About

Cost: $ $ $ $ $

Difficulty: • • • • •

Time: 10 mins

Giftwrapped
I have long been a fan of Japanese wrapping and origami. During my regular travels to Japan in the early 1990s I used to frequent a small chocolate shop in Ginza in downtown Tokyo. I spent hours watching the staff wrap boxes of chocolates in all shapes and sizes and was mesmerised with their attention to detail. There I learned the art of Japanese pleating and now you can, too.

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Step 1
Cut the paper to the right size for your box. Place the paper down so that it’s a portrait shape and fold in half along the longest side.
Step 2
Unfold the paper and place your finger and thumb on the fold a third of the way from the edges. Pinch the paper to make the first pleat, fold over 2.5cm (1in) and crease it. Lift the paper up and tuck under to form the next pleat (to match the first one), and pinch, fold and crease as before.
Step 3
Open the paper out and repeat the steps again until you have as many pleats as fit neatly across the box – stick with an odd number, I like three or five.
Step 4
Turn the paper over and tape the pleats in place.
Step 5
Place the paper on top of the box (rather than up end the box onto the paper) and mark with a crease on the edge of the box to locate the paper in the right place. Then turn the box and paper over together.
Step 6
Now start wrapping the box, ensuring it hasn’t shifted on the pleats. Bring the long edge of the paper towards you and mark this paper with a crease where it lays over the edge of the box nearest you. Then fold over the paper on this crease and attach double-sided tape.
Step 7
Bring the long edge of the paper over once more, peel off the tape’s backing and stick down, so that the taped edge is neat and sits exactly on the edge of the box.
Step 8
Now, do the sides. Flip the box over (pleats on top), push the top layer of paper down and push your fingers right into the corners, creasing the paper as you go along. Repeat at the other side.
Step 9
Take the outer folded paper into the middle so that it’s snug against the side of the box. If you don’t get a perfect point, here’s a little trick – take the flap and fold the paper back gently so that the fold sits halfway up the side of the box - you’ll see its edges line up with those on the box.
Step 10
Cut some double-sided tape and stick the flap down.
Step 11
Now, try out a few trimmings to decide whether you want a coordinated or contrasting ribbon.
Step 12
Tie a simple bow and trim the ends of the ribbons at an angle.