by Krystal Russell

Created on: November 09, 2008   Last Updated: July 31, 2011

If you're looking for an affordable and creative way to wrap your gifts this holiday season, look no further! Here you'll find several easy techniques and unexpected materials for wrapping presents that are probably already in your home!

Aluminum Foil

The most enjoyable part about using aluminum foil for gift wrapping is there's no tape required just fold, pinch, and crinkle to your heart's content! It's naturally shiny, but you can customize each gift with paint or by crinkling the foil pre-wrap. It's incredibly easy to open, and best of all, it's recyclable!

Newspaper

Start saving those Sunday newspapers now and you'll have enough to wrap a department store's worth of gifts. The comics have the most color, but feel free to put secret messages in the crossword puzzles or circle unusual classified ads. If you want to be extra artistic, break out the paints or markers and add some holiday cheer to those glum news stories. When the holidays are over, you can recycle all your wrapping paper!

Duct Tape

If you're feeling a little pranksterish this holiday season, wrap your gifts in duct tape. It can be fun to watch people struggle to open your presents, and find out just how bad they want the gift you got them! Now that duct tape comes in a variety of colors, you can brighten things up instead of relying on the standard metallic gray. You can even sculpt ribbon and bows! Just remember to put down a "safety layer" of newspaper between your gift and the tape.

Cellophane

Another kitchen staple that makes a great wrapping paper, cellophane can be layered for a translucent look, or crinkled up to make ribbons and bows for your other gift wrapping options. Like aluminum foil, cellophane doesn't require tape. Plus, it might be a nice change after that duct tape trick you pulled.

Fabric

Most craft stores have remainder bins where you can get fabric for a few cents. This can be a fun, reusable way to wrap you holiday gifts!
With some bleach pens from the laundry room, you can write your own holiday messages or create personalized designs for each present.

Furoshiki-Style Wrapping

This is a fun way to wrap gifts with fabric, tissue paper, or newsprint. From Japan, this wrapping style uses folds and tucks to wrap objects without tape. It's fun to do, easy to open, and will probably not be done by anyone else at your Christmas party! You can find directions, complete with pictures, at www.furoshiki.com.

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