It doesn't just have to be the holidays to put a nice piece of ribbon to work for you. Birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions are a perfect reason to give a gift wrapped in ribbon. Here are a few neat ideas to get you started:

Adding Decorative Ribbon to Every Day Items

Colorful decorative ribbon transforms a very simple brown paper sack in to a lovely gift bag. It can also be a sweet touch for a lunch bag on a special day or to make any day special. Use decorative scissors to finish the opening, and then tie them closed with decorative ribbon. These work great for treat bags at school, add any holiday ribbon to change the theme. Add a sweet little note on a tag to make them extra special. Don't buy expensive bags, just buy cute ribbon.

Elastic Cord and Gift Tags

Happen to have a bunch of paint swatches left over from your last redecorating project? Maybe you splurged on a premium quality wrapping paper and can't find the right tag to match. Simple fix: Cut out round tags from those colorful paint chips. If you need more than a few, ask the store for cards with discontinued color shades. Punch a hole in the tag; tie on with elastic cord or embroidery floss, or thin ribbon that matches and BAM… perfect tag!

Preppy Belt Wrapping

All you need is a wide ribbon tied onto a loop or o-ring and threaded belt-style through a second loop or o-ring. You can use a multitude of coordinating colors to fit any theme or color scheme. Don't forget the tag - use elastic string to tie a personalized tag to any gift.

Whatever the occasion, gift wrapping with ribbon can give that special touch that makes the wrapping as memorable as the gift itself.