Looking for a playful yet simple way to dress up a gift?
This easy gift wrapping idea with a pinwheel topper is a fun and charming touch!
Perfect for birthdays, weddings, Christmas presents, baby showers, holidays, and more.
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If you're looking for a way to make your gifts a little more special, this gift wrapping idea with a pinwheel is a fun and easy choice.
It adds a cheerful touch and doesn't take much time or extra materials to pull together.
Whether you're wrapping gifts for birthdays, baby showers, Christmas, Easter, or even teacher appreciation, this little extra detail will bring a smile to the recipient’s face.
This method works best for rectangle and square-shaped gifts — think books, board games, framed photos, clothing boxes, puzzles, journals, or small homewares.
It's also flexible enough that you can place the pinwheel topper on round gifts like cookie tins or jars too!
We’ll also cover how to neatly wrap a rectangular or square-shaped gift step-by-step so that you have a smooth surface to work with before adding your pinwheel.
Perfect for anyone who loves a polished yet handmade look!
Ready to get started? Let's wrap!
Why You'll Love This Pattern
- Quick and easy: Perfect for those last-minute gifts.
- Uses minimal materials: No fancy tools required — just paper, scissors, tape, and ribbon.
- Great for many occasions: Birthday, baby shower, Easter, Christmas, or any event you want to make special.
- Works with different gift shapes: Especially ideal for rectangular and square presents but easy to adapt.
- Customizable: Match your paper and ribbon to any color scheme or party theme.
Skill Level
★☆☆☆☆ (Very Easy)
Materials Needed
- Wrapping paper (for wrapping the gift)
- A square piece of wrapping paper (for making the pinwheel)
- Tape (ordinary or double-sided)
- Scissors
- Ribbon or twine (optional, for extra decoration)
- Your gift
Note: The square piece of wrapping paper for your pin wheel will need to be the length of the shortest side of your gift.
E.g. If you are wrapping a square gift and it is 6 inches x 6 inches (15 cm x 15 cm), you will need a square piece that is 6 inches x 6 inches (15 cm x 15 cm).
But if you are wrapping a rectangular shaped gift and it is 8 inches x 10 inches (20 cm x 25 cm), you will need a square piece that is 8 inches x 8 inches (20 cm x 20 cm).
Instructions
Wrapping Your Present
Step 1: Cut your wrapping paper to size. You want the bottom edge to have enough that it can fold up just about a quarter of the gift. Likewise, with the top edge, you want to have enough that it can fold down just about a quarter of the gift.
The sides of the gift should have enough to cover the gift (e.g. 1 times the width of the gift on either side).
Step 2: Fold the left edge over to cover your gift. Then fold the right edge over your gift, so that it overlaps the left.
Tape along the middle of the gift as well as the top section. If you want to hide the tape, you could use double sided tape.
Step 3: Using your fingers, run them along the bottom edge of your gift. Then bring the paper down as shown.
Step 4: Straighten out the bottom right and left sides of the paper as shown. Make sure they align with the sides of the gift.
Step 5: Fold both the left and right sides of the bottom edge in.
Step 6: Fold the bottom edge up (note; if you think your bottom edge is a bit too long, you can trim it down slightly) and secure it with tape. You don’t want the bottom edge to go over the top of the gift.
Step 7: Repeat steps 3 to 6 for the top edge.
Step 8: Completed wrapped gift.
Making the Pinwheel
Using your smaller piece of paper.
Step 1: Take your square wrapping paper and arrange it so that the color you want your pinwheel is facing down. In this case, the outside of our pinwheel will be red and the inside will be brown.
Step 2: Fold your square in half from left to right.
Step 3: Unfold previous step.
Step 4: Fold your square in half from top to bottom.
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Step 5: Unfold previous step.
Step 6: Cut along the lines shown. Do notcut all the way to the middle of your paper.
Step 7: Take the outer bottom left point and place it in the centre, attaching it with some glue or tape.
Step 8: Take the inner bottom right point as shown, and place it in the centre, attaching it with some glue or tape.
Step 8: Take the inner bottom right point as shown, and place it in the centre, attaching it with some glue or tape.
Step 9: Take the outer top right point as shown, and place it in the centre, attaching it with some glue or tape.
Step 10: Take the inner top left point as shown, and place it in the centre, attaching it with some glue or tape.
Step 11: Completed pinwheel. You could attach a decorative gift bow/rosette, gem stone, or button in the middle of your pinwheel if you want.
Using some double sided tape or glue, attach your pinwheel to your gift.
Tips For Success
- Use double-sided paper if you want your pinwheel to have a colorful, polished look on both sides.
- Keep your folds neat to help your pinwheel stand out nicely.
- Add a decorative center like a small button, sticker, or rhinestone for extra charm.
- Choose lightweight wrapping paper for the pinwheel so it’s easy to fold and won’t weigh down the gift.
Color, Paper Ideas, and Variations
- Birthday party: Bright polka dots, stripes, or rainbow colors.
- Baby shower: Soft pastels like pale blue, blush pink, mint green, or sunshine yellow.
- Christmas: Classic red and green combos, metallic golds, or snowy white patterns.
- Easter: Sweet spring shades like lavender, peach, pale green, or light yellow.
- Teacher gifts: Fun apple prints, pencils, chalkboard designs, or cheerful plaids.
- Neutral kraft paper with metallic or white pinwheels for a chic look.
- You can also layer two different pinwheels (one slightly smaller on top of the other) for a more dimensional effect!
FAQ
Yes! Just make sure it's not too thick, or it will be harder to fold neatly.
The square piece of wrapping paper for your pin wheel will need to be the length of the shortest side of your gift.
E.g. If you are wrapping a square gift and it is 6 inches x 6 inches (15 cm x 15 cm), you will need a square piece that is 6 inches x 6 inches (15 cm x 15 cm).
But if you are wrapping a rectangular shaped gift and it is 8 inches x 10 inches (20 cm x 25 cm), you will need a square piece that is 8 inches x 8 inches (20 cm x 20 cm).
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