“While the material gift has a shelf life and may soon lose its monetary value, the feelings and intentions given with it—and reciprocated—sustain our collective well-being. Herein lies the real beauty and magic of a gift.”
I have grown up watching my mother use different techniques to wrap gifts for our friends’ birthdays. Whether it was an innovative paper fold or a specially crafted decoration to place atop the gift, every package she wrapped was unique.
Following her footsteps, I began my own experiments with gift-wraps and paper craft for handmade gifts. These techniques proved useful in college when I studied Fashion Design, and later even at work, when putting together Design presentations for our clients. This was also what lead me to start my #Bookstagram theme of pairing book reviews with handmade crafts.
I have long been fascinated by the simple, yet unusual Japanese gift-wrap techniques which brought my attention to this Advance Review Copy on NetGalley.
The Soul of Gift Wrapping is not just an instruction manual on ways to wrap or decorate gifts. It is a journey to recognising your emotional connect with the person receiving your gift, the how and why of choosing an appropriate gift, and the sentiments you intend to convey with it. At a time when I feel gifting has become a mere obligation, this book helps you rediscover your purpose and the emotions involved with the act of gifting.
In Japanese culture, the act of wrapping a gift is often explained as “wrapping of the giver’s heart” or “wrapping of the heart” and is an integral part of the gift exchange. The thoughtfulness of giving a gift and the heart-felt care taken in wrapping it appropriately spotlights the generosity of the giver, but those who graciously receive a gift are giving generously from their hearts in return.
The book begins with personal essays by the author where she describes her introduction to the practice of gifting and the purpose of wrappings as a young girl. She takes you along on her journey on learning to appreciating their importance in her culture. She, then, continues with her experiences of using ordinary materials available at hand or repurposing old fabric and paper to create stunningly creative gift wrap designs.
At the end of each essay, she mentions the techniques used, which can be referred to in the second half of the book.
Next, the book sets you up on preparing basic tools and materials you can use for wrapping and decoration. It is important not only to have the objects, but also a creative space like a desk drawer or box to store them where they are easily visible and can inspire you with new ideas.
Finally, with a combination of inventive wrapping designs, and step-by-step illustrative techniques, the author teaches basic folds and wraps using a variety of materials, many of them repurposed. She also uses these to create dramatic decorations for boxed or folded gifts.
Repurposing unlocks beauty and transformational energy – materials, like people, have the potential for multiple destinies.
As someone who loves creating things by hand, this book resonated with me on so many levels: from re-living my own childhood memories of watching and learning from my mother, to recognising the techniques I have used before. I especially loved reading the author’s essays on how she intentionally added meaning and value to her gifts, no matter how small, and elevated the entire process to a profound experience.
Using recycled and repurposed materials, she inspires readers to think intentionally about the presentation of every gift and explores how the act of giving a thoughtfully wrapped gift can be a creative, caring experience for both the giver and the receiver.
An insight into a beautiful culture, this book is an absolute joy to read. And with the creative gift-wrapping hacks shared here, you can make the simplest gifts stand out in the most unique way, conveying a heartfelt message to the receiver.
The Soul of Gift Wrapping: Creative Techniques for Expressing Gratitude, Inspired by the Japanese Art of Giving by Megumi Lorna Inouye. Due to be published on 2nd April 2024 by Storey Publishing. This ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Storey Publishing.
Book 1 of 2024.
Aquamarine Flavours Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟.
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