For many, gift wrapping is a chore that is usually done late at night, in a rush five minutes before a birthday party or left to the shop assistant in the toy store. I, on the other hand, have always loved wrapping gifts, finding new and creative ways to present the perfect pressie, and my friends have always teased me that I focus more on the wrapping than on what's inside - they may be right! As my kids have grown older, they have started to share in my excitement surrounding the rituals of wrapping and gift giving - and I now always have two eager helpers, turning the cog of the sticky tape dispenser, rolling our reams of paper and deciding on which ribbon best suits the chosen Macaroon gift sticker!

And so began my new favorite trend of using plain white or classic brown paper to wrap pressies. My children love writing their names and drawing pictures for the birthday boy or girl. Plain paper not only compliments all ribbons and gift stickers, but it provides the perfect blank canvas for our budding artists to personalise the wrapping of gifts for their friends.

If you are a Jozi stationery lover, we now have fabulous 100 metre rolls of high quality white paper and classic brown paper in stock in our Studio, so pop in. If you are out of towners, your local stationer will stock rolls of plain paper. Wrap up your gifts well before your parties and let your kids enjoy some creative time, personalising them with their own bright works of art. Our brand new round gift stickers add a fabulous finishing touch and also mean that you use a lot less ribbon when wrapping gifts, by using the sticker as a stylish seal. 

The other fun gift wrapping accessory that we are stocking at the moment are super stamp sets. We have tins of alphabet stamps, as well as general greeting tins - available in both our Studio and online. Again, simple wrapping with plain brown paper can be accessorised with one of our new Mardi Gras Macaroon Monogram round stickers, and personalised by using alphabet stamps to stamp on the receiver's name and some fun messages. 

My kids also had great fun stamping messages for their friends on to pressies, so let them loose with a stamp set - it's fun, creative and educational at the same time! Another fun idea  is to include photos of your children with the birthday boy or girl on the front of the gift (attached with a Macaroon gift sticker) and let your kids decorate around the photograph. 

With a blank canvas of plain white or classic brown paper, the creative opportunities are endless and gift wrapping becomes less of a chore and more of an art jamming session!

So, until next Tuesday, from the Macaroon team, get crafty and creative and get your kids involved in the joy of giving!