How do I giftwrap a grapefruit?
December 17, 2011 10:23 AM Subscribe
How do you gift-wrap a grapefruit?
I would like to give each of my co-workers a single delicious grapefruit as a holiday gift. But I would love for it to be beautifully, adorably, and/or creatively presented. Either quirky-weird fun or absolutely lovely would be best, and I'd love to include a tag with room for a quick note as part of the presentation. And I'd like it to be relatively inexpensive. Ideas?
I would like to give each of my co-workers a single delicious grapefruit as a holiday gift. But I would love for it to be beautifully, adorably, and/or creatively presented. Either quirky-weird fun or absolutely lovely would be best, and I'd love to include a tag with room for a quick note as part of the presentation. And I'd like it to be relatively inexpensive. Ideas?
I think easily confused has it-- like a giant hard candy. Attach the tag to one of the ribbons.
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:29 AM on December 17, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:29 AM on December 17, 2011 [3 favorites]
I would get mini wood pallets and then strap the grapefruit to them (two straps around). TRICKY but FABULOUS.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 10:31 AM on December 17, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by RJ Reynolds at 10:31 AM on December 17, 2011 [4 favorites]
If you have time, get those round cardboard boxes from the craft store. (like mini hat boxes) and decorate them. The box is as much a gift as what's in it.
I usually hot glue fabric to them. Dalmation print fake fur, raw silk, sequin-y stuff all give very different looks. Fancy paper's good, too, but in my experience more expensive by the yard. You can decorate the heck out of them with gold paper trims, etc, though.
posted by small_ruminant at 10:37 AM on December 17, 2011
I usually hot glue fabric to them. Dalmation print fake fur, raw silk, sequin-y stuff all give very different looks. Fancy paper's good, too, but in my experience more expensive by the yard. You can decorate the heck out of them with gold paper trims, etc, though.
posted by small_ruminant at 10:37 AM on December 17, 2011
Painting them with edible gold leaf would be beautiful, but expensive.
Tie them with ribbon like you would a pomander.
Create a bag out of fabric, newspaper, kraft paper, tissue paper or gift wrap. Make a beautiful tag (or ornament) to go with.
Wrap them with cord, ribbon, fabric strips or yarn so they look like a ball of yarn (or cord, ribbon, etc).
Sew a paper envelope/pouch.
posted by runningwithscissors at 10:43 AM on December 17, 2011
Tie them with ribbon like you would a pomander.
Create a bag out of fabric, newspaper, kraft paper, tissue paper or gift wrap. Make a beautiful tag (or ornament) to go with.
Wrap them with cord, ribbon, fabric strips or yarn so they look like a ball of yarn (or cord, ribbon, etc).
Sew a paper envelope/pouch.
posted by runningwithscissors at 10:43 AM on December 17, 2011
Instead of using paper, I would use fabric. Cut a large square or circle of fabric (use pinking shears if you have access to a pair). Put the grapefruit in the center. Gather the edges together at the top and secure with twine, ribbon, yarn, or something like that. You can keep it minimal or add felt or paper shapes to the front, pipe cleaners around the "neck", a string of pretty beads, rhinestones, sequins... If you take a trip to the craft/fabric store, there will be plenty of inspiration. You'll probably find everything you need at a thrift store if you want to go that route!
posted by kitty teeth at 10:47 AM on December 17, 2011
posted by kitty teeth at 10:47 AM on December 17, 2011
Cut different patterns of wrapping paper into long strips and wrap them around the grapefruit like a ball of yarn. This could be neat with newspaper too.
I have a great idea in my head that I don't know how to explain - put the grapefruit in the middle of a piece of paper, bring up the paper on opposite sides and make sharp pleats until the paper is pleated all the way around the grapefruit - does that make sense?
These might inspire you.
posted by bunderful at 11:10 AM on December 17, 2011
I have a great idea in my head that I don't know how to explain - put the grapefruit in the middle of a piece of paper, bring up the paper on opposite sides and make sharp pleats until the paper is pleated all the way around the grapefruit - does that make sense?
These might inspire you.
posted by bunderful at 11:10 AM on December 17, 2011
Glue-gun a single bow to each otherwise unadorned grapefruit. Because fruit is the snack that comes in its own wrapper.
posted by ook at 11:11 AM on December 17, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by ook at 11:11 AM on December 17, 2011 [4 favorites]
Also, wrap the grapefruit in deep purple, red or blue tissue paper, then glue on white or silver snowflakes.
posted by bunderful at 11:12 AM on December 17, 2011
posted by bunderful at 11:12 AM on December 17, 2011
OR cut leaf-shapes out of green magazine pages. Start with a newspaper base wrapped around the grapefruit and taped in place, and glue the leaves over that so that the entire thing is wrapped in green leaves - funky green leaves.
