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Winner Named in Scotch Tape's National Gift Wrapping Contest

MMM | December 6, 2013

Patricia Zapata from Kingwood, Texas was crowned the 2013 “Scotch Brand Most Gifted Wrapper” in a national gift wrapping contest sponsored by 3M, the maker of Scotch Brand Tape. After wrapping various odd-shaped items, including a full-size paddle boat with a canopy, Zapata was awarded the ultimate holiday present – a $10,000 cash prize – for her amazing wraps.

Patricia Zapata a gift wrapper from Kingwood, Texas gift-wraps a full-size paddleboat with a canopy in the final round of the Scotch Brand Most Gifted Wrapper Contest on Friday, December 6, 2013 at Celsius at Bryant Park in New York City. (Photo: SCOTCH BRAND/ Ray Stubblebine)

All contest press materials, downloadable b-roll footage and contest photos will be posted as available to MostGiftedWrapperMedia.com.

About the contest:

Eight finalists wrapped odd-shaped gifts in three rounds during the contest:
- Round 1: toy castle and a boxed gift
- Round 2: children’s go-kart
- Round 3: full-size paddleboat with a canopy
The contestants were judged on two criteria: appearance of the wrapped gifts and the technique used to wrap the gifts. In the event of a tie, speed was the determining factor.
Zapata, along with seven other gifted wrappers, was selected to participate in the contest based on a brief entry video and gift-wrapping tip that illustrated her talent and experience in the art of gift wrapping.

About the first runner-up and other contestants:

The first runner-up, Melinda Cantor from Deer Park, N.Y., received a $2,500 cash prize. Cantor owns Only You Gifts in Islip, N.Y.
The following six contestants also received smaller cash prizes:
- Mia Canada from Atlanta, Ga. of That’s a Wrap!
- Diane Henkler from Lansdale, Pa.
- Lisa Huff Kroll from Monrovia, Calif.
- Vickie Ransbottom from Dallas, Ga.
- Julia Rose from North Richland, Texas
- Esther Thiel from Chesterfield, Mo.

About the judging panel:

The judging panel consisted of three gift wrapping experts:
- Martin Amado, bilingual home and lifestyle expert
- Erica Domesek, founder of the DIY Lifestyle brand P.S. I made this…
- Mark Ski, former producer for Martha Stewart Living

“I was particularly impressed with Zapata’s creative use of embellishments and how she applied the various colors and patterns of Scotch Expressions Tapes to make an amazing wrap,” says contest judge Erica Domesek. “Zapata’s wraps are a great example of how creative nostalgia and stylistic personalization touches can influence gift wrap trends with homemade gift wrap paper and embellishments.”

Zapata offers these DIY gift wrap tips to get creative this holiday season:

Chalk it up: Search the Internet for printable chalkboard gift wrap. With just a chalk marker, send your recipient personalized greetings alongside drawings of reindeer and holiday trees.
Cut through the red tape: Who says you have to wrap a gift using paper and ribbon? Instead, add layers of colorful Scotch Expressions Tapes around a solid-colored box to create stripes and imitate a ribbon. Complete the look by folding individual pieces of colored and patterned tapes into triangles, and then tape them together to create a 3-D bow atop the gift.
A family affair: Give kids pieces of kraft paper pre-cut for individual gifts, and a variety of crayons and markers. Let their creativity take over! The wrap becomes part of the gift, as the ‘work of art’ can be framed by the recipient once they unwrap the present.
Smile! You’re on… gift wrap: Print black-and-white photos of family and friends, and tape them to gifts wrapped in bright-colored solid gift-wrap paper. The photos can serve as gift tags so the recipient can be easily identified.
Flower Power: Cut card stock into petal shapes and adhere them to your gift in the shape of a flower. Then, use complementary colored and patterned tapes to embellish the petals and illustrate the flower stem. Add additional petals directly on the box as a finishing touch.

Twittercue: .@Patricia_Zapata wins $10k in @ScotchProducts #MostGiftedWrapper Contest! http://bit.ly/hSSgho #giftwrap #tape #holidays

About 3M
3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Our culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $30 billion in sales, 3M employs 88,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 70 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com or follow @3MNews on Twitter.

3M, Scotch and the Plaid Design are trademarks of 3M. ©3M 2013.

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