Well, I still hate wrapping presents, unfortunately that did not change over the course of the semester like I had hoped it would, BUT I did find a new appreciation for the art of wrapping gifts. It is REALLY hard to get gifts looking snatched, and it takes legit quality wrapping tools. I wrapped with what I had on hand because I am pooooorrrrr, but it did the trick.

When I first started this journey in week one, I had really never wrapped a present in any other way then the one I had posted a picture of, and I actively avoided wrapping gifts, HELLO gift bags!!! I also had extremely HIGH hopes with my goals for wrapping, because dang I did not even come close haha.

I had started with an easy looking wrap job in week 2 and I didn’t do to hot. I think if I tackled this now I would be way more confident in my abilities and crush it! I might try it later.

Week three was a fun one! I discovered a love for Canva during this week and have used it sooooo much since! It is so much fun and so easy to use. There are a couple tweeks in the system that I would change if I could but hey its great!

The next week I posted my first ever Youtube video!! I failed again on the gift wrapping front, but it was super neat learning how to upload a Youtube video.

After this week I felt pretty defeated when it came to wrapping presents so I had decided to tie some bows for weekly post and it was SOOO MUCH FUN! It actually sparked a little excitement in my soul and I have used the techniques a couple times now! I tried some more bows again the week after and was even more excited with my progress!! I really enjoyed making the flower bow and the triple bow, and sometimes make them just for fun on the couch haha.

The next week I would say is where I really started to feel successful at gift wrapping, I had wrapped a birthday present and it actually looked so good!! It wasn’t perfect but dang I was proud of that wrap job. I tried it again the next week, taking my time to make it perfect because it was for a very special person and I was extra proud of myself, I even made a beautiful bow to go on it!!

Last week I tried a new wrap style from this tiktok and I had found myself frustrated again with my lack of good wrapping skills. Though I decided to try it again today and did a little bit better! It helped that my new wrapping paper had grid lines!! Like talk about a game changer!

Over all I think I came pretty far with my wrapping skills, I used to wrap things so fast with out any care in the world and now I am trying to put some care and attention into it because I know it could make the gift extra special! I also enjoyed learning how to use different sites to find wrapping styles and bow making techniques as well as different ways of uploading and creating videos or media. This learning blog was a test of patience and resilience for me, and I think it was needed! I know I will continue on wrapping presents in different ways because I can access so many different techniques online.

Thanks for following my learning journey, I hope you had some good laughs and maybe tried some of the techniques!!

This week I decided to try a new wrapping style that I thought SHOULD be kind of easy, as it was just folding. I watched this tiktok and got out my supplies. It started off realitvely ok, and I measured out my paper, I wish the video made it more clear about how much excess one should have on either side because I think thats where I messed up. I could see here that I was going to have a problem down the line making the folds, and my paper was just not papering today.

I tried multiple times to fold it over and over, trying to get that tight line, I trimmed the paper to try and make it smaller, but instead of working out for me, the paper started to get weak and started ripping. I was extremely frustrated at this point because this wrapping style should be easy!!!! I watched the video over and over again, even toggled through it image by image trying to get the wrap perfect but alas it still looked like this.

Once I got the top half of the gift wrapped, I started to do the bottom and as I figured it was not going to work out. I ended up taking it all apart and trying again, but it still worked out the exact same way. I think if someone wants to be really fancy with wrapping paper they will have to invest in really fancy good quality paper that actually folds when you want it to fold. I could tell that my 5 year old COSTCO wrapping paper was at the end of its life here, but what can you do.

After trying and trying I decided in my brain, well its just Christmas present for my 8 year old, atleast he won’t care about the wrapping paper. It will be ripped off instantly without a care in the world haha. It made me feel a little better about my failure but I do know I am going to try this style again because it should be easy, I just apparently cannot get it right today.

I am not even going to put a bow on this one this time because it is such a huge disappointment to me, but here is the final product in all of its ugly glory haha.

Surprisngly enough this present is not for one of the three birthday parties my kids attended on Sunday, never again omg. This birthday gift is for my little sister. She is technically my sister-in-law, but I have known her since she was 5, and she has always been like a little sister to me, I have the stress to prove it ha-ha. Anyway, this year she is graduating from university and has accepted a new paid internship with the university for next semester!!! If you know who this is please don’t tell her, because she hasn’t gotten the gift yet.

