3 Ways to Wrap Like a Pro with Gift Wrap Guru Carrie Larson

Everyone knows that the Christmas tree is the heart of holiday decor, but it’s the beautifully wrapped presents underneath that makes this holiday scene picture perfect. That’s where Carrie Larson comes in—she’s the creative mind behind @wrappedbycarrie, a digital gift wrapping destination with over 100K followers. 

Carrie has always had a love for all things paper and ribbon, and with 25 years of digital media marketing experience, it’s no surprise that when she decided to embark on her own content creator journey, she quickly started trending. 

This fun passion project now includes brand collabs, gift wrapping workshops, and even a spot on QVC’s Ultimate Gift Wrapping Challenge in 2024. And this holiday season, she’s launching a new line of merchandise under the lifestyle brand C'est La Belle Vie, a company she co-founded with a childhood friend.

We caught up with Carrie to get her expert advice on how to instantly elevate your holiday gift wrapping at home. She shared three of her favorite techniques to help you create beautifully wrapped gifts that will look almost too good to open!

Paper-Too-Short Hack

It’s a problem that seems to occur every holiday season—either you cut your paper too short or find yourself at the end of the roll without enough paper to wrap your gift. Before heading to the store to buy another roll of your favorite wrapping paper, like Caspari, try placing your gift on the paper diagonally and wrap one side at a time, making sure to tuck in each corner as you go. This clever trick can give you just enough coverage to save the paper and still have your present looking picture perfect!

Pinwheel Bow Technique

If you’re looking to enhance the appearance of your presents, the pinwheel bow technique is a simple solution that gives gifts an elegant look! To make this gift topper, you must first wrap your present in double sided wrapping paper—Carrie recommends products from Bespoke Letterpress. Then, measure out an additional section of paper that matches the width and length of the top face of your gift. This works best with square presents, but if your gift isn’t square, just make sure that all the sides of your paper are equal in length.

Next, fold your paper in half making a triangle section. Repeat this step in the alternate direction to create four small triangles. Then, take your scissors and cut from each corner diagonally toward the center of the paper along the creases. Make sure to stop just short of the center, about a quarter of an inch or so, so that the corners stay attached. You will do this four times until you're left with four triangular flaps connected in the middle.

Then you will place a piece of double sided tape or a glue dot in the center of the paper and begin folding alternating corners inward. This is done by taking one corner tip and folding it into the center, skipping the next flap, and then folding the next corner into the center. Continue this in alternating corners until you have four flaps folded into the center, forming the pinwheel shape.

Last, apply another glue dot or piece of double sided tape at the very center, on top of the flaps, to bind them together and attach an embellishment like a pinecone or small collection of Christmas berries. Finally, place a piece of double‑sided tape or a glue dot on the back of the bow and press it onto the gift top!

Viral Slip-Knot Bow Technique

And for the folks looking to have an array of bow styles this holiday season, the slip knot bow is another gorgeous option! First, measure the longest side of your gift wrapped box and cut your ribbon to eight times that length. Next, fold your ribbon in half, lining up the ends. Lay the ribbon on your wrapping surface with the looped end at the top of the gift and place your present on top of the ribbon.

Next, take the two ribbon ends at the base of your gift, slide them through the top loop over the top face of the gift, and pull down until the ribbon is wrapped snugly around the gift, making sure that the ribbon at the base of the gift is laying flat and separated into a reverse V-shape. Then tie a knot with these two loose sections of ribbon. Once this is done, make your bow and trim the ends of the ribbon to create a beautiful gift accent. 

PRO TIP: Lana's Shop has great gift wrap options for this project!

Click here to check out the Step-By-Step Video Tutorials for all three wrapping hacks listed above!

Discover More Holiday Inspiration

To see more of Carrie’s gorgeous gift wrapping hacks, follow her on Instagram @wrappedbycarrie. And for additional creative decorating inspiration and expertise from holiday experts around the globe, follow us @thechristmas.com, subscribe to our email newsletter, and check out our Holiday Hub!