We love beautiful wrapping paper as much as the next guy, but this year we're not keen on spending more on it. So we're looking around the house and finding ways to reuse what we've got (hey it's cheap and it's green!):
Left Over Fabric
If you've been working on some sewing projects and have scraps lying around that you know you aren't going to use (or maybe it's fabric you've had forever that you can finally give up) or a shirt/skirt/sweater that you were going to donate, use it to wrap up a gift! Check out these wrapped in old sweaters.
Old Magazines and Newspapers
Yes this is the classic old standby, but consider new color combinations and maybe even make your bow from the same stuff. With all the gorgeous magazines we keep around we could certainly use a pages to help wrap a gift. Martha has an idea for newsprint too.
Waxed Paper
If you already have this in your kitchen drawer, use 2 sheets to sandwich some ribbon or leaves from the backyard , then iron the 2 sheets to fuse them together and use it as wrapping paper!
Brown Bagging It
Use the brown paper bag from the grocery store (from that time you forgot to bring in the canvas bags, which for us is way too often). Draw a picture (kids are great for this), write a note, try some fun stamping or just leave it blank, but cut it apart and use it as wrapping. (Top image of brown bagged gift is from bugs and fishes check it out for how to make yarn pom poms too.)
Reuse Boxes
If you've saved some boxes from online purchases you can gussy them up and wrap a ribbon around it and you're done!
Crepe Paper
We hope we're not the only ones with a box full of crepe paper (we like decorating for parties) but sometimes we love wrapping present in layers of crepe paper. It's good for weird shaped gifts and has a fun crinkly texture that makes the gift more festive. You can actually make a lot of other things with it too. Bonus: it's pretty stretchy so sometimes it's difficult to tear off a gift and can be more frustrating than you'd think. Great for impatient recipients (or maybe we're just cruel). Image from storexbuy.
Reuse Old Wrapping Paper
Call us frugal, call us cheap, but we reuse wrapping paper. Growing up my family got very good at being very careful when opening gifts, because if the paper was nice enough you knew you'd see it on another gift the following year. It's a habit that's hard to break. And the same goes for nice ribbon too!
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Comments (25)
I like to wrap my presents in pamphlets and maps I get at rest stops on vacation. Maps are especially nice as they are fairly large.
I use last year's Stendig calendar. I never throw the months away. The sheets are so much bigger than normal sheets of wrapping paper and the huge Helvetica numbers are gorgeous, bold and graphic.
I use tissue paper a lot instead of wrapping paper. I figure when it's thrown out, it takes up less space than heavy wrapping paper.
I also reuse gift bags. And I never mind if I can tell I'm getting a reused gift bag. They are so pretty and generally sturdy enough that it's a shame to just use it once.
LilyC, gift bags are part of the gift! They're the gift that keeps on giving! :)
I like using kraft paper (which is what that brown paper bag photo looks like). You can typically get more of it for less $ and it's bigger than typical wrapping paper. Just don't get mailing paper, which is heavier--it's kinda hard to tape up and leaves big gaps.
I'd also suggest using your kid's artwork-- if you have an avid easel artist who brings home lots of abstracts from Nursery school-- use them to wrap presents. Pretty and practical 'cause you can only save so many!
I've used old, outdated maps to wrap gifts.
While at design school, I couldn't afford gifts *and* gift wrap, so I wrapped gifts in scraps of drafting paper and used long strips of fabric selvage in place of ribbon. My friends appreciated this creative approach, but my family didn't (grrr!).
For as long as I can remember, I've used the comic section of the paper to wrap gifts for kids and cool black and white ads from Vogue for little gifts (jewelry that I make) for friends. Regular newspaper pages work really well to wrap books along with a nice red ribbon.
Using maps is such a good idea. I love maps...
My grandmother wrapped EVERYTHING in white tissue paper and curling ribbon. Needless to say, I use nothing but tissue paper and curling ribbon, but I DO buy festive tissue and colored ribbon. I've been known to actually sew up the odd-shaped present inside layers of tissue, using long stitches and colored thread. That's fun too :) And I like to tuck odd things into the ribbon: a leaf or a shell. Maybe a stick of cinnamon for a kitchen gift. Just a bit of whimsy to make it fun for me and the person I am gifting.
I, too, like using old maps and calendars. Also, I've used kraft paper and brown paper bags, but I like to doll them up with a round paper doily. Around the holidays, it looks snowflake-esque and the entire effect hits a nice balance between plain and fancy. When re-using materials, I think little touches like these, or like those that Fontessa describes, make the package feel special and intentional rather than last-minute and unprepared.