This week I wanted to redo the wrapping style I did last week, but I wanted to get it right this time. Last week, I cut the paper too short on the side and it made an ugly crease. This week I made sure to have enough, more then enough actually but that was OK because it is way easier to cut paper down then it is to add more. Once I had the paper lined up perfectly I taped it where I needed it just to make my life a little easier. You almost need 6 hands when it comes to some of these wrapping ideas. Pro-tip have pre cut tape on the table edge!!

Once I got to the folding of the paper I had to go back and watch the video again because I couldn’t get it just right from memory. Once I had it folded, I didn’t like how the square corner was sticking onto the front of the package so I had to adjust it a couple times to get it perfect. This unfortunatly left some creases in the paper, but what can ya do.

Once I got the pockets folded down nice I taped them down with my handy dandy table tape so I didn’t have to try and hold onto them. Make sure when you are taping them down you leave the creases at the end of the package loose as you need them to fold up. I folded up the sides and with the correct size paper, ooooo dang she look good!

Next, I wanted to add a little bow so I did the double bow from memory! I am pretty excited that the things I have learned are starting to implant themselves into my memory haha. I added the card into one of the card slots and boom! Fries are done.

For once I had to wrap a present for a reason and not just for practice!! This helped me a lot knowing that it isn’t just a waste of paper in the fact that I cared a little bit more about the final presentation ha-ha. This project has been hard for me surprisingly, I thought I would be more successful than I have been.

Anyways, this week I had a mission, wrapping an actual birthday present!! I decided I would attempt this video because it looks really cool, and it is definitely something I would use in the future when it comes to gifts!! After getting the paper all measured up, lined up to the side, it was really a simple fold of the paper!

I noticed though after I had it nice and folded like this that I cut a little short on the bottom, because of course I would ha-ha. So I had to add a little extra piece in to fill in the gap! Honestly though besides the extra seam, the present looked pretty good!!!! I am pretty excited about it! I decided to try adding in one of the bows that I have been working on to add some flare to the gift. I decided to once again tackle the TRIPLE BOW.

This bow is actually simple when you can get it right, I started working on it and messed it up a couple of times, hand cramps and all. The issue I kept running into is forgetting to wrap the one side an extra loop to account for the hanging ribbon. If you didn’t do this you have uneven loops!

After going at it a couple times, I was actually successful!!!

While trying to decide how to add it to my present, I realized I wanted to cover up the seam that I had to make, and added a little bit of ribbon over lay to add to the final look. Then I took gorilla glue to attach my new triple bow onto the box! Inserted the card into one of the card slots and WOW!!!

Guys, I am so excited at how this turned out!!! I did it! (95 percent) Please enjoy the theme song that is always in my head, when I do in fact do something good! hahahaha

This week I decided to try making some bows again, I wanted to retry the flower bow as I wasn’t 100 percent happy with-it last week! I also was daring and decided to try and recreate it from memory, because it isn’t that hard of a bow to do! I was mostly successful! Though I still have the issue of the ends being cut to far in, I hardly cut them on either side, but it still flares out in a way I do not like. It wouldn’t splay properly without these cuts, so I am curious how other creators avoid this, because it frays the fabric and makes me mad ha-ha.

Next, I tried a TRIPLE BOW! Oooo I was so excited to try this bow. Start the video at 1:23 if you want to try. The double loop bow from last week was so easy and fun I thought surely this would be just as easy! Well, it was not. Let me tell ya, I tried for two hours to get this bow made. My brain and my fingers were not on the same team. I was so frustrated, I got hand cramps, forgot how to tie a knot!? Like, no. I was not ok. I thought I had it figured out a couple of times, but I did not. Exhibit A below.

I had to leave this bow challenge for a little bit and take a break. I went to get my kids from school and then decided I’d give it another whirl. My head was like ok, we can do this! My hand protested though and it was definitely starting to cramp. I remembered how to tie, kind of haha, and BOOM! I was so excited that I finally figured it out!! Exhibit B below

Little did I know though, that I did not in fact, figure it out. I somehow, created one side with 4 loops and one side with 3 loops!? I guess I will call this a half win. I think I will try this again later, and maybe I’ll be 100 percent successful!

