Creative Alternatives to Store Bought Gift Wrap
Who says that gift wrap has to be store-bought paper that gets thrown out after the gift is unwrapped? We've got many suggestions of alternatives
Great gifts often begin with great gift wrap. The way you package your present gives your recipient their first impression of what's hidden inside. There are many exciting ways to wrap a gift without it costing a lot, or adding to the landfills.
1. Your child the artist
Do you have gift wrap designers living right under your roof? Take another look at your child's drawings -- they make fun wrapping for gifts, and no two designs are ever the same. Use large easel sheets or butcher paper and ask your child to decorate them. For small gifts, like jewelry and DVDs, you can have them draw on the back of office paper or on paper bags -- a great way to recycle.
2. Stuff you already have sitting around
The newspaper and Sunday's comics are old, tried-and-true ways to wrap a gift cheaply, but they often lack a certain panache. Jazz them up with brightly colored raffia ribbon or trimmings from your last sewing project. Speaking of cloth, fabric makes a wonderful choice for wrap. If you're crafty, use large, leftover fabric scraps to create chic fabric gift bags. Watch this video to get some ideas for the art of using fabric swatches for functional cloth wrapping.
Cut up old clothes and even jeans to create funky wrap. Some eco-friendly crafters shape jean remnants just perfectly for the back pocket to serve as a card holder! Thrift shops are a great source of sheets, pillowcases, and light blankets (think chenille throws and popcorn bedspreads) a whole season of presents all wrapped up. Just be sure to wash it all first, and don't use any stained or holey pieces.
3. Keep your eyes open for crafty ideas
If you're a garage and estate sale aficionado, like I am, keep an eye out for great gift wrapping finds while you're browsing. Gift wrap comes in all sorts of silly forms if you keep a creative mind. Ideas include wallpaper samples, old posters, old magazines, and road maps. I even use mylar balloons as gift wrap for small stuff after the helium is all gone. Simply cut off the bottom where the balloon narrows, and wrap to fit. Re-use the balloon string as the ribbon on the present!
4. Make the wrap part of the present.
One last idea is to package your gift in wrapping that is new, but re-usable. I had a friend who wrapped all her holiday presents in "green bags" one year. The wrap becomes part of the gift when you use items like beach towels and scarves. If you're putting together a gift basket, link the actual basket to the gift. For instance, use a sand pail containing a bathing suit and sunglasses, or a flower pot with trowel, garden gloves, and sunhat put inside.
If you're a gift wrap diehard, and prefer it to all else, check out this pretty seed-embedded paper. After your recipient has opened their gift, they plant the gift wrap instead of throwing it away.