This was a really interesting book about wrapping various objects in a multitude of items.

I particularly remember going to department stores with my Mum when I was quite young and flipping through the sewing pattern books, there were so many of them and the books were so large, or they just seemed it to me at a young age! But of course there's very little need for them anymore - unless of course you're lucky enough to find some old patterns in a charity shop and can use them for wrapping, as one of the items in this book, very clever idea!

This is a very gentle book about the art of wrapping, I especially love that in Japan the grateful way to receive a gift is with both hands, and unwrapped slowly, as if taking gentle care of the emotions of the giver, really lovely sentiment.

The book has lots of pictures to give you ideas, along with a section of the basic materials you need, and techniques to help you - and surprisingly tape is not used in any of the wrapping techniques, helping to keep things sustainable. I loved the origami boxes, and this technique can be used for practically any size of present you need to wrap.

All in all a really fascinating book that makes you think more about the materials around you that you can use to wrap your presents, I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more unusual items in my daily life and spending more time on my wrapping now, instead of just using shop bought rolls of wrapping.

This book is inspirational with lots of lovely photos. The instructions are clear with good use of photos to demonstrate the steps.
Also the book encourages you to use a wide range of different materials for gift wrapping. Looking forward to trying the different wrapping techniques out.

So precious! This book is a gem.
I loved the designs and the stories behind them.
Instructions are clear and easy to follow, good quality pictures.

A lovely book on sustainable, mindful and beautiful gift wrapping. Learn how to wrap without ANY tape, and create gorgeous boxes, envelopes and embellishments sustainably. The author points out the pleasure and importance of taking the time to care about the wrapping, the giving and even the unwrapping. Techniques used are largely origami based, but easy to do with little in the way of equipment you won’t already have. She even uses fabrics with simple ties which will be great for awkward shaped gifts. The writing within is also insightful into Japanese culture and customs.

I love wrapping gifts already, and look forward to learning with this book, and creating my own earth friendly and thoughtful wrappings.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review this insightful book.

A book on wrapping gifts, that’s interesting! The book starts out with an introduction that explains the origins of this book and <i> stories, personal discoveries, and historical context, uncovering why we wrap and what inspires me. Grounded in these principles of gratitude, I then share how to wrap, with step-by-step instructions for wrapping and embellishing any gift with intention and beauty.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to share the transformational, loving, healing, thought-provoking power of wrapping. The gift of gratitude is timeless and needed now more than ever. </i>
The next chapters describe things like for example:
- <i>The Comfort of Community (Celebrating time shared with others)
- A Tribute to Nature (Appreciating earth’s gifts)
- Payment in Gratitude (Adding soulful intentions to gifts of money)
- The Essence of the Gift (Building a frame to center our intentions)
- The Heart of Gratitude (Tending to oneself and others </i>
There is a chapter on Preparations, what materials you can use, and on paper wrapping techniques. After all these introductions, stories and preparations, you come to the part where you find step-by-step instructions on how to wrap your gift, divided by square and rectangular items, flat items, round and cylindrical items (like a wine bottle) and other items. You can wrap your gift with paper but also with fabric, you can add all kinds of embellishments, like bows, flowers, bindings or message tags.
It’s more than just a ‘how-to-wrap’ book. This is a very elaborate book about wrapping but it also tells a story on giving, gratitude, appreciation and giving.
I received and reviewed an advanced copy of this book and I am grateful for this opportunity. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and Storey Publishing for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I feel so honored to have read this book. I thought I would ''only'' be learning how to wrap gifts differently. But this book is so much more. The first part of the book felt like the author was sharing a part of her, her memories with me. For the gift wrapping tutorials part, the photos look easy enough to follow. I love that most of them don't use anything more than paper or fabric.

WOW! I love learning different ways of wrapping gifts for special occasions & I love my wrapping to look very pretty & this book just teaches me how to do that.
I like that all the techniques of wrapping are so well explained with step by step pics.
I also like how there is no use of tape to fasten the packaging.
Overall, a great book if you like wrapping gifts in unique styles.

Thanks to Netgalley, the Author Megumi Lorna Inouye and the Publisher Storey Publishing for this ARC.

When I first saw the book's cover and title, I was intrigued to read it. I love folding crafts especially origami but kinda lacking creativity in wrapping gifts. Hence I thought "this might be a good resource to learn more gift wrapping techniques, and also equips myself with another skills"

But little did I know, it is more than a 'how to wrap a gift beautifully'. No, it's not. It's way more than what i expected.

To be honest, the ending message touched my heart, in that slot, the author wrote about losing her loved one, and how she cope with it via art-making.

Little did I know that this gift wrapping thing is also a form of expressing our thoughts. Sometimes we cant express things blatantly and chose to subtlely integrate it in crafts and this is one of them.

I think it is a brilliant idea to include an array of short essays introducing the principle related to the craft, from wabi sabi, mottainai to kintsugi. I've always been interested in learning Japanese culture and I think the author did it a justice by integrating it throughout the book. As i read it, i kept on stopping to ponder on what's been written and how I can try to practice it in my life.

This approach makes the the reading a personalized experience, i felt like im a part of the author's life journey. Thank you for the sharing.

As of the gift wrapping techniques, there are a variety of shapes and forms included, accompanied with easy to understand instructions and pictures. The techniques shared are all interesting and creative, i might as well try making all of them in the future. Oh, how i wish i can have the physical copy!

