The holiday season is just before us and one of the most sought after items besides the gifts themselves is the wrapping paper that encompasses them. Interesting wrap does two things:
- It often gives the recipient of a gift the feeling that the giver went the extra mile.
- Even though wrapping paper generally gets ripped to shreds its composition and choice can add suspense to the sensation of the pending surprise.
So when it comes to your loved ones, friends, or even business associates this holiday season (or on any occasion for that matter) think twice before you settle for some awful seedy store bought roll of decorative packaging. Think out of the box!
The truth is there are enough recyclable materials around that make crafting your own wrap easy with barely any cost and are great projects for kids. Just see for yourself with the following:
- Flowers or flower petals. How awesome and sweet smelling would this be!
- Old family photos YOU DON”T WANT anymore.
- Photos printed out from a digital camera.
- Old posters are great for wrapping.
- Leaves. New or just fallen there’s no cost, no problem finding them (depending on your region at this time of year), and they are biodegradable.
- Old mail: Most of it goes into the recycling bin but there could be some great pieces to cover a gift. For example, make an envelope for a check out of old bills!
- A collage from newspapers and magazines.
- Cereal boxes: remember the prize in the box when you were a kid!
- Old fabrics, cloths or giveaways the recipient of the gift can reuse or donate.
- Toilet and paper towel rolls. Cut up and paint them creating an unusual texture with their cylindrical shape.
- Tea bag wrappers. Taper them over the box of a new kettle.
- Carpet samples or leftovers from an instillation make a furrier presentation.
- Old cassettes: stack and glue them together making a box for a gift.
- Reuse old greeting cards attaching memories of past gifts.
- Egg cartons. Need I say more? Paint them, glitter them, and go wild with them.
- Old sheet music for a musical surprise. You could even write out a song as part of the gift.
- Paper bags can go a long way when wrapping.
- Milk or juice cartons: wash out, decorate and use them as a gift box.
- Maps. These can be great for travel related gifts like a new bike helmet or pack.
- Scraps from a wood shop, metal shop, or printing company. There’s usually a lot of waste at these venues that can easily be converted into something useful like wrapping up a gift.
Take note: while some items listed above are simple to use as the main wrapping material others may need some help being attached. If you’ve chosen one of the latter here’s a suggestion:
- First use newsprint or other recyclable material to encase a gift. Older used wrapping paper will also do and it’s the perfect time to recycle it.
- Apply as you see fit the chosen material such as flower petals, leaves, or photos with, glue, tape, or string.
Good luck gifting, wrapping, and making others happy!
Jakob Barry writes for Networx.com. He covers various home improvement topics, including green lighting ideas, reducing household allergens, and home safety awareness.
