It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, there always seems to be gifts to wrap for one occasion or another! I know that I happen to enjoy when I’m given a gift and I can tell the gift giver spent a little bit of time making the wrapped gift look beautiful. Interesting wrap does two things:
It gives the recipient of a gift the feeling that the giver went the extra mile.
Even though wrapping paper generally gets ripped to shreds, it add more suspense to the surprise.
So when it comes to your loved ones, friends, or even business associates on any special occasion throughout the year, think twice before you settle for some cheap wrap from the dollar store. Think outside the box!
The truth is, there are plenty of recyclable materials around that make crafting your own wrap easy with barely any cost. Wrapping can even become great projects for kids. Take a look at these recyclable ways to wrap gifts:
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 the 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 clothes 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. Tape them over the box of a new kettle.
Carpet samples or leftovers from an installation make a furrier presentation.
Old cassettes: stack and glue them together making a box for a gift.
Reuse old greeting cards.
Egg cartons. Need I say more? Paint them, glitter them, just 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 backpack.
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.
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 the chosen material such as flower petals, leaves, or photos with, glue, tape, or string, as you see fit.
Good luck gifting, wrapping, and making others happy! Do you have any other creative wrapping ideas to share?
I’ve started using a DIY lip scrub to help exfoliate my dry lips that I seem to get every winter and early spring. It really seems help bring moisture back in! This easy homemade strawberry lemonade lip scrub smells amazing and helps lips feel silky smooth.
This lip scrub is made with almond oil, sugar, strawberry extract and lemon essential oil. The rough texture of the sugar will exfoliate your lips while the almond oil will help bring back moisture. The strawberry extract and lemon essential oil provide a refreshing and delicious scent. I’m including Amazon affiliate links below to where you can find each product used in this tutorial.
How to make homemade strawberry lemonade lip scrub:
In a small mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients. Mix until well blended. Transfer to airtight containers.
HOW TO USE
1. Apply to wet lips and exfoliate by rubbing finger against the scrub in a circular motion.
2. Rinse with warm water and pat dry with a towel.
3. Apply your favorite lip balm.
These days, homemade items are becoming more and more popular. Most people have found they can quickly and inexpensively make most of the products they buy from the store with items they have in their home. This is great for many reasons but mainly because you know exactly what is going into your products. For many households essential oils have been replacing store bought products in their homes for years now! Everything from all-purpose cleaners to acid reflux relief comes from those tiny bottles.
Homemade Owie Ointment
One of our favorite things to make at home is homemade Owie Ointment or homemade Polysporin. You can really use a lot of items to make this a helpful ointment.
INGREDIENTS:
1-2 teaspoons of Shea Butter {or you can use solid coconut oil}
4 drops Melrose {optional} (Melrose oil includes Tea tree, naouli, rosemary, and clove oils)
2 capsules Vitamin E {optional}
DIRECTIONS:
Melt Shea butter (or coconut oil) by placing a small amount (1-2 teaspoons) into a glass bowl. Set that glass bowl over boiling water until Shea butter is fully melted.
Remove from heat and allow the Shea butter to cool for about a minute. Then add 4 drops each of your essential oils. (do half of this if using on a child under the age of 18 months)
Pour your mixture into the container you plan to store it in. We typically use a lip balm tray and it lasts us well over 6 months.
Allow to cool and cover. Store at room temperature in a dark place.
This is a great combination to promote healing. Shea butter (or coconut oil) is rich in antioxidants and deeply moisturizes skin while Lavender and Tea Tree calm redness, reduce pain, and clear out bacteria. Vitamin E oil is known for its ability to reduce scaring and promote quick healing. Your boo boos will be healed in no time!
NOTE: If you want to make a large batch of this, simply double the recipe and store in an airtight container.
It’s that time of year again when fighting rough, dry skin becomes a full time chore. Make your job easier with just 3 simple ingredients that you can not only pronounce, but are actually safe for consumption (though I wouldn’t recommend it)! It takes only a few minutes to ‘whip’ up this whipped body scrub!
Ingredients for whipped vanilla coconut body scrub
You want to start with slightly chilled coconut oil, this helps the body scrub gain the whipped texture. You can mix all ingredients together by hand and call it good, but I chose to mix with my kitchen aid for about 6 minutes to make it a little more fluffy. It’s really that easy!
I keep some in a little dish next to my bathroom sink, and store the rest in a sealed jar. Makes a great gift for your school teacher, friends and family, or for yourself!