I am going to stop now, really I am.
posted by bunderful at 11:14 AM on December 17, 2011 [2 favorites]
I am going to stop now, really I am.
posted by bunderful at 11:14 AM on December 17, 2011 [2 favorites]
Seconding furoshiki, with the Japanese Ministry of the Environment's official recommendations on method of using furoshiki. Note the Suika Tsutsumi, nominally for watermelons.
posted by whatzit at 11:21 AM on December 17, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by whatzit at 11:21 AM on December 17, 2011 [3 favorites]
It'd be less trivial to do, but I might dip them in cheese wax. It's, you know, the wax you sometimes find on cheese that's easy to peel off.
posted by cmoj at 11:28 AM on December 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by cmoj at 11:28 AM on December 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: If you have a few odd charms and little things around the house to use with them, you could make Surprise Balls!
posted by peagood at 1:05 PM on December 17, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by peagood at 1:05 PM on December 17, 2011 [2 favorites]
I'd personally wrap them as horribly as possible. Like with white undersides sticking out and such. On purpose.
posted by functionequalsform at 2:39 PM on December 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by functionequalsform at 2:39 PM on December 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
Bandanas. Just like those beautiful furoshiki, but cheaper, and obviously re-usable.
posted by theora55 at 4:02 PM on December 17, 2011
posted by theora55 at 4:02 PM on December 17, 2011
Make a cardboard stand and place the grapefruit on top of it. Then place it in a box with a clear viewing window. Tell them it's an abstract expressionist snow-globe of Florida, or wherever grapefruits come from.
It's that or you should get a permanent marker and draw faces on the grapefruits, preferably of the likenesses of the gift recipients. And again, in a box with a viewing window, like a collectible toy.
posted by iamkimiam at 6:24 PM on December 17, 2011
It's that or you should get a permanent marker and draw faces on the grapefruits, preferably of the likenesses of the gift recipients. And again, in a box with a viewing window, like a collectible toy.
posted by iamkimiam at 6:24 PM on December 17, 2011
How about covering them with paper mache? Using red, green and gold tissue paper.
posted by yawper at 6:38 PM on December 17, 2011
posted by yawper at 6:38 PM on December 17, 2011
Get those little boxes that look like take-out boxes, fill them with tissue paper or confetti or something colorful and cushiony, and rest the grapefruit in them.
posted by bassjump at 7:02 PM on December 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by bassjump at 7:02 PM on December 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
Nthing Furoshiki. I like the Apple Wrap shown here. Even though grapefruit are larger than apples, this should still work pretty well.
posted by marsha56 at 7:45 PM on December 17, 2011
posted by marsha56 at 7:45 PM on December 17, 2011
How will your colleagues unwrap the presents - together at the office or at home on their own time?
If you will unwrap the presents together, it would be funny if you put each grapefruit in a box for another product and then have everyone unwrap their presents at the same time - there will be confusion/excitement/disappointment when they see what think they got, followed by more confusion/laughter when they all realize together that they all got grapefruits!
My parents used to do this to us all the time - I did it to a friend once - I bought something that she really wanted but put the item in a box in which a potato peeler that I bought for myself came in.
The look of disappointment on her face when she thought I gave her a potato peeler was priceless!
posted by bitteroldman at 8:33 AM on December 18, 2011 [2 favorites]
If you will unwrap the presents together, it would be funny if you put each grapefruit in a box for another product and then have everyone unwrap their presents at the same time - there will be confusion/excitement/disappointment when they see what think they got, followed by more confusion/laughter when they all realize together that they all got grapefruits!
My parents used to do this to us all the time - I did it to a friend once - I bought something that she really wanted but put the item in a box in which a potato peeler that I bought for myself came in.
The look of disappointment on her face when she thought I gave her a potato peeler was priceless!
posted by bitteroldman at 8:33 AM on December 18, 2011 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: So many great ideas, I think next year all my gifts must be round so I can try them all!
posted by ferociouskitty at 10:38 AM on December 18, 2011
posted by ferociouskitty at 10:38 AM on December 18, 2011
It's time-intensive, but how awesome would it be if you wrapped each grapefruit differently? Then it's all, "OH YEAH? Well, MY grapefruit came in a takeout box!" "Oh, that's nothing, mine was paper maché'd!"
posted by iamkimiam at 5:31 PM on December 20, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by iamkimiam at 5:31 PM on December 20, 2011 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by easily confused at 10:26 AM on December 17, 2011 [3 favorites]