Did you know that the average person wraps 20 gifts at Christmas? If just 3 of those were wrapped in reused paper or a paper alternative, the paper saved would cover 45,000 football fields. That got me thinking about ways to reduce rubbish when gift-giving, so here are 10 ideas for wrapping presents using materials you'll probably already have around the house.
- Make a gift extra special by wrapping it inside something else like a beautiful sarong, scarf, table cloth or pillowcase or by putting it inside a basket or terracotta pot
- Old jars make great gift containers (especially when they're filled with yummy things to eat). Just soak and remove old labels (or use a hair dryer to melt the glue). There are lots of options for lid and jar decorations - including cut out circles of fabric attached with string or a rubber band
- Old maps, calendars, posters and flyers make great gift-wrap
- If you put oddly shaped, smallish items inside old cereal boxes, it makes them easier to wrap
- Decorate paper grocery bags with felt pens and crayons, or magazine cut-outs. The bags can then be cut up and used as wrapping paper or used as handy gift sacks for all your xmas loot
- If you have kids, then you probably have heaps of their drawings and paintings stored away which make beautiful and unique gift-wrap
- Try to use a small amount of cellotape (or none at all) when wrapping presents. That way the paper's less likely to tear when the presents opened and the paper can be reused
- For finishing touches on your presents; tie the parcel together with wool or string and attach things like rosemary sprigs, cinnamon sticks, found shells or if you have any plastic leis lying around you can dismantle them and thread the individual flowers onto your string
- The fronts of old greeting cards can be cut into all sorts of shapes like hearts and stars and used as gift tags
- And lastly, if you're shopping for new wrapping paper this year, there are many beautiful recycled paper options available
Do you have any more tips for gifts or gift wrapping? We'd love to hear them.
