Swap your bow for ornaments — not only do they add a little more personality, the ornament can also be a bonus gift. You could snag a pack of mini ornaments to adorn your gifts or hand-select a gorgeous ornament for each of your gifts.

I love these mini blush, gold and white gift toppers, but they are glass so if you have little ones in your home you might want to opt for some equally adorable wooden ones.

Larger ornaments with openings are perfect for tying on with thick ribbon — snowflakes are the best for this (like this one in rose gold or silver) since they usually have symmetrical openings to weave ribbon through.

wrap it:

LEFT — Tie two coordinating mini ornaments to your gift where the string intersects.

RIGHT —Choose a larger ornament and weave thick ribbon through it and then around your gift

If you struggle to tie the perfect bow, just paint it on. Painted bows are unique with a handcrafted vibe and will stay exactly where you put them. I used the same black paint as my chalk painted tags, but you can customize your bow with fun or festive paint colors.

I went with a simple line for my bow and painted it all the way around my gift, but you could paint something a little more fancy or dramatic.

You can also use paint to create your own pattern or print for your wrapping paper. For my Christmas tree print, I used a cookie cutter dipped in my black paint to stamp the trees onto my brown paper. I painted a big sheet of paper, let it dry, and was able to wrap multiple gifts with it.

For a little more personality, you can freehand your pattern or design, but a cookie cutter is a fast and easy way to create your own original design.

wrap it:

LEFT — Paint on a bow using your favorite color or keep it simple with black paint

RIGHT — Use a cookie cutter dipped in paint to stamp a festive print and DIY your own holiday wrapping paper. Let dry fully before wrapping.

With pom poms and a hot glue gun, you can add texture and a playful vibe to your brown paper present. I went with white mini pom poms for a white winter wonderland vibe, but you can totally opt for colored ones if you want a brighter look.

If you don’t want to spend time gluing on pom poms, you can use pom pom ribbon for a similar vibe that takes less time. You can also use a pencil eraser dipped in white ink or paint to create a polka dot pattern without the poms.

For the ribbon, I twisted it before I tied it on for an added whimsical feel. If you’re using pom pom ribbon / garland, you can twist this as well so that your pom poms alternate sides.

wrap it:

ABOVE — Wrap your package and add ribbon (optional). Apply a dot of hot glue to a pom pom, stick it onto your wrapped gift. Glue them down in a pattern or attach them little more randomly.

Jingle bells are a holiday classic and similar to ornaments, they make a great gift topper in lieu of a bow. I chose two bells that were the same size and tied them on top of my hand-stamped wrapping paper.

You could also do just one large bell or pick one large bell and one small. This pack of bells has a variety of sizes. This present looks chic, but its also fun for little ones to shake and ring the bells. You can also snag them in silver if you like that look better.

wrap it:

ABOVE — Wrap your package and tie it up with string. Tie a couple jingle bells to the cross in the string — choose two that are the same size or one smaller and one larger.

Stamps are an even easier way to add pattern and personality to your gifts. Choose a festive holiday stamp or go with a simple letter or pattern (like my lace one).

Stamping is a little less messy than paint and still has a variety of shape & color options. I love the look of white ink on the brown paper, but you could go more colorful with red or green.

If you have an alphabet stamp set, you could also stamp names or initials right onto the gift itself. Add your choice of string or ribbon and a bow.

wrap it:

ABOVE — Wrap your package and add ribbon (optional). Use stamps to create an accent or pattern — I love the look of white ink on brown paper.