Holiday Wrapping, Tips and a Great Scotch Tape Giveaway!!!

Dec 14, 2010 by Natasha

Christmas is my favourite time of year.  I love filling the house with lights, garlands and decorating the Christmas tree with colourful ornaments.  After all the decorating work however, my second favourite part about the holidays involves putting on cozy flannel pyjamas, sitting in front of the fireplace, listening to Christmas music and wrapping all the presents. This year, Baby H and his cousin will receive their presents wrapped in Mickey Mouse paper along with some special bows.

The reason I’m mentioning specifics about gift wrapping is largely to do with the good folks at Scotch Tape. They sent me some of their products to test out and share my impressions with ShopHaven readers. In keeping with the great tradition of holiday giving, Scotch Tape will also be giving away an awesome gift to one of my readers! See information and details at the bottom.

Back to gift wrapping. Here are my thoughts on the products I put under the test while getting my Christmas presents all ready for a rather large family.

Scotch Magic Tape is the invisible tape that works well for craft projects, some home repair and for general home and office purposes. It’s also a good item to have for organized people like me, because I use it as a label since you can write on the back of it.

The Scotch Permanent Double Sided Tape is really good for projects and school work. It’s a great alternative to glue, and not at all as messy. Scrapbookers can enjoy it as well as photographers for mounting some of their photos onto paper, it goes on smooth and easy.

Scotch GiftWrap Tape is something I got to try only this year, and I’m really glad they came up with this product. It’s transparent so I don’t have to worry about the edges of the present looking a little rough with plain tape that’s clearly holding both ends of the gift wrapping paper. No matter how big or little the gift is, having a see through solution with no visible edges really helps expedite the process of wrapping them.

The Scotch Pop-Up Tape Handband Dispenser is an awesome awesome awesome tool when using tape. It goes around your hand, and you can pull tape and stick them on as you go. It’s the alternative to pre-cutting tape and dangling it off the side of the cabinet, only to find it somehow tangled itself and is useless at that point. I was one of the people that did that for a while, so when I got to play with the pop-up tape, I was very happy to say goodbye to those days of pre-cutting and wasting tape. Did I mention it’s awesome?

And finally, the Scotch Precision Ultra Edge Non-Stick Scissors are a welcome addition to the Scotch-tape family. The quality is quite good, given that the blades are titanium-fused which is fancy talk for “non –stick”. They have a soft grip handle designed for right or left-handed people.

I’m also sharing with you some helpful gift wrapping tips from Lynn Spence (the style expert on Citytv’s CityLine, Around the House, Fashion Friday and decorating editor for Chatelaine Magazine).  Lynn says:

1.   Stock Up – Before you start wrapping, make sure you have all of the necessary supplies. Quality scissors and tape will make the gift wrapping experience a breeze.

2.   Stay Sharp – Have a sharp pair of scissors, such as Scotch Precision Ultra Edge Scissors, for cutting paper and other materials. It will allow you to achieve greater precision with your cuts. And if tape on your scissors is a pet peeve, Scotch Precision Ultra Edge Non-Stick Scissors use non-stick technology that means no more sticky build up on blades.

3.   One of a Kind Tags – You can make your own gift tags by using the back of old holiday cards. Cut pictures or words from magazines, and paste them on the gift card to make it festive. Voila! Your own customized gift tag.

4.   Go Glam – Add luxury to your packages with glamorous materials such as metallic papers that will make anyone feel spoiled. Fashioned inspired animal print or sophisticated quilted paper will look luxurious under the tree.

5.   Mix It Up – Move away from traditional wrapping paper by incorporating new textures such as rice, foil and matte papers into your wrapping repertoire. Mixed colours and patterns are also a great way to add visual interest to your presents.

6.   Au Natural – For a more organic, eco look, use recycled papers or materials such as linen, Kraft paper, fabric remnants, burlap or a fabulous vintage scarf.

7.   In Lieu of Glue – For tasks where you’d traditional use glue, reach for Scotch Double-Sided Tape, a no-mess alternative for light duty attaching and mounting tasks.

8.   Fit to Be Tied – Homemade bows are easier to make than you think. Simply tie the ribbon as you would a shoelace, and use fresh greens or other ornamentation to “dress up” the package. The recipient will surely be impressed with the “professional look” of the present!

9.   Stay Seamless – Scotch GiftWrap Tape features a unique satin finish that disappears on most gift wrap papers. Makes all your gifts look great! Easy to dispense and sticks securely.

10.  Make It Last – The joy of giving is always in style but before you start wrapping gifts, make sure you stock up on quality tape like Scotch Brand to ensure your packages stay sealed until its time to unwrap them.

11.  Waste Not, Want Not – Get creative with scraps of paper, ribbons and other found items to add pizzazz to your wrapping and help the environment by keeping these items out of the waste basket.

12.  ‘Tis the Season – Before you start gift wrapping, put on some holiday music, relax and have fun! Remember – it’s the thought that counts!

Giveaway
So here is the awesome part. Scotch Brand Tape is giving away a fantastic prize filled with all of the wonderful products mentioned above as well as refills for the dispenser (the giveaway is valued at $50.00). The timing is of course perfect, as we’re picking the winner by the end of the week and will be shipping it just in time for the holidays!

Interested?
To win this awesome prize pack, simply leave me a comment about the best present you ever wrapped or unwrapped. Then spread the word around on Twitter (mention @shopHaven in your tweet and use the hashtag #scotchbrandtape), or tag ShopHaven on Facebook with your comment about the giveaways. We’ll be choosing the top 10 most publicized comments and randomly selecting one of them to win.

Leave your comments anytime between now and December 16th 8:59pm. We’ll pick the ten most popular comments (judged by the number of mentions on twitter and tags in facebook), and randomly select a winner.

Important Legal Bits
This giveaway is open to Canadian residents only. The winner will be chosen at random on December 16, 2010 at 8:59pm EST.

Good luck and have fun wrapping your gifts!