apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I peruse all sorts of second run stores like HomeGoods and Steinmart, etc. And I pick up giftwrap all through the year. Most of the stuff I really like is designer, but I never buy it full-price. And when all else fails, I break out the art paper and pastels, then spray-fix it and layer it with cellophane, two gifts in one!

I use old maps, mostly from old National Geographics that I've gotten at sales. This works great for any time of year.

Not designer paper, but paper coordinated with the tree and real ribbon bows. Sometimes gift bags; sometimes gift boxes.

I save as much paper as possible from years past - paper, bows, ribbons, ornaments, tissue, boxes, bags - and repurpose them year after year. The selection varies year to year (thank heavens!), and I may supplement with one roll of kraft paper if I have extra-large packages that can't be covered by what I currently have.

Pick up a roll or two of whatever's most distinctive on the sales rack the first week of January. Though I also engage in each of the other options on occasion.

I bought Christmas fabric on sale one year after Christmas and made a bunch of fabric gift bags in many sizes. I use them over and over and they look pretty under the tree.

I bought one of those large rolls of children's drawing paper at Ikea - the MÅLA drawing paper roll (130' of chlorine free bleached paper for about $7!). Use it plain or embellish.

Brown paper packages tied up with string!

I have a bolt of Pendleton plaid fabric from a years ago project. My friends always know which packages came from me...

Last year was all in matte green. Year before was kraft paper with white string and little metal edged circle tags.

This year I wrapped each present in kraft paper hand decorated with silver paint marker. I measured out each package before wrapping so the design/name is centered on the front.

I like to use that plastic netting that fruit comes in with some tissue or other paper inside. Also re-use it for dish scrubbers

I like to mix the high and the low: newspaper or tissue paper in combination with fine art papers. I do wonder how much it's appreciated though....

i use 1 colour wrapping paper that i find on sale and then i go to a thrift store and find interesting little nick nacks to put on top. i use a paper ribbon and then stick of sew the nick nacks onto the bow. i've used hair clips, faux flowers, tiny dolls, beads, little figurines of soldiers... whatever suits the person really.

The tissue paper that comes in sheets from the drugstore, especially the sparkly kind, which you can't find every year (did last year, not this year). Then, I use some sort of ribbon or sparkly cord that I usually get on sale the previous year or string or embroidery thread in colors or rafia. I also save used wrapping paper and ribbons, as well as things like calendar pages, which I also mix in. Sometimes I wrap in kitchen towels.

Totally depends on my mood that year. On past occasions, I have...

--Used brown paper as wrapping and drawn handmade tags for each package (more than one year, come to think of it).

--Wrapped everything in fabric and cloth ribbons. (It is traditional that all presents for my family must have real cloth ribbons for my mother to reuse in costumes.)

--Scoured stores for red-and-green wrap with a non-Xmas theme and done the ribbon up with silk flowers.

--Found individually relevant bits and bobbles to attach to the ribbon with whatever wrap I'd chosen, including ornaments and chocolates.

--Bought silver and gold paper at post-Xmas sales and used it for everything, all year.

--Bought whatever the drugstore or dollar store had at the last possible minute; I have excellent wrap-package-on-hotel-bed skills.

--Told the husband to toss everything into gift bags (this year).

Consistency is clearly the hobgoblin of small minds, chez moi.

I buy wrapping paper on sale early in the year, and then in the fall I buy more from my favorite kid's school fundraiser, because school fundraisers are a fundamental good.

I like to buy and use the paper that isn't necessarily for Christmas and then tart it up to make it look like it belongs. Hanukkah paper is especially wonderful, with all its blue snowflakes and sparkly designs, and often doesn't have stars of David on it at all. Simple wedding paper (often on sale in the winter too) with silver ribbon designs (not cakes and bells, that is) becomes very Christmasy with red ribbons (velvet!).

I "wrap" gifts by saying "close your eyes and hold out your hands."

my signature christmas colors (blue and gold) or favorite colors of the gift-ee. BTW, i detest reused paper and ribbons. for the little money and paper it saves, it makes me feel decidely second-hand (and it's not that i despise second hand things in general; much of my furniture and wardrobe is "pre-owned").

I usually use brown craft paper along with lots and lots of ribbon. The simplicity of the paper provides a great contrast for the ribbon which i weave, tie in elaborate bows, knot, etc. etc. And the money saved on the paper which is extremely cheap goes towards more ribbon!

I have such guilt about this because I think beautifully wrapping adds so much to the gift, but I have the idea of buying all this paper just to get thrown away. The middle ground that I've hit lately is either newsprint or newspaper or tissue (I save all the tissue that comes with things that you buy in shops and boutiques, it's shocking how much tissue that ends up being at the end of the year) and then buy really nice silk ribbon from Papersource. Having beautiful ribbon really helps in making the thing look fancy, and you can reuse the ribbon for ages.

I love cheesy Christmas wrapping paper with big ribbon bows! This year was cartoon reindeer.

I like using kraft paper--in white or brown--and getting festive ribbon and/or using paint/stamps to make my own. I also, however, use gift bags.

i use castoff maps and plotter paper from work, especially ones that might show a friend's neighborhood. for small presents you end up with a bunch of abstract lines or a color field which is nice too!

Tissue paper in red and green tied with garland rope from the dollar store!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/allabouteve/2121806756/in/photostream/

I do the japanese thing with 2 colours of paper (one smooth, one rough/handmade) - one for wrapping and one as a 'sleeve' that covers about a third of the package. Any string is raffia. The presentation is as important as the gift out here in Asia.

I save old calendars (esp the large ones) and posters (from art gallery announcements, and promotional material I get in the mail), and other colorful mail from work. They look great, and I feel less guilty because of the re-use. And it's free!