There is a reward to giving

So much can be said about giving. In the word of God there are over 900 references that mention gifts, offerings and presents. God says, "He loves a cheerful giver" and that "it is better to give than to receive" or how about "give and it will be given back to you, pressed down, shaken together and overflowing." How's that for an incentive to be generous. It further states, "cast your bread upon water and it shall come back to you" or the warning "he who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, for God is not mocked that which a man sows he shall also reap." We should be mindful of these words to be sure that we are a blessing to others and in-order for our lives to be blessed.

There is a flow to giving

And Jesus "blessed the bread, and gave it to his disciples, and his disciples gave it to the people."

There is giving of man toward God. We present ourselves, all that we are, our meager gifts and talents to God, He must bless us as well as what we have. Once God blesses, He multiplies, assuring that we have more than enough. We then give to others, to bless them, to give out of what is now our abundance. These are the giving of gifts man to man.

Then there is the ultimate giving of God to man. Giving is the very heart of God and love is the motivation behind all that He does. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever would believe in him would not perish but have eternal life." And once again; "For by grace you are saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God."

This "unspeakable gift," this divinity of grace and eternal life was wrapped in humanity. This gift was presented in a manner that man could relate to and identify with, it was presented to each one differently according to his or her need. "But although he had done so many signs before them they did not believe in Him." It was an issue of the heart that unwrapped the gift.

"And the rich young ruler went away sad because he had many riches."

There is an unwrapping of the gift that must occur

As we go about our lives giving and receiving, may we flow in the art of giving, may we reap the reward of giving, and especially may we continually, through the grace given us, unwrap the unspeakable gift. So that we may enjoy all that was contained within the gift.

It's all in the Wrapping

There is an upcoming special occasion for a family member, friend or neighbor and you have just purchased the perfect gift and now you're ready to wrap. Purchasing the gift was the first step now your getting ready to present your present. The gift that you took thought and time to purchase deserves more than just to be shoved in a bag or hurriedly wrapped with a "it's the thought that counts" attitude. How you present your gift is just as important as how you purchased it. We all love being the recipient of gifts, especially those that seem to be just right, the "how did you know" gifts or the little no-special reason just "saw this and thought of you" ones that we occasionally receive from those who love us.

Present your gift with the same amount of love and thought with which it was purchased. Oprah says, "love is in the details" how true.

Here are some pretty, elegant, simple, creative, cost effective and fun ways to present your presents. Let all you do have presence.

A good place to start is by having all of your supplies in one place. A large portable storage bin works well, and will save you time hunting down necessary items. Stock up, look for sales on bags ribbons, flowers, scotch tape etc. and store them for future use. Your local craft store is a great place to expand your wrapping repertoire. Don't limit yourself to the wrapping paper area, walk around the store and let your imagination to flow.

Bags, plain and assorted colors, with or without handles.

These bags are invaluable and there are a variety of creative ways to use them.

Rubber stamps: You can choose your favorite motif, or saying, and there is a wide variety of color ink pads as well. If you are really creative cut a potato in half and carve a heart, star and stamp away.

Colorful stickers: You can customize the sticker to the occasion as well as color co-ordinate them to the bag.

Tissue paper: Always have plenty of color and specialty paper. Make a paper bow-tie: cut 3 complimentary color pieces of paper in small squares, fan fold and tie in the middle with curling ribbon.

Finishing the bag

For bags without handles: Simply fold the top over, hole punch 2 holes (about 1 inch apart) and thread ribbon or raffia and tie into a bow. You can use a specialty scissor to fancy cut the edge of the bag, duplicate above or leave open finish with tissue paper, hole punch and add ribbon.

Fan fold: the top of the bag. bring ribbon over the center and under the bottom of the bag, draw up the inside two fan edges and secure with glue.

Bags with handle: Tissue paper is a must. To properly place paper cut in half, pinch paper between thumb and forefinger in the center of the paper and gently draw all 4 corners together. Use different colors; add a simple bow and your choice of embellishment, like a cluster of grapes or flowers.

Recycle Store Bags: Many stores have their own logo bag. Recycle: simply cover the logo with a recycled special occasion card. Remove the front of the card and glue over the logo. You can also use cards that match the occasion, or co-ordinate the colors with a beautiful photo.

Ribbons: There are a wide variety of ribbons but I feel if you have 3 different ribbons on hand, you can always find the right finish for your package.

Choose from satin, gossamer or organza; wire edge floral, mesh, or tulle and raffia. Co-ordinate your ribbon colors so they are interchangeable. This will also be cost effective, and will make it simple when stocking up on other items.

Embellishments: Flowers - fresh or silk, leaves - fresh sprigs or silk, ivy works especially well; a string of pearls; grape clusters, and the large variety of picks that are available.

Paper & Other Wrapping:

3 staple colors: brown, white and gold can work well for almost any occasion. A roll of abaca and cellophane wrap are also a must.

Consider these unconventional wrappers

Handmade paper: This paper is sold by the sheet, and can be found in the scrapbook section of most craft stores. This paper is usually a heavier weight and works well when rolled into a cylinder and tied with ribbons on the open ends.

Soft felt squares or felt by the yard, (very inexpensive).

Wrap a baby gift in a receiving blanket and use baby pins instead of tape, add a pacifier to the ribbon.

Use a decorative kitchen towel for a house gift. Or a fancy scarf tied knapsack style.

Boxes and Other Containers

Photo album boxes: This is a great way to give a dual purpose gift, as the box can then be used for storage or re-cycled for another gift.

Decorative Boxes: These are usually sold in graduating sizes and are meant to be filled and stacked into impressive towers. Tie together with a ribbon, or cellophane and finish off with a large bow.

Clay pots make a great container for spring bulbs, garden gloves etc. Use raffia as a tie and your done.

How about a paint can for that budding artist's supplies, or a child's beach pail, filled with swimming and sun products. These can be personalized with alphabet letters, or other stickers and then used for storage.

Add a little excitement to your gift card, cash or check disguise it in a take-out food container.

Baskets: When gathering products for gift baskets gather items by theme. Try to color coordinate the labels. Example: all red, green and white for an Italian dinner basket, or all lavender, white and sage green for a bath product basket. This gives the basket continuity and allows your eye to flow over the products. You would not want to add a bright orange label when there are all soft color labels or packages on your products.

Start from the back and work your way forward and have the items lean on each other and act as props for each other. If necessary, use some shred, either iridescent or crinkle paper to help support products. Tissue paper can also be used. Once you have all the items in the basket, it is time to cellophane. Place your basket in the center of the cellophane; pull enough paper forward so that you can hold the paper up high enough to have approximately 8 inches past the handle, or the top of your product. Repeat this for the back of the basket. While holding the paper up in the middle begin to gather by working the paper form the outside in, towards the middle meeting both side together, Tie tightly with curling ribbon and very close to the handle or the tallest product. Finish off with a bow and some other embellishment.

There is no end to containers; anything that holds items can be used to hold your gift. Think of the gift and the recipient and go custom.

So as you present your gift, go the extra mile and present it with style. Happy wrapping!

Children Friendly: children will enjoy helping and can learn at an early age to flow in the art of giving.