Jane Means from Careby near Stamford to star as judge on The Ultimate Gift Wrapping Challenge

A gift wrap guru is sharing her tips and tricks with people in her home county - as well as with thousands of viewers of an American TV show.

Festive cards and gifts are slowly starting to creep on to shop shelves which means it may be time to start thinking about Christmas.

For professional gift wrapper Jane Means, from Careby near Stamford, getting through the festive checklist with plenty of time to go before the big day is key.

Jane is currently sharing her knowledge as a judge on American TV show The Ultimate Gift Wrapping Challenge, which returned for a second season on Saturday (November 2).

Contestants compete to be crowned the best wrapper and take home the $10,000 prize money.

Jane, author of book Giftwrapped, said: “It is brilliant.

“There is lots of inspiration and ideas. Even though I’ve been in business for 30 years I learnt from the contestants.

“It is a feel-good, easy watch which you can learn new skills from.”

According to Jane, there is tougher competition this year with tears and tantrums as well as lots of laughter which makes it good entertainment.

Filming took place in Philadelphia in September, and despite scorching 40C temperatures, the set was decked out and the cast wore their most cosy Christmassy clothes.

Jane, who has more than 18,000 followers on Instagram, has made a name for herself across the pond.

“I find it quite entertaining because I just think ‘I’m Jane Means from Lincolnshire’,” the 55-year-old said.

“They look at me like I’m a super celebrity and ask for photos and an autograph.”

After seeing the success of the competition in the States Jane is keen for a British version of the show. Despite meetings with big TV bosses, she has not yet been able to get the idea taken to production.

“I have been pushing - whether or not it will happen I don’t know,” she said.

“I think Brits would love it.”

Gift wrap guru Jane’s career started 29 years ago from her parents' home near Lincoln.

While working in the travel industry, a hobby of hand making cards spiralled into a gift wrapping business after Jane spotted a gap in the market.

After a couple of years of hard work and running free events to get her name out there Jane’s career snowballed - proving many sceptical friends and family wrong.

She is now a specialist and advisor for many brands including Dior, Jo Malone, Carolina Herrera, and Harrods and has trained staff at Fortnum and Mason, Ralph Lauren, Harrods, Dior and the Royal Household - to name a few - which includes travelling around the globe.

Jane has to keep some big names she’s worked with under wraps, although celebrities she can reveal she’s met through work include singer Simon Le Bon, TV personality Jeremy Clarkson, chef Raymond Blanc and comedian Eddie Izzard.

This month she trained a member of the Royal Household who works directly for the King.

She has made many TV appearances including on ITV’s This Morning, BBC Radio 2 and even Sky Sports - where she taught pundits to wrap a football - and as Christmas approaches so does her demand.

“I’m absolutely frantic with jobs”, said Jane.

“I’ve got lots of new clients including Cartier and Boden.”

She also runs gift wrapping masterclasses across the country where she shares her knowledge.

For LincsOnline readers wanting to level up their gift wrapping game, Jane has some tips.

‘Always measure and cut’ is key, specifically with ribbon measure twice and cut once to prevent frayed edges.

Don’t use too much paper, is another simple yet effective tip from the expert, as well as writing out gift tags before presents are wrapped to prevent confusion.

Paper table cloths can be used for massive presents and flexible wrapping paper does the trick with difficult shapes and sizes.

Similar to fashion, there are trends in gift wrap.

Sustainable brown paper continues to be popular, paired with natural elements like twine, dried orange slices, pine cones, and sprigs of greenery.

“It’s simple yet chic,” said Jane. “You can even write on an Ivy leaf and use this as an eye catching gift tag

“Brown paper is a fantastic blank canvas and pretty much goes with every colour too making it a versatile choice.”

Fabric wrapping or Furoshiki, the Japanese art of wrapping gifts in fabric, is growing in popularity.

Silk, linen or cotton fabric could be used or a tea towel which doubles up as a present in itself.

Instead of traditional bright red and green, neutral tones like beige, soft greys, white, and earthy colours are on-trend and gentle muted pastels like blush pink, soft green, or light blue are also growing in popularity.

On the opposite end of the scale, bold classic plaid is making a big comeback.

“It evokes a cosy, traditional Christmas vibe and looks great teamed with greenery,” said Jane.

When she is not working, Jane helps at Careby Village Hall.

Among the events she is helping to promote is a wreath making on November 30 from 2pm to 4.30pm and a Christmas party on December 7 from 7pm.

For more information or to book email jane.cadel@outlook.com.