Am I the only one who detests wrapping gifts? It's just not a talent I've been blessed with and I refuse to accept that it can be fun 🤣. And knowing myself, I totally understand why. 

To give you a peek behind the curtain…the biggest part of MY job here at Metro Parent consists of photographing the covers, but also making & photographing the cool crafts and delicious treats that you see on the pages within. And that later part usually goes a little like this… 

Me: “Oh does that look good?”
Still Me: “Nah.”

**Boop. Move a thing 3 inches**
Me: “Now does it look good?”
Still Me: “Kinda. But let me put on a Christmas song that will help get me in the mood for this photo shoot.”
Me: “OK Christmas song on. Now does it look good?”
Still Me: “Sorta, but let’s move that thing three more inches."
Me: "Now let’s move that other thing, too."
Still Me: "Wait wait now that made the lighting suck."
**Boop. Move another thing another 3 inches**

And on and on and on I go. So when you have to like, plan, measure, cut straight lines & be precise? It’s just not my bag. So you know what? I figured out how I can be done with wrapping gifts: I made my DAUGHTER think it was fun. Here, I’ll teach you!

Kid-Style Gift Wrapping

• Buy something like this or this 

• Wrap your gift as best you can.

• But the good news here? You don’t have to be all that careful. Your kid’s gonna draw alllllll over it. So if it looks haphazard? That just adds to the effect. 

• Then give your kid some markers, crayons, colored pencils and have them go nuts!

• Encourage them to draw on all sides! You’ll sit & sip your coffee for longer…I mean they’ll have fun for longer.

• Hot Tip #1: We like to add stencils into the mix. My kid is 4 and she’s still learning about the whole drawing thing. So it’s fun to add a little extra design this way.
  
  
• Hot Tip #2: Approach this in a classier way!
  • A friend of mine (Oh hey Rachel!) has her kids do water coloring on white or colored paper on any random day
  • Then she keeps those pages to wrap things with later on!
  

I have taken this to many baby showers and holiday gatherings alike. And let me tell you, since we started doing this we’ve collected so many ooos & aaaahs from all the adoring fans of this idea. Many more than I EVER would have gotten if I’d wrapped it myself.

 ♥️,

Lauren & the Metro Parent team 

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'CAUSE WE'VE GOT GIVEAWAYS!
Every week one of you will win one of these excellent holiday prizes.

• Dec. 3 Tickets to Holiday Bricktacular at LEGOLAND Discovery Center
• Dec. 6 Tickets to the Magic of Lights drive thru at Pine Knob Music Theatre
• Dec. 9 Tickets to Winter Wonder Lights at Meadow Brook Hall
• Dec. 12 Tickets to a Red Wings game