It’s the most wonderful time of the year – and for these women it’s also the most lucrative
WORDS: ASHLEIGH PAGE.
‘I CAN SHARE MY LOVE OF WRAPPING’
Amanda White, 67, lives in Bristol with her husband and runs Gift Frippery. Find her on Instagram @giftfrippery
After my youngest headed off to university in September 2008, I found myself, like a lot of parents, experiencing empty-nest syndrome. Working previously as a primary school teacher, I wanted to try my hand at something a little different. I’d always loved the art and craft of gift wrapping and when my kids, Hayley, now 40, Elliot, 37, and Yan, 30, were younger, I was always in charge of wrapping the presents come Christmastime. I just loved the pageantry of giving a gift that looked so beautifully put together, adorned with dried flowers and beautiful ribbons, and wanted to share that with others.
I thought about offering to wrap other people’s gifts for them but then had an idea. I could teach people how to beautifully wrap their loved ones’ gifts.
I didn’t have a great deal of savings, so I just invested £100 of my own cash. I bought lovely paper, ribbons, tape and, of course, extra pairs of scissors and started advertising through word of mouth.
Within weeks I had five people sign up to my very first workshop, held at my home around my kitchen table. Painstakingly going through every fold and bow, it was amazing to be able to share my love of gift wrapping with others.
Advertising on Instagram in 2010, from then the business just grew and I was holding workshops for the Women’s Institute, demonstrating my unique bottle wrapping skills with eco-friendly paper and trimmings, and appearing on TV and radio programmes.
I adore my work with Gift Frippery and find my busy season kicks off in September and lasts through to the new year, although I do other gift wrapping workshops and demos, too. And I’m also now training people to run their own gift-wrapping workshops. It’s amazing to think my love of festive flair has become a successful career.
‘IT’S NOT REALLY CHRISTMAS WITHOUT A TREE’
Keri Sheehan, 47, lives in Reading and runs tribecreative.london
Sunglasses on top of my head, bare arms and the sun beating down on me, you’d probably think I was enjoying the warm weather on holiday. Instead, it was July 2022 and I was busy fluffing and pruning a Christmas tree, surrounded by lengths of ribbon and yards of fairy lights for a festive photo shoot. My work as