This week I wasn’t really feeling up to wrapping another present and decided to give my sanity a break from the cutting and wrapping torture. I decided I would try to learn a couple different bows! I figured this way, if my wrapping still looks extremely bad after this class, lord willing it will be at least mediocre ha-ha, I would be able to hide my ugly wrapping with a pretty bow!

I decided to start off with a very easy bow, and by easy I was honestly kind of shocked that there was actually a tutorial video avaliable for this type of bow. This bow was called a “Rabbit Ear Bow”, because well it looks like rabbit ears. It was super easy to do but in my opinion, it was definetly the least pretty of the bows and I wouldn’t want to put this on a present unless necessary.

Next I tried this really good bow ! I’ve been calling it the double loop bow, but I don’t know if thats the real name. It was super quick and easy to do and in my opinion looks waaaaay cuter then the “rabbit ear bow.”

Next, I attempted a flower bow. I watched this video. Honestly this is my favourite bow so far!!! I messed it up a little bit because I ended up switching techniques half way through because of the materials I had but I think I like this technique better anyway. I also cannot find my double sided tape, blame the cat, so my ends weren’t as tight as I would of liked them to be! Regardless I think I’ll use this technique again because it was honestly so easy and it is soooo cute! I might super glue a gem or something on the middle if I want to get really fancy, who knows!

I found myself a little empowered to try something new after my adventure with Canva last week! I started off with a search of “how to wrap presents” I was trying to avoid another YouTube Video for this post and ended up stumbling upon the one and only Martha Stewarts website. Martha’s website laid out step by step instructions on how to wrap a present, “the right way” as well as having a video showing it.

I started off thinking pfffff this would be easy but once again my cocky attitude got the best of me and I did not do as good as I thought. I am starting to think that maybe I am just not meant to be a crafty girly. I ended up taking videos of myself during the wrapping process and spliced them together on an app I like called InShot. After that I uploaded my first every youtube video of my process and here it is!

I hope you are thoroughly enjoying my fail attempts at wrapping gifts, because I know I messed up in this choice. I had hoped that I would be amazing at this by christmas, but honeslty by the time I need to wrap kid gifts I might not want to do it haha.

This week I decided to explore Canva, I have heard wonderful things about it but have never really tried using it. I decided it was time to explore it. The app and website are free to use, unless you want the pro account then you have to pay, BUT as teachers once we have our degree, we get PRO for FREE!!! After exploring this website I plan on using it alot more. The website itself has a ton of different templates for creating anything you could want. I explored a bit and decided to search for infographics.

Once I chose my template, I clicked on the customize button and it took me to an editing page.

Once I was on here, I could easily edit text, upload my own photos, add different clip arts and add links to pictures.

This website would be a great resource for myself as a teacher as well as for my students. I honestly think this site would be rated a 3 or 4 on the SAMR model. There are so many options for students to create something completely new! Ranging from tasks being made way easier to templates, all the way to the ability to start from blank templates! Kids can create their own websites on here, videos, posts, ads, business signatures, computer wallpaper and so much more. Honestly, I am impressed.

I can’t get these pictures bigger to save my life, so here is a link!

This week I decided to try and wrap a present the way I normally do, because the present I had to wrap was waaaaay too big for the fancy ways I wanted to wrap, plus the front side is open because it’s a toy. Anyway, here are some pictures of how that turned out.

I couldn’t wrap it the fancy way I wanted so I decided that MAYBE just MAYBE I could accomplish a bow. I decided to watch this video, and attempt the first bow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZiaMR1yUDs

I watched this video a couple of times, and I could not follow along with her speed, so I slowed the video down, probably too slow as it was kind of comical, but I was kind of successful?
Who am I kidding, it was horendus. The kid getting this present probably won’t care about the bow at all but atleast it is the first step for me in trying to make prettier presents.

I am sure somewhere in my brain there is a memory of learning how to wrap ribbons, and I think with a smaller, less long rectangle box I might of been slightly more successful. Who knows maybe after this I will become a gift wrapping, bow tying master. I still need to get myself some more wrapping paper, and some double-sided tape. Using scotch tape is fine, but I always, ALWAYS run out of tape and end up using packing tape or duct tape!