A few weeks ago, I discovered stacked wine, which has become my new favorite thing in the world. My first thought was about how awesome it would be for ME — I can take it neighborhood block parties, pool parties, tailgates, or anywhere else where "to go" adult beverages are welcomed.
Then, I started thinking about what a perfect gift stacked wine would make. You can give an entire stack (equivalent to a bottle of wine) as a gift, or separate it into single servings. You can tuck a glass or two into a gift basket or wrap one up as a little thank you gift, hostess gift, welcome gift, or an "I just thought you could use a glass of wine" gift. Who wouldn't love that?
Of course, gift wrapping isn't necessary — you can place a whole stack into a regular wine gift bag, or just place a few single servings into a gift basket. But the wrapping part is FUN, if you like that sort of thing. I happen to love gift wrapping, so I got really excited about all of the fun wrapping possibilities for the cute little stacked wine cups.
The rounded shape of the individual glasses lends itself to some cute, yet easy gift wrapping ideas. The first one I want to share is a pineapple. The pineapple wrap could work for any occasion, but since a pineapple is a universal symbol for "WELCOME," it would make a great gift to give a new neighbor, new co-worker, or anybody else you'd like to welcome into your life. Gift it alone, or tuck it into a gift basket with a few other small items.
You can use the same technique to create a pumpkin, an apple (a GREAT idea for a teacher friend), or anything else you can dream up. At the end of the tutorial, I have some ideas for inexpensive themed gift baskets that you can give for any number of occasions.
Pineapple Gift Wrapping Tutorial
Materials needed:
- stacked wine, separated into individual cups
- 1 sheet brown tissue paper
- 2 sheets yellow tissue paper
- clear cellophane basket wrap
- rubber band
- black marker
- green curling ribbon
Cut the tissue paper into 18" squares. Place the yellow sheets on the bottom and the brown sheet on top, and place the wine into the center of the square.
Pull the tissue up and over the top of the glass, scrunch it tightly, and secure with a rubber band.
Separate the yellow and brown tissue paper at the top and snip the yellow paper so that it just barely sticks up beyond the rubber band. Trim the brown paper to the desired length. With a black marker, make little "v" shapes to mimic the exterior of a pineapple.
Take an 18" square of clear basket wrap, and wrap it up and around the pineapple. Use the curling ribbon to secure it, and curl the ends of the ribbon with scissors.
You can use this same wrapping technique to create a pumpkin "Boo" gift for Halloween or a hostess gift for Thanksgiving. For the pumpkin, I just used two layers of orange paper and the same green curling ribbon. I also added a little bit of raffia from the craft store to give it some extra fall flair.
GIFT BASKET IDEAS
Sometimes it's hard to choose one specific thing to give as a gift, which is why I love the idea of creating gift baskets that contain a few inexpensive, but thoughtful items. Of course, anything goes when it comes to creating your gift basket, but here are some fun themed ideas to get you started:
Welcome gift basket: Wrapped wine, local magazine, hand soap, "to do" list, hand-written list of favorite restaurants, gift card to local coffee shop or ice cream parlor.
Relaxation gift basket: Wrapped wine, lavender candle, bath bomb, fun magazine or book.
Foodie gift basket: Wrapped wine, cheese, salami, crackers, gourmet nuts or chocolates, favorite recipe written on a notecard.
Hostess gift basket: Wrapped wine, cocktail napkins, baked goods, food magazine, themed holiday hand soap.
This will be my new "go to" gift for all of the wine lovers in my life. I'd love to hear your ideas, too! Please share in the comments. XOXO