Jane Means | UK Ribbon Designer & Giftwrapping Expert

December 9, 2013
by jane
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Our hectic Christmas gift wrapping season

We are now in to the peak time of the gift wrapping calendar, and are busier than ever with our London gift wrapping services and events until Christmas

For the last few weeks we have been busy gift wrapping wicker hamper baskets for a private client in Mayfair (over 300 of them). You can also see how to pack the perfect hamper basket in my previous blog post.

It was wonderful to have a packed house for my gift wrapping demonstrations and workshops at the Spirit of Christmas and Country Living Fairs in London and Glasgow.

Kirstie Allsopp popped along to the Country Living Fair in London to sign copies of her new book ‘Kirstie’s Christmas Crafts’ on our stand. We are delighted to be featured in it, and can’t wait for the TV series.

I was also involved with the ‘Get Creative’ Event at Liberty in London and spent a fun 90 minutes gift wrapping live in their window on a busy Thursday evening infront of crowds. The iconic London store stock our ribbons and I popped in several days later to run a free ribbon masterclass for customers in their magical Christmas shop on the 4^th floor.

Clifton Nurseries, another stockiest of our ribbons invited me to run a mini gift wrapping workshop in their heavenly ‘Quince Café’ in Little Venice. We all had lots of creative fun whilst sipping fizz and getting in to the festive spirit. I can’t wait to be back there on the evening of December 9^th to do another festive event and tickets are £20

I headed over to Kent and East Sussex to run 3 separate events in one day for Millbrook Garden Centres. It was a race against time to reach each garden centre in time but we did it albeit tight, and it was wonderful to meet so many of you.

We have now started our Gift Wrapping Service in Selfridges flagship store in London. You will find us in the Beauty Hall on the ground floor every Thursday, Friday and Saturday until Christmas from 5-10pm. The service is complimentary when you buy any products from the Selfridges Beauty Hall (minimum £70).

I am delighted to be working behind the scenes for Chanel in Bond Street in mid December. You will also find me gift wrapping at the Ralph Lauren Fulham Road Store at a VIP charity event, and for Jack Wills and Dior just before Christmas. This year I will have no lack of luxury stores to buy my presents from and already I am drafting my Christmas list. I just need time to wrap them!

It’s also been an incredible season for filming and media. I appeared live on the Paul O’Grady Show on December 2^nd (You can view it on ITV1 catch up).

I was lucky enough to be joined by Il Divo, Brendan O’Carroll and Jane McDonald and enjoyed a quick tipple at the aftershow party.

You’ll also see me appearing on a BBC2 Christmas Programme on December 19^th and I also had great fun filming with Lyndsey James for her forthcoming Craft blog in January. The short outakes clip on Youtube is worth a watch and very funny. I also have a Kuwait film crew popping over to film my work sometime before Christmas.

I will be joining presenter Melvyn Prior on BBC Radio Lincolnshire on 11^th December. We will be discussing everything Christmas and it will no doubt be fun and chaos in the studio. I will then be heading to do a Christmas gift wrapping evening event at one of Rutlands best loved boutiques, Vanilla in Oakham.

We’ve had some great press lately with features in the Observer, Times and Telegraph. Our ribbons have been featured in many magazines including Good Housekeeping, House Beautiful, Essentials, Woman and Home, Country Living, Prima and Bella to name a few! You will also see them in the second series of The Great British Sewing Bee on BBC2.

With such a crazy season, I will have little time to celebrate Christmas myself as I don’t pop my scissors down until late on December 24^th. It will be a quick family supper and as I have worked non stop since my wedding, I will finally be heading off on honeymoon on Christmas Day for a well earned holiday!

If you have any general enquiries about our Gift Wrapping Services, Events and Courses please email us at info@janemeans.co.uk or contact us

I hope that you all have a lovely Christmas and we would love to hear about your festive wrapping in our comments box below

November 20, 2013
by jane
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Gift wrapping a luxurious Christmas hamper basket

There is nothing more I love at Christmas than to receive a wicker hamper packed with speciality foods and luxury wine. It is a perfect gift for anyone and can be made bespoke with personalised presents.

