Gift-wrap can be expensive to buy. Think of how much paper is wasted when people use traditional holiday gift-wrap and do not recycle it. The mere thought of this might be enough to prompt eco conscious consumers to want to come up with a more ecologically friendly way to wrap holiday gifts.
There are many ways to make gifts look wonderful without using things that cannot be recycled.
*Brown paper grocery bags
From now until Christmas, ask for paper bags when you go grocery shopping. Use those paper bags as the basis for creating attractive and environmentally friendly gift-wrap.
An easy way to add color to a brown paper bag is to use tracing paper to trace out some design. You can look free clip art online or you can use other templates. If you feel especially creative, come up with your own.
Cut the design out of a potato that you have cut in half. Then dip the cut side of the potato in acrylic paint. Press the paint filled potato down on the brown paper and there is your design. Repeat this with the same potato or use different designs.
Another idea is to use cut pieces of citrus to create the design. If you want something simple but attractive, use painter's blue masking tape and mark off horizontal stripes on the brown paper. Paint the stripes whatever colors you want. The area where the tape was placed will remain brown. If you want, you can fill those in, too.
*Decorative tins and Mason jars -
If you are giving gifts of food, buy attractive decorative tins or use Mason jars. The attractive tins can be reused multiple times. Mason jars can also be reused. To make a mason jar look more attractive, measure the top of the jar and add an inch or so to allow some fabric to hang over the edges. Cut the fabric out with pinking shears and wrap a colorful ribbon around the top of the jar.
If you are a gardener, give your friends and family herb infused vinegars or oils. A sprig of fresh herbs sitting in a bottle filled with wine or rice vinegar or olive oil can look very attractive. Attach a small card describing the contents of the bottle to a piece of colored raffia and tie the raffia in a bow. The raffia makes a lovely substitute for ribbon.
*Newspaper -
Use newspaper to wrap gifts. Make the newspaper look more festive by stamping holiday images in red or green wherever you want on the paper. Use red or green ribbon to make the newspaper look even more festive.
*Hand made fabric bags -
Instead of using paper at all, make little fabric bags to hold the gifts. The bags can then be reused as a place to keep the gift, a place to keep ornaments or anything you wish.
Look for things you have around the house. With a little creativity and decorative touch here and there, ordinary household things can easily be turned into attractive, creative and unusual gift-wrap. Just think green and think about re-purposing things you already have.