I made the gift, now how do I wrap and ship it?

[Ashling]

I made my mother-in-law two berets for Christmas, and I don't know how I can wrap them so the gift doesn't get all banged up in shipping.  If she was here I'd just wrap them together without a box, but I think that will look a little worse for wear once UPS is done with it. They both lay flat, and I haven't found a box that's big enough around that isn't enormous.  Any ideas?

On a related note, what's a good, cheap way to dress up a gift card? I don't want to spend $5 on a box my friend will throw away, but I want it not to look like I bought one at the grocery store at the last second.

[dunthor]

gift cards: I use scraps of yarn and make little pouches. hey can be knit or crocheted in a few minutes and recipients tend to keep them <3

[Ashling]

That might be a good idea, since she did teach me how to knit.

[Onyxnox]

As for the berets - do they have to lie flat for the shipping??  I would be tempted to roll them up in some tissue tied with ribbon and put them in a pouch/bubble envelope - not as neat and pretty as a box, but less bulky and cheaper to ship, and the gift stays compact and not flopped around.