Fortnum and Mason are renowned for their hampers, which are filled with gourmet biscuits, speciality teas, crackers, petty fours, and wine and Champagne.

I remember as a child when my parents received one, and they still use the branded hamper to this day for blanket storage (Wicker hampers are particularly good for this as fabrics are able to breathe).

Hampers come in different shapes and sizes, and the most popular ones are with a box and lid. I love this style as it makes a great storage box once you’ve consumed the contents. We wrap lots of hampers for clients and these by far are the favourite.

There are many variations of hamper boxes on the market including your wicker hamper through to boxes made with card, wood and leather (prices vary considerably).

It is a good idea to choose your packaging first as there are limited options when buying hampers and boxes. If you are giving hampers away at Christmas do by your supplies early as suppliers may run out of stock.

There are several basket makers in the UK who could also make a bespoke size and shape for you. You will also find some great baskets on Ebay

Once you have chosen your box or basket it is time to fill it. You will need some padding such as shred, foam peanuts, tissue and cellophane.

I always line it first with cellophane then add the tissue on top. You can also sprinkle pot pourri in the basket (think of Rowan Atkinson in ‘Love Actually’) or lightly spray the tissue with a winter fragrance (M+S do some great ones for £5)

Bear in mind that if you have bought lots of products they may not all fit in, so it’s a good idea to have a practice run using your own groceries before you go shopping.

Once you have chosen your products, look at the whole range and imagine them in layers. I tend to segregate them in to piles of robust, medium and fragile

Pack the heaviest and rigid items at the bottom such as bottles, ensuring they or packed tight (or there is plenty of padding between them) and the label is showing.

You will then start layering the products and filling the hamper. Play safe and wrap breakable jars and bottles with bubble wrap (they can have an additional layer of tissue to make them look more elegant). It would be a disaster if anything breaks in transit.

Delicate items such as Pannetone, crackers and mince pies should be placed at the very top to avoid them being crushed.

To add extra luxury to the hamper, line it with a rich metallic tissue such as this gold one. I fold the sides in to a slightly narrow width so placement is easy. It gives a polished interior finish.

Once you have completed the layering process of your products, Close the lid and add your written and decorations. If you have any spare space at the sides pad it well with tissue.

Finishing detailing is really important so in this one I have pleated the tissue whilst wrapping a book to give that luxurious effect. When I am gift wrapping for Dior, we always do this pleating process with tissue and add it to the top of the bag (The French term is called ‘applice’).

I also add paper lids and decorations to jars, and love the luxury range of chutneys and Jams from Carved Angel (Their Christmas Puddings were voted ‘The Best’ by the Times and they are always mobbed at the Country Living Fair)

If the product comes in a nice box like this Christmas Pudding from Highgrove, just add a band of ribbon around and tie a simple bow. It makes all of the difference.

Large gaps in your hamper can soon be filled with Pannetone or Christmas Crackers. If you have any small spaces they can be filled with candy canes or small bags of festive treats. You can buy these from luxury outlets such as Daylesford or Fortnum and Mason although you can get a cheaper alternative from Aldi or Lidl

If your hamper is heavy it is a good idea to add some bricks, wooden blocks or rolls of ribbon under the corners so you can access the underneath easily with your ribbon.

If you are packing a hamper that is open with or without a handle, it is a good idea to have the smaller items at the back. I packed this luxury hamper for the Dior in Paris and had to get the balance right. In the gaps I made some handmade ribbon roses to highlight the floral theme.

Christmas gift hamper service by Jane Means

We have gift wrapped many hampers for clients and one note of advice is don’t rush. The interior needs to be the focal point and you want the wow factor to happen when the lid is opened. I hope this helps your Christmas hamper project and I would love to see any photos on our Twitter or Facebook Page.

