Christmas is a time for giving, but when you're a celebrity you haven't always got the time to do the wrapping yourself - fortunately for the stars, they don't have to! Meet Jo Clydesdale, founder of professional wrapping service WrapperSnapper, a.k.a. the celebrity wrapping elf! For the last five years Jo (who is also in demand when brands like Hermès and Scotch Tape need their parcels packed to perfection) has been wrapping presents for a wide range of clients including Robbie Williams - and she admitted her job can leave her feeling star-struck.
"I was very excited," she told HELLO! Online of spotting Robbie photographed handling the gifts she had wrapped. "When I saw the photos I thought, 'Oh my god, Robbie Williams is touching my boxes!'"
But while many of us baulk at the thought of wrapping fiddly shaped parcels, the challenges Jo has encountered in her pro-gift wrapping life are enough to make our Christmas wrapping dilemmas fade into insignificance. Since launching her company in 2011, Jo has been asked to wrap everything from a car to a pineapple – so when she shared her top tips for perfect Christmas gift wrapping, we listened…
Jo shared her ultimate guide to perfect Christmas gift wrapping
What are your top three tips for perfect gift-wrapping?
"Double-sided tape is a must. That tends to hide when you're joining the paper, so you don't see any tape at all. Sharp scissors to ensure you can cut the ribbon leaving it with a tidy edge. Then, good quality paper to avoid tears and unnecessary creasing."
What's the ultimate gift-wrapping faux pas?
"I think too much paper. I know it probably sounds strange, but making sure it's cut the correct size at the start will save you so much time. Otherwise throughout the whole wrapping you find yourself constantly trimming the paper and you find it slows you down."
She revealed Paperchase is one of her favourite shops for wrapping paper
Where's the best place to buy wrapping paper?
"I love Paperchase, I use them for smaller jobs. They have a brilliant selection of paper, they're on the high street, they're easy and accessible, they're reasonably priced. They're quite good quality. Paperchase do beautiful prints."
How long does it take you to wrap all of the presents?
"I get this asked all the time! Obviously it depends on the size of the gift, and it depends also on how I get given the paper. If it comes in rolls or designed by size and sheets, the prepping takes time and energy. I don't think anybody realises this, that you have to cut all of the paper to size, the ribbon to size."
The WrapperSnapper Pop-Up shop will run in Boxpark Shoreditch on Friday 23rd December. For more information head to wrappersnapper.co.uk.
