Glassware, picture frames and other fragile items make great gifts, but only if they’re in one piece when they’re opened. Keep breakable items safe in their gift packaging by following these simple steps.

Step 1: Protect the Item

Wrapping a fragile item isn’t just a matter of covering it with something soft. It’s also important to provide support so the item can absorb impacts and maintain its structure. When wrapping a fragile gift with some dimension, such as a wine goblet or champagne, you’ll want to stuff the inside of the glass with protective packing material such as tissue paper or, if you’re shipping the gift, something even sturdier such as bubble wrap. Even for flat items like picture frames, it’s best to provide some extra padding right up against the glass to even out the height difference between the center and edges of the frame. Wrapping the outside is important too, of course. Handles on personalized mugs and beer glasses can also be stuffed to ensure security, but this may only be necessary if you’re shipping the gift. Try to choose packing materials in bright colors when possible to make the protective wrapping more of a part of the gift-opening experience.

Step 2: Choose a Sturdy Container

Depending on the item you choose, your purchase may arrive with the perfect gift box. It may even be securely wrapped, and when this is the case, you can skip straight to the decorating step. But if you’ve decided to re-package the item, you’ll want to make sure it’s wrapped securely and pick out an appropriate container. It’s best to use sturdy cardboard boxes or other hard-sided containers for a fragile gift. You can go for a gift bag if you’d like, but only if you’re transporting the gift by hand. Otherwise, you should help ensure the item arrives to its recipient in one piece by placing your carefully wrapped item in a box that’s scaled to fit without leaving too much open space. When packing for transport, you want to item to move as little as possible, so provide stuffing inside the container so the item stays in place.

Step 3: Decorate the Container

Here’s the fun part. Now you get to decorate the container however you see fit. If you’re wrapping a gift for a wedding, consider using an elegant white paper with metallic accents. You can also go rustic with brown butcher paper and a colorful bow. If you chose to use a nice gift box as your container, you can consider using washi tape, paint or stickers to add decor directly to the box.

Wrapping gifts and presenting them in an elegant and thoughtful way is almost as important as selecting the gift itself. And when you give our beautiful personalized mugs or glassware items, you’ll want to make sure your friend or loved one smiles when he or she opens the package. Use careful gift wrapping techniques to keep your fragile gifts intact!