The holidays are fully upon us, gifts ordered on Cyber Monday have arrived in the mail, and it’s time to get wrapping! Packages cleverly wrapped in recycled brown paper or beautiful pieces of fabric make presents into little works of art – and the components of the wrapping can often be gifts in their own right.
We both have ample fabric collections, and this is a great way to use some of the prettier patterns (and also a good excuse to collect them during the rest of the year). Scarves from thrift stores are also a great, inexpensive and easy source for wrapping gifts. Furoshiki is the Japanese art of fabric wrapping, and this chart gives some helpful tips for wrapping differently shaped objects:
Basic craft or butcher paper can be embellished with paint, yarn, greenery, or colored paper (or all of them!) and is another beautiful option:
Aren’t these cross stitch gift tags fun? Such a cute idea.
What’s your favorite wrapping technique? Have a great weekend everyone!
I’m reading this during a break from wrapping. My family’s parcels are going on a journey this year so I’m keeping things cheap and simple lest I have to repair any tears or nicks when we arrive at our destination. It feels like I’m in a festive sweat shop. I think doing these fun wrapping touches you suggest would also help break the relentless boredom of wrapping.
Mera’s mother-in-law is the champion of creative re-use of wrapping materials. She and I have passed some paper and boxes back and forth for almost 40 years now. I save all the wrapping paper and ribbon in a big box under the bed, and pull it out when I need to wrap something. When you re-use wrapping paper you think about the gift you got as well as the one you’re giving. I love some of these ideas you shared today, especially that twig with the red berries.
Thanks Carol for support of reusing! I seem able to cut a christmas tree and then recycle after Christmas, but the wrapping paper business makes me crazy – such a waste and awful to see the piles of it after the holiday ( probably the same can be said of the tree). My refusal to buy wrapping paper has often irritated members of my family, but they’ve been resourceful. Recently they brought my birthday present to dinner in a restaurant, wrapped nicely in a favorite small wool plaid blanket with recycled bow. Perfect.
LOL PA Pict: “festive sweat shop”!
I always keep wrapping pretty simple because I am all thumbs, but also because when traveling with or mailing a lot of gifts, things tend to get smooshed. So I do a simple weave of flat ribbons. I love the “post-it” flowers and sharpie package. Definitely my speed and easily Christmas-ified.
My son-in-law covered their dining table with brown paper and had his daughter put her hand prints and foot prints on it in red and green! Very fun for grandparents!
I love all these ideas for alternative gift wrapping – specially the one to cover brown paper with hand and footprints of red and green! My favorite trick lately is to use tea towels as gift wrap – always useful, and always fun to receive a new one!
I’ve saved the Sunday comics and try to find a section to face out that fits the recipients. I remember shaving crayons onto a sheet of white tissue paper and then gently pressing another sheet on top with a warm iron…fourth or fifth grade? I save cards and papers and ribbons and Katie’s wrapping suggestions inspire more invention this year.