apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Since I never met a piece of fabric I didn't buy, I often "wrap" gifts in unusual fabrics I've bought on eBay (antique kimono scraps, "cutter" quilts, etc.) and just use a few stitches to hold it all together (doesn't really require any sewing skill).

This year I'm wrapping in plain brown shipping paper that I've used stamps to decorate. I've kept it very simple with just the person's first initial and some snowflakes, finished off with fabric ribbon. The wrapping paper I bought last year was crap!

i wish i could receive a bunch of gifts wrapped in furoshiki so i'd have them to reuse - they are great alternatives to plastic bags at the farmer's market!

As I mail a lot of gifts I make opening the brown box a delight as the wrapped packages inside. I mix shredded paper with shredded tissue of lovely colors. One year I found sparkle shreds which got a good response. See link for a Etsy seller who found a unusual way to wrap fruit.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_6&listing_id=18310492

Recycle! I tend to save old boxes - there's one that has been making the rounds of our family for more than a decade. Also, plain brown wrapper decorated with personal marker art. Also, for those who still receive a physical Sunday paper, save those comics sections! They make great wrappers.

I use tinfoil and black electrical tape and make a mess of it. My presents stand out when the lights hit them

i've taken old family photos of christmas' past to kinko's copied, enlarged, then printed black and white to large (poster size) paper. i tried to center a picture of the receiver on the top to personalize it even more. the family loved it, especially to reminisce after everything was unwrapped. i also book pages from old book illustrations.

I use Xerox copies, brown paper bags, shipping paper or newspaper and then use a great ribbon. Always splurge on the ribbon – a silk or ribbed one can be used over and over again (passed on and on).

My Mom wraps things in empty cereal boxes from time to time, embellished with a few ribbons.

It makes things interesting, and hey, recycling.

Little things go in candy boxes, like Smarties or Whoppers.

For wrapping smaller gifts, I (am cheap and) like to wrap in the paper bag I carried it home in, or I'll tear out pages of old fashion magazines and wrap gifts in that. Visually interesting and it's nice to recycle.

i wrap presents in:
- newspaper
- paper bags
- fabric scraps

and for SoCal residents...have you ever considered wrapping gifts in palm or banana plant leaves? it works surprisingly well, especially twisting the leaves around wine bottles...

and I always write the "to and from" on a clementine with a sharpie and place it on top of the box or in the bag. super cute.

I live right by a Patagonia outlet, and at the holidays they sell gift baggies - made of leftover baggie swim shorts. So they are bright and colorful bags that are reuseable and I give things to my family in them and then my family gives them to other people in the family... there are a lot of them floating around our house at holidays now.

This year I'm using plain solid-color wrapping paper as usual, and tying simple bows with something that represents the recipient--an old measuring tape for my mom who sews, tieline for my sister who does theatre tech, a broken usb cable for my dad who loves gadgets... It's fun to choose paper colors that will contrast with the material they're tied with, and coordinate with the other packages. I like seeing a little fleet of matching presents under the tree...it's sort of a thing with me and my family knows to look out for the year's theme now.

It really only works for small gifts, but I've painted cardboard tubes (think paper towel or toilet paper rolls) red and white to look like peppermint candies. Just wrap the tube with masking tape to create a bit of a swirl pattern; using craft paint, paint the cardboard one color and let dry, paint what's covered by the tape the other color. (Remove it gently first, if you want, but I've often just painted over the tape.) When everything is dry, drop in your gift and stuff a little tissue in the ends. Cover the tube in Saran wrap, leaving a bit extra at either end, then close it all off with ribbon. On paper towell rolls, I sometimes need a piece of tape to secure the plastic to the roll.

Also, I like to use plain white butcher paper, with twine for ribbon and a sprig of berries. Simple but elegant.

You've all made me think... I need to loiter around the graphics department and nab some misprints of technical drawings out of the recycler. Then I could wrap people's gifts in diagrams of obscure parts of the International Space Station.

I got a Swedish medical journal in the mail at work, and I hope to wrap some smaller things in its pages.

Cheapest cool wrapping paper ever - Chinese newspapers. I also recently used a nice image from an old calendar of poster art.

whytephoenix - I want a present from you!!!! In fact i just want a wrapped box with no present.

I work for a graphic design firm and last year I wrapped all of our client gifts in white paper with red ribbons and a abstract flower I made out of this AMAZING white packing supply called Geami: http://www.geami.com/

We also wrapped presents just in Geami with bows. Beautiful!

Baggu, the company that makes reusable shopping bags [http://baggubag.com/2008/#Shop], put together a cool YouTube video that shows how to use the bags as wrapping paper: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdfoXkCXECY

Since they come in every color under the rainbow, and can be used again after unwrapping, the idea has been a hit.

Our online store stocks lots: http://www.thegreenlifecostore.com/m8_view_item.html?m8:item=621

The Green Life
www.thegreenlifeco.com

I photoshop a personalized pattern onto 11x17 paper, and tile the paper together to whatever size is needed. Without photoshop I think you could do the same thing in paint or any simple program, or even just print out large photographs :)

Chinese takeout boxes are a unique option. My favorite are the red and white ones with a metal handle and pagodas on each side. If you're in San Francisco Kamei Restaurant Supply in the Inner Richmond is the best place I've found to buy these. You can get an entire stack of them for under $10.

Tins from Specialty Bottle are a great reusable option as well.

hey, vegetable cans are great too. they come in all sizes. and to avoid sharp edges use one of those canopeners that cuts along the edge of the can like the ones from pampered chef and then the lid can be used . just poke a hole in the top, put in a cute ribbon, wrap or paint the can and there ya go. these also make cute decorations just by themselves by adding flowers.

I love the reusable shopping bag idea. This year I decided to go dual purpose with present wrapping and picked up a bunch of Whatever It Takes shoppers on sale at Macy's (a steal at 4 for $16). The bags, which have artwork designed by a variety of celebrities, are made of recycled nylon and fold up small so that they can be thrown in a purse or other bag to be used in place of plastic shopping bags. Meanwhile, the money I spent on them goes to a British charity called 21st Century Leaders that raises money for charities chosen by the celebs who did the artwork.

I usually buy 3-4 tipes of coordinated wrapping paper. In my family we place all presents under the christmas tree, so my presents compose a very "designer" look all together.

Since I am terrible at choosing gifts, I usually get my friends gift cards and present them in weird ways. I've opened up blank cassette tapes (the ones with screws), pulled out the insides, and put in itunes cards a lot. Recently I bought glycerin soap, melted, scented, and colored it, then reformed it over a gift card.
One of my all time favorite gifts was a bright pink teddy bear with a gift inside that had a razor blade attached to it (for fun and easy access).