November 16, 2013
by jane
1 Comment

Gift wrapping with vintage music script

There’s something really eye catching about vintage music paper, and I often use it in my gift wrapping projects.

Recently I bought several books of old script from an antique shop.
You can also find them at charity shops, flea markets and car boot sales.

I have also find perfect accessories including buttons, rusty keys, wooden bobbins and wax seals.

You can also add rustic touches such as dried orange slices, cones and cinnamon sticks, which are perfect for Autumn and Christmas.

I have used this idea with our brown stitched ribbon for the Country Living Fair VIP bags this Christmas

Recently I did a shoot where I made pretty cones and tied in some narrow red stitched ribbon.

Great for kids parties and wedding favours…

Little strips of music paper can be torn and used on gift boxes.

I have done an Autumnal theme here with our rustic Olive stitched ribbon and orange slices

This one I did for a wedding blog tying in lace, pink gingham and a faux flower

Music paper is ideal for any age, gender or occasion making it extremely versatile. I had a go crossing ribbon and secured it with a wax seal.

You can also have a play with glossy magazines too…

Once you have read them from cover to cover, you can recycle your favourite pages and use them as glossy gift wrap.

With vintage being such a huge trend, you will see lots of old calligraphy script and music sheets on my Instagram and Pinterest boards.

Here’s a few more creative ideas too. Enjoy!

We would love your comments if you have used any other types of vintage paper in your gift wrapping projects

October 21, 2013
by jane
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Gift Wrapping ‘Live’ in the windows at Liberty

One of my favourite stores is Liberty located in the heart of London. The iconic building is located just off bustling Regent Street. We were over the moon when Liberty decided to stock our range of ribbons last year.

I am delighted to be involved with their forthcoming ‘Get Creative’ event which will showcase their designers, artisans and makers. Already Stella McCartney, Etsy and Rosie Wonders have signed up to be involved.

On Monday 28th of October I will be gift wrapping live in one of their windows from 5.30pm-7pm, infront of the London press, bloggers, visitors and shoppers.

Their Christmas shop is one of the best in London and the surrounding streets are always bustling and their windows attract crowds from around the world, so it will no doubt be a buzzing atmosphere.

I will be inspiring passers-by with really handy gift wrapping techniques and plenty of ideas for Christmas. Already I have put together a mood board for the window to give you a taste of what is to come. Their Christmas products on the 4th floor are incredible so pop in and see the collections.

I will be back in store on October 31st to work yet more magic. Come and learn how to gift-wrap in style with me in the Christmas Shop. I will demonstrate how to wrap the perfect gift at Christmas and will show you how to jazz up an envelope with a few tips.

For more information log on the the Liberty website. See you there!

September 13, 2013
by jane
32 Comments

Organising your craft room

Since a child I have loved messing around with crafts and materials and have always had a special place to store everything. Buttons in jars, paper in drawers and decorations in used boxes.

In my early days it was a plastic bucket that had been used for toys, Which I could easily rummage through when a good episode of Blue Peter came on

When I bought my first home I made great use of my under stairs cupboard and soon filled it with paints, ribbons and papers. Space was tight so papers were neatly folded and stored in crates. Ribbons and embellishments were popped into baskets which were hung from the beamed ceiling.

Over the years I have grown a business based on craft and gift wrapping. Through my work and extensive travelling, I have carried much of my craft materials away with me by the use of a rigid suitcase and gentle packing. When I have flown to the US on holidays, every inch of my suitcase has been carefully packed so I can bring back lots of new craft materials.

If you are lucky enough to designate a space in the home as a craft room, Here are some great storage ideas. Alternatively your craft room could be a garden shed or a designated corner of the garage or potting shed.

Rolls of wrapping paper can easily be stored in umbrella stands and planters. Sheets of paper and tissue can also be rolled in to scrolls and tied with string or ribbon. They look great in a pretty waste paper basket.

Sheets of paper can be stored on a collapsible washing line and small pieces can easily be stored and decorate a vintage wooden ladder. You can even make your own collapsible gift wrapping ladder using wooden poles and metal chains.