I often wrap gifts in teatowels. Its like a gift double-up! Plus, lots of people don't buy themselves nice teatowels (I 'heart' them and have stacks!), so its a nice treat!
im glad people are sharing secrets about this! i can never stand to toss/recycle old calendars so i have a small stack of them sitting in a drawer. i never would have thought to use them to wrap gifts.
peachy keen i love your idea!
1. Craft paper from Ikea/wherever. With bright ribbons.
2. Comics pages w/ twine.
3. I buy several rolls at Target every year when it goes 90% off after Christmas. It ends up being like 25cents a roll. I've even been known to HIDE the style I like in the store. Yes, I'm going to hell, thanks for asking.
My plan for this year is to use reusable shopping bags as gift bags so that they are a part of the gift!
I love wrapping presents in something other than gift wrap. Here are some examples:
*Line a basket with baby washcloths and fill with baby shampoo and tub toys.
*Wrap a baby gift in a soft recieving blanket. Secure with diaper pins.
*Wrap jewelry or other small gifts in a pretty scarf and tie like furoshiki. You can usually get some in quite good condition at thrift stores.
http://www.env.go.jp/en/focus/attach/060403-5.html
*Line a casserole dish with kitchen towels and fill with kitchen supplies and gadgets.
Another wrapping idea for reusing fabric is furoshiki! It's fun, beautiful and green :) Here's a great site with instructions http://furoshiki.com/techniques.php
Last Christmas I wrapped presents in brown kraft paper and tied it up with multicolored pastel yarn. I got those cute little tags you might use for marking prices at a yard sale, and secured one along with a couple mini bulb ornaments as a gift tag. It was a big hit with friends and family!
I'll change it up a bit, but I'm going the same route this year.
Another option: Those plastic mesh bags that veggies come in (onions, avocados). I first wrap the item in white tissue paper (re-used from my dry cleaning), pop it into a mesh bag, then tie it up with colorful ribbon. Cute, green and great for odd shaped items.
i like to wrap square or rectangle shaped items with aluminum foil. i decorate the foil by drawing patterns on it with colored sharpies. Does not work well with mishapen or circular items. Once I wrapped a small circular ring box in a double layer of coffee filters with a pretty bow tied around it. It looked cute.
i subscribe to many cool magazines, but when it comes to gift wrapping, i use pages from W. the pages are glossy, eye-popping and oversized. my gifts look outstanding under the tree! i love recycling!
We using a large map atlas to wrap gifts this year. And for the gifts that stay - I think we'll use brown paper and letter stencils, because our 3yo daughter loves to read letters. This way she can figure out which present is hers.
I buy white wrapping paper and embellish it appropriately. For example, I wrapped a baby shower gift in the white wrap with a pastel ribbon and used the same paper for a bridal shower gift with a garter belt as the ribbon. I have also been known to use brown kraft wrap and re-use gift bags.
Kpaige13 ~ I love the coffee filter idea
:o)
i often use:
1) patterned cloth napkins
2) scraps of fabric
3) tissue (each layer is a different color)
4) maps
5) anthropologie catalog
Brilliant!
Choosing heavy-duty, beautiful wrapping paper that can be reused is a tradition in my family - we were trained at an early age that ripping the present open is an abomination. I know this sounds crazy to some folks, but first, you have to ooh and ahh over the presentation, and exclaim over the bow or trimming. Then you carefully untie it (it's rarely taped), and smooth it out before you turn your attention to your present.
My sister and I take great pride in selecting paper that somehow gives clues to what is inside, or relates to our lives that year (when she was in Michigan for grad school, I got presents wrapped in paper with antique automobiles).
For extra-special presents, if you can believe it, we still use darling paper and fancy fabric ribbon from the 1940's, which my grandmother purchased originally. She died before we were born, but it gives us a connection to her - she certainly had great style. Also, my mom passed away a few years ago, and it's really nice to think of her as a little girl, opening presents wrapped in that same paper.
We took Ruthie's approach when I was a kid - the goal was to see just how long you could reuse the paper. We had one piece that we managed to keep using for 20 years (I kid you not!). Most lasted about 5-8 Christmases.
nobody's mentioned fabric gift bags, surprisingly. A few years ago, I whipped up about 30 of these in different sizes, all made from fabric I either had lying about or fun stuff I found at a local thrift shop. Every year Santa fills the 'sacks' and puts them under the tree. We even made cardboard, holepunched name tags so that we can reuse them year after year as well.