The Soul of Gift Wrapping

Lovely! Just lovely! I loved the how beautifully aesthetic this book is. The author's words on pages four through fifty allowed the reader and the author to connect in experiences despite never meeting. The preparation section is super helpful. The step by step directions was amazing.

Start saving scrap paper, found objects, maps, magazines and old sewing patterns now. Megumi Loran Inouye has an innovative and creative way to wrap gifts in a sustainable way. Techniques based on Japanese traditions and furoshiki, cloth wrapping.

Instructions are easy to follow and broken into sections depending on the shape of the object: Square, Rectangular, Cylindrical and so on....

If you love adding a special touch to your gifts or living a no waste lifestyle, pick up a copy of The Soul of Gift Wrapping today.

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.

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.

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.

What a beautiful book! I have always wanted to be a great gift giver, but I struggle to see the practicality of wrapping beyond a gift bag and some tissue paper. At the same time, I absolutely love receiving a beautifully wrapped gift and admire the work that I observe in others' efforts. I recently ventured in to very basic wrapping with fabric, and it is such a delight. So I was excited to see this entire book, not just about how to wrap gifts but about the traditions and intentions of gift wrapping.

The book has 3 main sections: Inspiration, Preparation and Creation. This final section includes step-by-step directions and templates for wrapping gifts of all shapes and sizes and includes many techniques. I very much appreciate the step-by-step photo instructions for someone like me who has a hard time vizualing but can follow instructions! I am excited to try out some of the wrapping techniques.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #StoreyPublishing for a free copy of #TheSoulofGiftWrapping by Megumi Lorna Inouye. All opinions are my own.

This is such a beautiful book. Not just the wrapping tutorials, but also just the way it is written. As I was reading it it overwhelmingly felt as if a lot of care and thought had gone into every bit of the narrative and I was completely drawn into it. I loved it!
The different materials used and the interesting ways to wrap gifts were so pretty. I would love to receive a gift wrapped like that and I will definitely be trying some of these out when wrapping my Christmas gifts this year.
It even got me thinking about other ways to make my own wrapping papers using drawing, stamping or printing.
I was also reminded of my mum who, every year that I was growing up, took out her faithful pinking shears and repurposed that year’s Christmas cards into next year’s gift tags. So I feel inspired to look at making my own gift tag options from the book too.
A fabulous book that I highly recommend.
My thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me to read this advance reader copy. This review is left of my own volition.

This is a book by Megumi Inouye, a gift wrapping and packaging artist. She uses sustainable wrapping designs without any tape. Each page is beautiful to look at with each gift looking like art. The book is broken down into the inspiration behind her creative techniques, the tools and materials used, and step-by-step directions with templates.

Each page imparts a little wisdom where she shares stories of wrapping in intentional ways. The meaning behind the techniques are based on different Japanese traditions. It is a bonus to learn about Japanese philosophy as well. So now you can repurpose any scrap cloth or paper you have saved or old road maps you were never going to use. Some of the wrapping even incorporates bits of nature.

This book will help you wrap your gifts in new and creative ways but also teach you the art of receiving a gift and having a heart of gratitude. I highly recommend.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

The author explains how we should enjoy wrapping gifts, spend a little extra time on it and explore the creativity we can develop with just a little guidance. This book is full of lovely ideas on how to wrap gifts of varying shapes and sizes and how to embellish them with a variety of everyday things such as paper, fabric, twigs and buttons. Lots to inspire the reader and all carefully explained with lots of photos. Thank you to Net Galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautiful book with certainly a lot of soul! The very act of wrapping being part of a gift itself is a lovely idea. I loved learning about the Japanese words and meanings dotted throughout the book. Wabi sabi, furoshiki and omotenashi being my favourites to learn about. There were three sections, inspiration, preparation and creation.
The quotes from various people at the end of each of the inspiration stories were also gorgeous to read and think about.
There were a plethora of beautiful ideas, set out in ways which showed you exactly how they could be made. The gorgeous pictures added such a lot more to the explanations and tutorials alike.
My favourite quote;
Repurposing unlocks beauty and transformational energy- materials, like people, have the potential for multiple destinies.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for a temporary copy in exchange for an honest review.

WOW this book is so beautiful, its not just the artfully arranged photos of each design but the way Megumi Inouye describes the Japenese etiquette to gift giving and her innovative ideas using fabrics, recycled & scrap papers & all with no tape in sight. Each wrapping technique is clearly explained with measurements and photos shown so easy to follow but practice will make perfect. As a crafter there are even some techniques that could be used to make cards and boxes.
this will make a lovely gift for anyone.

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.

For the past few years, I have been using fabric gift bags for Christmas. I like that they are reusable and environmentally friendly. However, my kids miss the excitement of tearing off wrapping paper. So, when I came across this book, I hoped it might offer some alternatives that could satisfy us all.

This book is full of beautiful photos, and its text describes numerous unique and eco-conscious gift wrapping techniques. Furthermore, the book delves into the spirit of giving and receiving gifts.

I found the detailed instructions, accompanied by numerous photos, to be really helpful. I also appreciated the fact that none of the wrapping methods required tape. I'm eagerly looking forward to trying out some of these techniques this holiday season.

I'm grateful for receiving this ARC via NetGalley, and I would definitely consider purchasing a physical copy of this book for easy reference during future gift-giving occasions.

Thank you for the ARC, NetGalley. This book was absolutely beautiful and enchanting. Much more than I expected, it is heartwarming and innovative. I loved every single second of this book. Learning a new craft, practicing sustainability and touching the soul; who knew this book would deliver all three of those things. Highly recommend.

Great book on origami style gift wrapping techniques!
I’m so happy to get to review this book near christmas!
It’s a beautiful and specific book, easy to follow instructions for the most thoughtful gift wrapping you’ll ever make.
It has many styles of gift wrapping, even for bottles and books, and also dives into the envelopes and ornaments you can put on top.

If you are looking for new ways to style your gifts definitely check this out!

The Soul of Gift Wrapping instructs readers on artful ways to spruce up gift wrapping, but the text explains why such a skill is useful to begin with. This book encourages the reader to be mindful of the process and the materials used for wrapping, as these things are non-verbal ways we express our caring.