Writers, Thrifters and Drifters: Holiday Gift Giving: DIY, Eco-Friendly, Recycled Wrapping

I have a penchant for gift wrapping. Growing up with a staunch feminist for a mother, whom I love dearly, our Christmas gifts were always hastily wrapped in paper grabbed at the last minute, on Christmas Eve, with a bow and a gift tag plopped on top. It was always a hassle, a chore, and more than likely one that was passed on to me. Luckily for me (and for mom) I love wrapping. I also love other things that my mom detests like doing crafts, decorating and renovating. For my mom, these kinds of activities are associated with antiquated female roles like “the perfect hostess” or “homemaker”. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have a lovely family home, or that my mom doesn’t enjoying baking dozens of Christmas cookies and throwing holiday parties, it just means that she has never wanted to feel like she is “supposed” to do these things. And I get that. But I can’t help it, I enjoy them.

Souce: We Heart It

I’m getting sidetracked, the point is, the older I’ve grown the more I’ve appreciated and enjoyed gift giving and gift wrapping. There is something really special about choosing something for someone that you care about and wrapping it in an equally care-filled way. We have made it obvious with our posts here at WTD that we like to spoil our loved ones; whether it’s with a DIY shower scrub, a treasured book or simply a potluck dinner with old friends, Christmas is a time to show the people you love how much you love them. To me, wrapping just tops off those sentiments. Crafting a beautiful looking parcel shows the care and thought you put into purchasing the gift.

Source: We Heart It

There are legitimate downfalls to wrapping, though and I am going to address them. A lot of people can’t invest time or money into wrapping because presents, especially for kids, are unwrapped in a matter of minutes. Your hard work and determination is undone by your greedy seven year old nephew who takes one look at the toy and tosses it aside. I can see how that is frustrating. Generally, we like to be pretty eco-friendly here at WTD so the fact that gift wrap creates a lot of garbage is a major concern. Luckily, gift wrap is becoming more and more recyclable as the years pass. Look for gift wrap that has that magical little triangle on the tag and make sure to tell the receiver that it is (most people assume it isn’t). Other great options include using kraft paper (the kind you wrap parcels in for mail) or even newspaper and dressing the otherwise plain packaging up with an extra beautiful ribbon or bow. The best thing you can do is re-use your gift wrap. Don’t crumple the bag or cut that ribbon! If take the time to unwrap carefully and you can re-use almost every aspect of the present in future gift giving.

Once you've collected a selection of pre-loved, recycled and used gift wrap do an inventory and decide what you need to buy. It may not be realistic to wrap each gift with the amount of care and love you want to. Decide who will appreciate your time and efforts the most and spoil them. If you can wait, try holding out until a week before the big day. In the beginning of December wrapping paper comes at a premium but wait, the sale stuff is best! I got a plethora of amazing wrapping goods at Chapters yesterday for $2-$5 a piece! I got bows, ribbon, pretty tissue and a couple gorgeous tags to compliment my used/recycled/eco-friendly supplies.

I've done some serious brainstorming so I'll start by giving you some of my ideas (with a little help from the Internet):

Wrapping

an old map
recycled brown (or other) bags
kraft paper/butcher paper/brown paper
newspaper
magazine ads (ie. a super classy Chanel ad)
pretty patterned pre-loved tissue paper (ie. the kind you get at higher-end stores in the bag)
fabric scraps
jars/tins/boxes
sheet music
burlap
scrap wallpaper
vintage sewing patterns (also works for tissue)

Ribbon

ribbon
twine
raffia
baker's twine
string
lace
yarn

Accents Pieces

snips of greenery
sprigs of berries
small Christmas ornaments you don't use anymore
bells
shells
pine cones
postcards
doily
twigs
feathers
aluminium foil for a silvery sparkle
paint chips cut into the shape of Christmas trees ect.

Now, on to the fun. What I have collected and pinned from the wonderful world of the Internet:

Use Buttons

This is a particularly awesome idea for kids and who doesn’t have a box full of spare buttons?

Use Your Feet:

Those feet-reindeer with googly eyes are probably the cutest thing I have ever seen!

Use Tree Clippings

Source: MomSpark

You have to trim the bottom branches off your tree anyway so why not use them in you wrapping?

Create a Chalkboard Look

Source: Nashville Wraps

Chalkboards are very on trend yet would be unique for Christmas, you can create a chalkboard look and tie it all together with red ribbon! I like creativity this option opens up! If you have kids let them draw some snowmen and mistletoe all over them.