When I buy prepacked tissue I always remove it from the packaging and roll it into scrolls. This is a great way to iron out the creases.

Rolls of ribbon can be kept in shoeboxes or baskets. For larger collections of ribbon buy an inexpensive bookcase and glue on some wooden edging to stop the ribbons from falling out (B&Q Offer a free wood cutting service and sell wood glue too). I have several of these which I take to courses around the UK and have painted them with a cream egg shell paint from Laura Ashley.

I love to keep all remnants of ribbon and recycle wherever possible. Longer lengths can be wound around pretty wooden spools, or placed loose in a large storage jar.

Smaller ribbons can be wound around card or rigid gift tags and secured with a pin. I also love to use dollypegs, Which look very effective too.

If you have string, raffia and twine in your collection, store the ball in a jar or used metal can (They make a tidy dispenser). Always keep bundles of loose raffia in a plastic carrier bag to avoid any mess.

Gift boxes are great for storing any embellishments, Loose decorations and gift tags. You then have some spares incase of a last minute gift.

Utilise every space around you ensuring you don’t clutter your craft table. Boxes can be stored underneath and utilise your walls with plenty of shelves and hooks

A product that I have just designed, is our brand new Ribbon storage dispenser set which holds 5 rolls of Jane Means ribbons. You simply thread through the ribbon and the dispenser box neatly stores them.

To celebrate the launch, we are giving away a set to a lucky follower which includes 50 metres of ribbon and is worth £25. Just leave a comment below and the winner will be picked at random next week. Good luck everyone x

August 28, 2013
by jane
1 Comment

Wax Seals with Bakers Twine and Ribbon

In my gift wrapping career there is one particular trend that I have always been fond of and that is good old Brown Paper. I love it so much that I have based my whole ribbon collection around it and find the subtle brown colour a great canvas to work from. Brown Kraft Paper is inexpensive and can be found in your local Post Office

Here I’ve decided to wrap my gift in brown paper and mix in some old fashioned Bakers Twine as an alternative to ribbon, and love the red and white candy stripe

With the twine I have wrapped it around the box at various angles, and have tied the two ends in the centre of the box

Many years ago I bought a wax seal kit from the shop ‘Past Times’ yet never really knew what to do with it except seal envelopes the old fashioned way.

To get the effect you light the end of the wax stick and wait for the wax to melt (it’s a bit like lighting a candle and waiting for it to drip). When the wax starts to melt you need to position the stick above where you want the wax feature

Once you’ve got a good ‘blob’ of wax, I give it around 10 seconds to mature then push a decorative stamp in it (you can also stamp it in some coloured ink before you push down to give it an extra dimension)

With my project, I’ve cut the 2 ends short after tying them and the wax seal covers them nicely. This is a great idea if children or adults have a habit of opening their presents early!

Bakers Twine is extremely popular and if you can’t find any, use a thin garden string or twine as an alternative

Recently I wrapped this small gift in old fashioned music script for a pianist, and the red wax seal gave it an additional aged look

I also used this hand printed calligraphy paper by Polly O’Connor which I totally love with the gold features

I wanted to go for a subtle ribbon to highlight the wax feature, and chose a narrow light grey stitched ribbon from our collection

You can buy wax seals from upmarket stationery shops and from luxury department stores such as Fortnum and Mason. As an alternative you can always add a dried rosebud on your gift with a glue gun or Copydex, and this is a great idea for wedding favours too.

Enjoy x

August 1, 2013
by jane
0 comments

Dyeing your own ribbon

For many years when my clothes have started to look a bit shabby, I have popped them in the washing machine with a sachet of machine dye and have been delighted with the results.

I have often looked at black coffee, black tea and beetroot juice and thought I would take the plunge this week and have a go at dyeing ribbons the natural way. I particularly love beetroot in salads and usually use the juice to make a vinaigrette. This time I had my eye on the juice for something else….a natural dye!

