I cannot wrap a gift to save my life. As long as I've lived I simply cannot wrap a present and make it look nice. Simply awful. My presents would look better if you just put them in a washing machine with a bunch of tissue paper, or whatever, and then just went with that when all was done. I have yet to master Scotch tape. The ability to fold into tight creases is nil. I have my faculties about me. I think I'm a pretty smart guy. However, when I wrap a present it looks like an utter failure and is quite embarrassing actually.
And yes, I know about gift bags. Some things you just can't put in a gift bag.
What is my life?
Not sure, but department stores used to offer gift wrapping service for a reasonable fee. I could be wrong, but I think mail stations also offer it.
I know how you feel. I was a better wrapper than my brothers, but it always seemed like such a random struggle, full of awkwardness and over-corrections and last-minute little time-consuming glitches. However, take the horse by the reins, know going into it that it's awkward, and then look at the boxed present objectively and go from there.
If you order from the Web and ship to the person's address, you can pay in advance for gift wrap. The card will look pre-signed, but most people understand that. Novica website offers very nice gift wrapping.
I assume you already know to box your gifts for ease of wrap? Lately, discount stores are selling white boxes. If you use a white box and your gift wrap has white in the colors, then errors will be less detectable.
Gift wrapping is a multi-step process. You will need to do it at a comfortable height, like a wide kitchen counter if you have one. A table works, but you will be bending from the hips many times. I suppose you know you will need sharp, clean scissors and tape. For matte finish wrap, use regular tape. For shiny wrap, use shiny tape. You can try double-sided Scotch tape if you want, but I'm not sure you're ready for that.
Speaking of which, Google around, because last year a man was marketing a new type of wrap that sort of wraps itself or something. You just reminded me.Anyhow, one of the most important things about wrapping is gauging and determining how much of a cut of wrapping paper you will need. So, set the boxed gift on a corner of large wrap. Of course it's easy to see how much wrap is needed for the body of the gift, because the gift sets right on that amount. But, you have to factor in how much paper in advance you'll need for that parts of the package that are not setting on the paper. So, pull the gift away from the corner a few inches - and start eyeballing it to gauge how much of a flap you'll need in the end for the two side ends. If the gift is wide or square, you'll need lots of extra inches for the two side ends. If the gift is flat, you'll only need a couple of inches at most.
THEN, and this is the most important: From that point down, determine double the square or rectangular area, including doubling the inches away from the corner. This can be done by folding the big sheet over the gift and creasing the point at which it doubles. Or, by marking the place where the gift is, then moving the gift down to double that, and marking it again.
Some gift wrap has grids on the back of it, like at Dollar Tree. You can't always tell that when you buy it, so read the wrapper to see if it says. So, use those lines to help you cut where you marked the cutting point.
Now, take the cut piece of wrap and set it on the counter. Take the gift and place it upside down in the center of the wrap. That way, when the wrap is opened, the topside of the gift is what the recipient sees. Anyhow, pull one big side of the wrap over and tape it to the box. I assume at this point, that you are dealing with a professionally cut piece of wrap. If you are dealing with wrap which someone has already cut into, make sure it is perfectly square first, by trimming it. When you have a choice between the factory cut edge vs. a home cut edge, be mindful of which cut will show after it is taped. If one cut is crooked, fold it over to make a straight edge, and then tape it. If the fold is straight, you can tape it on the top. If it's crooked, tape it to the box then tape the factory cut side over it. Anyhow, pull both big sides over the gift and tape each one. As you get better, you won't usually have to tape the first side to the box, but eventually you can just tape the two pieces together, one over the other. By taping the first piece to the box, you gain wrap stability, but you lose the ability to adjust the box's position toward the open ends. Anyhow, when the two big flaps are taped, be sure they overlap! For stability of presentation, it doesn't hurt to add extra tape. Unless you are an expert wrapper, tape should be placed at the far ends of the gift, to stabilize the wrap well for when you have to start working with the two open ends later.
You are halfway done. Rotate the project to manipulate the two open end pieces. Take the time to trim the side lengths shorter if you can tell they are too long. They should be long enough to overlap, but not too much more. If you can't eyeball it right, then gently test-fold one over the other to see if they are long enough. If it's unwieldy, then trim one down. Trimming an end piece is awkward and requires delicacy, because it is already in a u-shape while you are trimming it. It's ok if your trim is a little crooked because everything will be tucked in by the time you're done. Just don't short yourself by trimming too much.
Start folding and taping the two open ends: Each open end side involves 4 steps (2 sides, the bottom and the top). For the first open end side, take one corner of the open end wrap and run your finger down from the top of the gift to the bottom of it, pressing it in, which creates a diagonal fold. Since you are a beginner, tape the fold to the box. Do the same to the opposite piece, which will be even more delicate since the u-shape is now half concave. Now take the bottom fold and bent it up, using your finger to push any creases in so they are nice and firm. Tape it up. Lastly, take the top piece (should look like a triangle now) and it the edge is not straight, fold it over to create a straight edge. Bend it all down and tape it.
Do the same for the other open end side.
It's best if your original wrap size gauging is close. However, sometimes we mis-gause. So as you become more experienced, then you can experiment with sliding the open-ended gift up and down inside the initial large wrap, which can make the end pieces easier. But that won't work if you have taped the very first piece to the box for stability. It's a trade off. I would go with stability until you are more experienced. The only drawback is your end pieces might require extra trimming. Anyhow, as you become more skilled, remember when you slide the gift to adjust the open end sides for the right length, you don't have to put it right in the middle and trim both open ends down to size. No. You can push it all the way to where it is set just right for one end. And then you only need to trim the other side. In general, it's easier to trim just one side when you have to, so go with that if that makes sense. However, it's best if your original gauging is close and you don't have to finagle halfway through like this.
If there is a gap, before you rush around trying to fill the space with a teeny new cut of wrap (cheating), remember you might not have to. If you can find super-wide ribbon, you might be able to fasten the ribbon with tape right over the little gap error, so the error never is an issue at all.
Add a ribbon or ribboning, and viola!
If you give small presents, that helps.
If you can't wrap a really large item, at least get an over-size bow for it. Sometimes those size bows are sold in the section for Christmas tree decorations and wreaths.
Always include a card. The shoddier the wrap, the nicer then card should be.
A well-wrapped present can mean as much to a girl or old-fashioned people as the gift itself. It shows care and love. In some countries, gifts are modest but the wrapping is elaborate.