Your calendar is already marked off with birthdays and other reoccurring events.
Penciled in between are other events that involve gatherings of friends and relatives.
These too are special occasions that everyone anticipates with pleasure.
It makes for a busy time.
Some require special planning.
Perhaps bake a cake or buy a gift.
Pleasant recollections are the snapshots of these fond memories.
Gift wrapping can be one of these.
Special touches add a great deal the excitement of the moment.
If you've got a birthday coming up you got an easy opportunity to have a little fun and make that gift super special.
Imagine the anticipation and excitement you feel on your birthday and transfer that to someone's special day.
It just takes a little spin and it's easy to do.
It's as easy as blowing out candles.
And what better way than to create special gift look than with some easy to do ties that are from your own hand.
Just grab some simple ribbon in some pleasing colors and start twisting.
But don't stop there, experiment with whatever craft materials you have a hand, even ordinary ribbon can be embellished with a message written with a sparkle pen.
Ribbon with a twist - here's a nice way to put a little spin on a gift wrap with your own handmade ribbon.
Cut printer paper into thirds and glue the strips end to end to form a 3 inch wide banner.
Cover the banner with magazine clippings and scrap paper glued in place with glue stick.
I like to alternate lengths of flat color with snippets of flowers, textures and recognizable objects.
If you have anything with glitter on it just rub it on the banner, some will transfer.
With everything glued in place it's just a matter cutting it into strips the width you want and gluing these together.
There are many variations on this depending on the materials.
Playing on the fun side of life - If you think of gift wrapping as one of those chores, like taking out the trash or picking up the dry cleaning, your missing out.
Fleeting as it may be, gift wrapping is a great way to spread around a little cheer.
You have the gift so it just takes a few minutes to transform it into something special, as the example above shows.
I've never seen a gift tied up with a chain of colored paper clips but I think it could be nice.
Creating the unusual is easily done if you improvise a little with some crazy gift tie and a fancy bow.
There are as many possibilities as there are gifts, which is why gift wrapping so much fun.
Once you find materials and ways of doing things that really interest you, you are ready to go exploring.
It may be something as easy as making your own gift ties, which certainly offers a lot of possibilities for being creative.
Or, try your hand at creating your own art for gift wrap using glitter pens or paint dipped sponges.
It's all right there in the corners of your mind.