So I picked a white stitched ribbon from the shelves of the Haberdashery Closet and wanted to see if it worked, and if so what shade of pink I would be left with?

I placed the ribbon in the beetroot juice and left it for about an hour to work its wonders. I’m sure if I had left it overnight, I would have ended up with a richer shade, however curiosity got the better of me!

I was really pleased with the soft shade of pink that appeared and the vintage tone works so well with lace and delicate papers

When the ribbon has dried you can wind the length of ribbon around a vintage style wooden bobbin and secured with a pin for another day

With wedding season in full force, I decided to wrap a small gift adding pleats in the paper and customising it with lace

If you have any other great ingredients for dyeing fabrics and ribbons please pop a comment below!

July 22, 2013
by jane
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Appear on ITV with Gino and Mel

Would you like to appear on ‘Let’s do Lunch’ with Gino and Mel?

ITV are looking for the fastest gift wrappers in the UK to come on the show

Apply by 3rd August by sending us an email to ruth.breading@itv.com.

T&Cs at itv.com/terms

July 10, 2013
by jane
12 Comments

Starting a Gift Wrapping Service

If you’re thinking of starting a gift wrapping service in your shop it can be extremely daunting with many factors to take on board such as costs, materials, staff, pricing and confidence.

A gift wrapping service is a great way to entice people in to your shop and often encourages impulse purchases. You will also stand out from your competitors.

Here are my top 10 Gift Wrapping Tips

1. When buying your materials make sure that you buy them wholesale. You need to keep your costs down so it’s not an expensive service. I would suggest a starter point under £3 per gift as the public don’t want to spend more than what they could do it for themselves.

2. Start with packaging basics such as paper, tissue, cellophane, tape and ribbon/raffia in a neutral colour such as purple or turquoise. This is suitable for any age, genre and occasion and can be used all year round to avoid waste.

3. Avoid busy or patterned papers as you are limited what trimmings you can add and they date quicker.

gift wrapping service boxes

4. Rigid gift boxes are expensive so if you wish to offer these as part of your gift wrapping service, you will need to incorporate these costs. You can also add this option as an extra charge or sell them separately and offer the gift wrapping for free (you can easily wrap the item in some tissue and pop it in the box)

5. Gift Bags are cheaper in price and you can easily offer a complimentary gift wrapping service this way. Adding some ribbon and decorations to bag will look eye catching. I particularly love these damask designs from CarrierBagShop.

6. If you wish to offer a complimentary service, make sure that you incorporate your costs in to your products. It is also a good idea to cap the limit such as ‘Minimum spend £10’ or ‘Maximum 2 products during busy periods’ to avoid customer queues.

7. Market the service well with a small display in the shop window, a sign at the till, on your website and social media. Most of all use your customers as your word of mouth.

8. Ensure you have lots of practice wrapping awkward shapes before you start the service. There are many gift wrapping ideas on the net and you can download Gift Wrapping Videos and learn my techniques through ‘The Art of gift Wrapping DVD’ or a One Day Course.

9. Ask your staff who are happy and confident to do this service. You can also offer certain days or times when the relevant staff members are on duty. You can also offer this service as an event for a pre Christmas opening or a new launch.

10. Smile and be honest with your customers. I often say “I’ve not wrapped one of these before so it may be a couple of attempts until I get it right”. If you’re feeling nervous infront of customers, you could politely suggest that they continue shopping and pop back in 5 minutes, or gift wrap on a counter or table that is slightly out of sight

Love it or hate it, gift wrapping is a popular service and priced well it can be a brilliant marketing opportunity. Do be warned that it is extremely popular the week before Christmas and you will need to make sure that you have enough resources during this peak time.

The ‘Art of Gift Wrapping DVD’ is packed with tips and ideas and is available for £15. We are offering a signed copy to a lucky winner…just leave a comment below why you would like to win it by July 20^th.

Gift Wrapping DVD signing

And here is our winner…Number 1 picked from our online random number generator…so Congratulations Tracy Gray!

