big supermarkets and specialty stores.
The machine comes in different sizes, so you need to choose one that is big enough to accommodate the size of the cellophane bag you commonly use.
It is pretty easy to use a sealing machine. Just take the cellophane bag that has already been filled with your gift items. Avoid overfilling your bag because it will be too difficult to close if there are items that reach the part where you will seal it.
Choose the right heating setting for your cellophane bag. You can either consult the instructions for the cellophane bag or do a few trials before attempting to seal your gifts. Remember that if the setting is too high, the cellophane will melt.
Place the bag over the heat sealer. Make sure to leave a few centimeters between the part where you want to seal the bag and the items inside it. Hold the bag steady and press down on the sealer’s arm. Hold it in that position for a couple of seconds, then release.
If you don’t have an impulse sealer at home, some claim that a good curling iron will also do the trick. After you’ve placed all your gift items in the cellophane bag, place the plastic sheet between the plates of the heated curling iron and hold it there for up to 15 seconds.
The heat of the curling iron should melt the plastic enough so that the two sheets would bond. Some suggest that you unplug the curling iron a few seconds before sealing plastic to prevent the metal plates from scorching the plastic material.
If you don’t have a curling iron, a regular iron will do. Follow the same process of filling the cellophane bag with your gifts. But before you run your iron over the top edge of the bag, wrap the plastic with aluminum foil first.
The foil will protect the iron in case the plastic melts. Put your iron in its lowest setting first and iron the top part of the cellophane bag. Wait a few seconds before removing the foil to check if the plastic is sealed.
If not, increase the heat setting and try again. Once you’ve correctly sealed the opening of your cellophane bag, you can use ribbons and stickers to hide the seam.
Working with cellophane can be a little more challenging than using paper because it will not stay put as easily. But it is helpful in keeping moisture and pests away from the gift items. Plus, it can prevent your items from shifting inside their hamper. After wrapping your gift with plain, colored, or printed cellophane, you can either close the gather using rubber bands and ribbon or seal the closure using heat.
