by Heather Kindberg

Created on: November 06, 2009   Last Updated: December 07, 2009

With some creative gift wrapping ideas, and products you can find around your home, there's no need to spend a penny on gift wrapping for any occasion! Check out these memorable, money-saving, time-friendly wrapping ideas.

WRAP IT

1. A paper bag is all you need as a basis for many creative gift wrapping ideas: Cut the sides of the bag so you have flat paper, then decorate with ink stamps or seasonal stickers. Or paint abstract designs, let the paper completely dry, and you have personally designed wrapping paper. Brown paper lunch bags work great as gift bags for smaller gifts.

2. Fabric can make for beautiful gift wrapping. Instead of getting rid of old clothes, keep the fabric designs you like. If you enjoy sewing, patch together complementary fabrics for a unique design.

3. Shoe boxes can be turned into festive gift boxes with leftover shelving paper. Cover the outside of both the box and the lid for a designer-looking gift box.

4. When your newspaper is delivered, save that plastic bag it comes in. Add filler: If you have a shredder, shred colored paper, or you can make fast filler using a paper cutter. Put your gift in the plastic bag, hid it with all the beautiful-colored filling, and tie it with a beautiful ribbon.

5. Start saving cereal boxes and other interesting food containers. Paint them or paste newspaper funnies for an instant, fun gift box. For a smaller gift, paint a design on a wide-mouth jar with tempura paints, then fill the jar with shredded paper. Think butter tubs, plastic dishes from microwave meals, and tin cans with the labels peeled off.

TOP IT

Creative gift wrapping ideas include toppers, which give gifts that extra something special. Cute, fun or beautiful, they can also be a "teaser" for the gift inside.

6. Add something evocative of the season to the package: Tie on some pine cones, a mini-bouquet with leaves and ground-cover flowers, or whole cinnamon sticks. For a gift on top of the gift, dye some socks red and fill them with candy for a holiday-stocking topper.

7. For gift cards, scavenge old games for those cards everyone recognizes: The "Get Out of Jail Free" card from Monopoly, or the double-purple squares from Candy Land. Punch a hole in the corner, write your note on the back, and tie it onto the gift. If you're getting rid of the game altogether, you can also tie on that gingerbread piece or glue the car to the card.

8. Print a photo for the top of the gift: It can be a picture of the gift's recipient, a breathtaking nature shot, or a photo of the two of you together.

9. For unique ribbon, cut two thin fabric strips and tie them around the gift. You can also dip regular household string in paint and let it dry for colorful binding of any color.

10. For fun animated gift cards, cut superhero characters from magazines, paste them onto thick craft paper, cut the designs out, and punch holes for tying them onto the gifts. Find other fun characters from cereal boxes or old holiday cards.

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