July 1, 2013
by jane
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A summer photo shoot

I was utterly delighted when photographer Lyndsey James wanted to pop over to do a feature at the Haberdashery Closet. Her photography workshops caught my eye earlier on in the year as they are designed for anyone who creates or sells small products who want to showcase their work with eye-catching photography.

I couldn’t wait to meet her and pick her brains. I do a lot of my own styling and photography and we had a morning playing around with ribbons, trimmings, raffia, gift wrap and all sorts of decorations. I got to work in the studio whilst we chatted away, and the time flew by.

I spoke about how I started in business with the ups and downs I’ve experienced. So many times I nearly gave up my dream but persisted with the hard work and long hours. It was great comparing notes with a fellow business woman and we chatted away about marketing, running workshops and creative photography which are huge parts of our businesses.

I am always trying to dream up new ways to use ribbon. So many people who buy from us transform mundane items in to brilliant creations. I had a go at recreating the ribbon lampshades that Bay Designs do (although my effort is no where near as perfect as theirs) and plan to make a chandelier from wooden bobbins for a future shoot.

In the Haberdashery Closet you are never short of ribbon and we had piles of pretty trims everywhere. Currently we have over 10,000 rolls of ribbon in stock and I’m always dreaming up new designs and keeping an eye on forthcoming trends, and new crafty projects.

I have a real love for depth and textures and soon pulled out the velvet collection for Lyndsey to photograph. I love velvet as it seems to have that quintessentially British luxury and royal feel about it.

The stockroom is a huge part of Ribbon HQ, we spend a lot of time in there busy packing up our online and wholesale orders on a daily basis. I’m often rummaging through the stock when I am heading off to do a show or course somewhere.

Wrapping gifts has always been a huge part of my life and I always left the nicely wrapped gifts last to open as a child. jane means raffia pink

I’ve always said you can add a few small touches to a gift to give it a huge transformation. Here I’ve made a Fabric Rose just by using half a metre of wired ribbon and you can see the video tutorial on how to make your own.

I found this great cake stand from TK Maxx and threaded some of our ribbon through it for a dramatic effect.

On the day Lyndsey and I managed to find some biscuits and cakes to go on it. I couldn’t resist a purchase when I popped in to Fortnum and Mason a few days earlier for a meeting!

After lunch I did a few step by step wrapping projects and you will be able to see these on the Lyndsey James blog over the next few months

Vibrant wired ribbons were being added around luxurious gift boxes, with recycled Christmas decorations being tied in as a feature. I found these glass heart baubles in a florist in Paris and couldn’t resist them!

To add extra luxury I decided to layer several ribbons around gifts. The recipient needs to be very special for this kind of treatment!

Wallpaper remnants, jars of buttons and more decorations were found…I got completely carried away with Lyndsey and her SLR camera clicking away. She was such a joy to work with that the day was over before I knew it.

jane means papers

One of my favourite decorations are rustic orange slices. They have that rich citrus smell and look great tied on to rustic and vintage style gifts. I also love to use old music sheets in my gift wrapping projects.

The Haberdashery Closet is always full of quirky products, with some of them that you can try out. Papers straws in an old milk bottle go down a storm when customers pop in and enjoy a glass of cloudy lemonade.

One of my favourite products are wooden spools. I’m a huge collector of anything vintage and I have been lucky enough to source some old bobbins from old silk mills in the UK. They are a great way to display your ribbons even if you only have a few remnants in your bottom drawer.

If you have a small craft business, great photography is an absolute must and can be done on a tight budget. I always remember a PR agency in London telling me that advice years ago and it has always stuck. I always spot poor or dark photography and when you sell online or create your own adverts or marketing material it is so important to have clear photos in daylight.

All in all it was a fantastic day and I will be hiring Lyndsey in the future to help with our product photography, and hope to enrol on one of her courses soon. If you have a small craft business, great photography is an absolute must and can be done on a tight budget, with the help of free photography software and apps like Instagram.