Just in time for my second post on gift wrapping alternatives, Bankrate posted this video on Friday. While they offer two of the usual options for gift wrapping without spending money--newspapers and shopping bags--I was intrigued by their third suggestion of wrapping presents in old potato chip bags. I found myself thinking that old Lays and Doritos bags could make for very festive, if somewhat greasy, wrapping paper. (To be fair to Bankrate, they did say that you need to wash out and dry the chip bags before using them as wrapping. I'm thinking the aroma of delicious greasy food might be a part of the gift presentation, but that might just be me.)
In any case, I have gotten some lovely gift wrapping ideas from readers, friends, and fellow bloggers. Here are their suggestions:
Reader Linda Mason suggests using tissue boxes for gift wrapping: "Once empty, some of the square decorator type
facial tissue boxes make attractive gift boxes that need no wrap! I used one for my mother's birthday - it was a
beautiful box covered with flowers. I slid her gift inside and covered the hole with a large silk rose of similar color that I already had:
"I also have two tissue boxes with Christmas
designs. I will slide a small gift into each and cover the hole with a large
Christmas bow. Of course, I keep and use bows over again! They don't end up in
the trash until they look bad."
Linda also suggests using pretty bags from retail stores: "Another thing I have done is saved small attractively
decorated sacks such as the ones I have bought cards in at Hallmarks.
These can work well to wrap small boxes like those that contain small
pieces of jewelry. I cut open the side of the sack and position
the small box in the location where it will be covered by the best part
of the paper design. Once I have cut the paper to size, I am ready to
wrap! I keep old ribbons to tie bows and also broken broaches that I
have saved can be glued on instead of a bow for a nice presentation too."
My college friend and fellow quilter Emily actually makes fabric bags for gifting: "For Christmas, I buy holiday fabric the day or two after Christmas when
it is like 70% off. Some people give me the bags back right away,
others use them to give other gifts, and some keep them and consider
them part of the gift. I am totally fine with all options--I like
seeing someone using the bags I know they got as gifts for something
else.
"I use leftover fabric or my stash for non-Christmas gifts. The
bags take me about 10 minutes a piece to make. Most are a standard size
but I occasionally make one to fit an odd-shaped gift. I also know of
people who wrap with fabric but don't make it into a bag first. And
I've gotten gifts from my sister-in-law wrapped in scarves that I am
sure came from thrift stores. Another case of a bonus present!"
The website
Apartment Therapy gave me some great, unique ideas for gift wrap: Check out your kitchen cabinets and recycling bins. You could wrap a lovely gift using aluminum foil (recycled, of course--the purchase price of aluminum foil might make it more expensive than gift wrap) and some leftover ribbons. Alternatively, you could get some pretty autumn leaves or ribbons and iron them between two sheets of wax paper, which would fuse the three layers together. It will make for a completely different kind of gift wrap and help make for a beautiful gift presentation.
Are there any alternative gift wrapping ideas that I have missed?