P/s: i weirdly felt soothed when reading this book to the point i wanted to cry out all my grief. I've been dealing with loss of my loved one and yet, when I read all the author's life sharings, i felt like im reconnecting with my emotions on deeper level. I felt like it helps me to understand and see loss in a new light. Like how the author said:

"He said we honor the ones who have passed on not with sadness but with feelings of gratitude for what they have given us and continue to give us in their physical absence."

I will also find my ways to craft my emotions & feelings out. To the author, thank you for the embodiment of gratitude throughout the guide.

Last but not least, thank you netgalley for giving this book as an advanced reader copy, i truly enjoy it on a spiritual level and above are my thought of it.

This book was so great and so detailed. The step by steps were easy to follow. My 5 year old didn’t appreciate the wrapping I did for his birthday, but I’m so excited to wrap Christmas presents this year!

Don't be fooled by the illusion of a mundane subject! There's more than meets the eye within the lovingly illustrated pages of this seemingly simple gift wrapping guide.
The Soul of Gift Wrapping was a delightful read, and its beauty and cheer was infectious. Through the pages of folding styles, patterns, and creative new approaches to a time-worn practice, she shares her wisdom and the insight into what gift-giving truly means.
Simple and easy to follow, instructions are illustrated and each technique is covered with straightforward examples. From reducing our impact on the earth with tapeless wrapping techniques, to alternatives to plastic ribbons, and the less-is-more approach with bands, ties, and fasteners, it's a guide worth keeping for those who wish to wrap consciously and thoughtfully, and for those who wish to convey their gratitude and respect in more ways than one.


Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC copy!

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautiful book! There's stories and information on the wrapping techniques included in this book, pictures, and instructions on how to wrap things in various patterns. This book is a great guide to making beauty out of anything and the value of a skill that takes some time to learn. It's also a nice look at the joy of gift giving and sustainability.

What an utterly beautiful book, not only in the beautiful ways you can sustainably wrap presents in cloth and paper (no tape needed for any of it!) but in the thoughtful prose throughout. This book would make a lovely gift in itself, and has inspired me to wrap all of my gifts in these remarkable ways. Highly, highly recommended.

I read a temporary digital copy of this book for review.

The Soul of Gift Wrapping lives by the motto that every step of showing your love and appreciation is important. It is not only important to select a suitable gift, wrapping it with additional care is also a crucial step when it comes to showing affection.

I tried following instructions for one of the flat items wrap, but it did not turn out as expected. I was also disappointed that the picture's angle was not helpful. I can't see if my end result is intended or I misunderstood the author.

This book reminded me of my childhood time when we used to wrap gifts at home for occasions. Specially somebody's birthday. Megumi explained so many ways to wrap so many things, here, in this book. But one thing that I seek less here is the proper steps for many wrapping techniques which makes it bit tiresome while doing any such SOP as to have no clue on where to fold and unfold the paper to get mentioned design.
Overall, this is a great book and meant to be kept to take ideas from, when gifting someone with our own work.

The Soul of Gift Wrapping book covers mainly how to add make-your-own boxes, envelopes, embellishments, or bottle sleeves rather than traditional take paper and wrap a present up, though there are a handful of those to follow.

It has plenty of photography with step-by-step instructions alongside the materials required.

I wish it had more wrapping-up ideas than embellishments.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

A beautiful guide to creative, zero-waste gift wrapping, or wrapping with found items. Includes origami inspired wrapping, alongside the Japanese idea that the giving and receiving of a gift is just as important as the contents inside.

Really beautiful book!!!
Loved this!


Thank you netgalley, the publisher & the author for the e-copy

The Soul of Gift Wrapping by Megumi Lorna Inouye was so much more than I was hoping it would be. Absolutely beautiful but what really grabbed me is the sustainability that is so important to Megumi, I loved that so much. Not only is she ultra creative but her use of plant material in her papers was stunning.

Her use of plain brown paper to show the steps took a bit of getting used to but then truly what would stand out. Printed paper would not be a good choice. Megumi is a great detail person who demonstrates how to make the intricate designs of layering and I felt her patience in her photos. Again, I loved how many designs she taught where a there was not a need of tape needed? Those were my favorite.

Megumi also uses fabric which was also beautiful and fit with her aesthetic and sustainability.

This book I am going to buy because this book makes me want to change how I gift wrap. I thought I was good but this book takes creativity to the next level.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Quartro for the opportunity to read and review The Soul of Gift Wrapping by Megumi Lorna Inouye.

The Soul of Gift Wrapping: Creative Techniques for Expressing Gratitude, Inspired by the Japanese Art of Giving
Megumi Lorna Inouye
When we receive a gift and the gift wrapping is exquisite, inspiring, and imaginative we know the giver has taken time and gone out of their way to make the gift look special. Sometimes the wrapping is worth so much more than the gift because of the effort. Author Megumi Lorna Inouye offers step by step details including photos to instruct the reader in ways to wrap a gift without tape, ways to use fabric bows, cute message tags, recycled items and other unique ideas.

Thank you to NetGalley for a review copy of The Soul of Gift Wrapping. The review is my unbiased opinion.

I am someone who is not good at packing gifts, I mess up even simple items like books most of the time. This book has been incredibly helpful in learning how to wrap gifts.