CityView Magazine

FEATURE It's a Wrap How to make your gifts look (almost) too pretty to open of raffia, only to decide that everyone involved would be bet- ter off if I just plopped my giſt into a holiday bag and let it rest in tissue paper peace. Faye Bulen, however, knows how to wrap a present. She's I been working at Betty Kelly's Giſt Shop, where giſt wrapping is complimentary, for 15 years and before that, she owned her own shop. She can turn a pile of paper and ribbon into an exquisite offering in seconds and she agreed to slow the process down so that we mere mortals could learn her tricks. STEP 1: Aſter you've cut the paper, fold about half and inch under all the way around so that the rough edges don't show. Bring the folds to the center of the box and tape down. Then flatten the corners so that the paper rests flush against the box. Make a triangle with the paper on the end of the box, tape each triangle down and then repeat the process on the other end. Cut off any extra paper. STEP 2: Wrap ribbon around the box sides first, cross the ribbon on the underside of the box and then bring back together on the top of the box, taping the loose ends of the ribbon down in the center. 50 | Food & Wine • 2011 BY REBEKAH SANDERLIN n years past I've tried to be one of those people whose giſts are as delightful to behold under the tree as they are to unwrap. I've dabbled with bows and accoutrements, expensive papers and reams STEP 3: To make a beautiful bow, loop the ribbon on the box using your hand as a guide. The bigger the box, the more loops you'll need. About eight loops should work for a medium box, 10 to 12 for a large box and four to six for a small box. Leave about 12 inches of extra ribbon on each end for curling. (TIP: Faye says the loops do not have to be exactly the same size and that she thinks that bows look better when they're not.) Finally, cut a tiny notch on each side of the gathered loops, this will allow the bow to fit well onto the ribbons on the box and will make the bow come together. STEP 4: Tie a knot around the middle of the loops and pull tight to hold the bow together. Begin pulling the loops apart and spreading them into a bow shape. She recommends splitting the ribbon tails in half lengthwise so that you have have more ribbon for curling. Then, curl the extra ribbon, being careful to curl in the same direction the ribbon came off the spool. If you curl in the opposite direction it will straighten the ribbon — not curl it. TIPS: Faye suggests making a second, much smaller bow, using the same process and thinner ribbon or raffia and affixing the smaller bow in the center of the larger one. She also likes to tie or hot glue Christmas ornaments or other mini-giſts onto the package to add extra visual interest. CV

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