Ribbons and bows. Tags and tape. So much goes into wrapping the perfect present.
Amber Blakley should know. She’s been doing it since she was 10.
Growing up in Carmel, Blakley started learning how to wrap gifts as a fifth grader through Hamilton County 4-H.
“Never in that time did I think I’d be doing this as a career,” Blakley says.
However, when she found herself without a job during the pandemic, Blakley began to look around at what she was good at doing and what she enjoyed. The answer to that question came in the form of a perfectly wrapped package that would become a full-time gift-wrapping business for Blakley as The Westfield Wrapper.
Her first holiday season was a success. Just by word of mouth, her clients multiplied three fold within the first year.
Last year, someone messaged her on Instagram about auditioning for a new gift-wrapping competition show. Blakley thought it was a scam. However, she was soon chosen as a contestant for QVC’s first Ultimate Gift Wrapping Challenge.
“I wanted to show my daughters that it’s ok to try things even if you’re scared and even if you don’t succeed,” she says. “I was not in the finale, but I was not the first one out either. I learned so much about myself. It was crazy—something I never thought I’d do.”
Blakley says she left feeling inspired to come back home and do what she does best—wrapping personal and corporate gifts, creating custom decorative displays and offering special events and parties.
It’s the Thought That Counts
Blakley puts a lot of consideration into her wrapping.
“I love to embellish,” she says. “I get excited and inspired to try to match baby shower themes or wedding invitations. That’s where I really make it personal.”
She recently created an entire Christmas wrap theme for a newlywed whose wife’s favorite color is pink.
If Blakley’s craft has you wanting to dress up your gift-giving, check out these tips.
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Use double-sided tape. For beginners who want to get that professional look, this is the easiest trick to create a nice, neat package with no tape showing on the outside.
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Don’t skimp on paper. “The weight of the paper is important,” Blakley says. If it’s too thin, it will rip; and if it’s too thick, it won’t fold well. She really likes paper with grid-lines on the back because it makes cutting and measuring so easy.
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Wrap from your heart. “In the end, the recipients don’t care if you’ve decorated it to the nines,” Blakley says. “They care that you’ve shown them they are special.”
For more inspiration and expert help, find Blakley on Instagram @Westfield.Wrapper.