by Currie Jean

Created on: November 26, 2010

Once gifts are wrapped and you stand up to survey the chaos (your gift wrapping workspace will only stay tidy if you're a superhero), you'll surely find many bits and pieces of leftover wrapping paper. Why throw those wrapping paper scraps away if you don't have to? Save Christmas and birthday wrappings from year to year, and once you've amassed a varied collection, you'll have enough materials to create a zoo of different decorations and gifts.

Handmade Cards

Sometimes, the pretty pictures on wrapping paper - especially the shiny kind - stand up well on their own without a background. Carefully cut the images from the scraps. Be discerning. Discard any cutouts that don't show a whole image. Take some plain cards that have already been folded from stiff paper or construction paper, and glue the cutouts to the fronts of the cards. Usually, a single image is enough for the card to look simply beautiful.

If you have enough leftover wrapping paper, you could also use it to make envelopes. First, take a standard envelope, and carefully split it at the glued seams, using a letter opener or scissors. Then hold it to the plain side of the wrapping paper, and trace it as many times as it will fit. Cut out the traced images, fold them, and glue them for some startlingly pretty envelopes! Only use these envelopes for in-person giving, though: decorated envelopes aren't welcomed by the post office.

Book Flair

A large scrap of wrapping paper can make a nice dust jacket for a book. Smaller scraps make good bookmarks. To craft a traditional bookmark, cut out a rectangle with twice the width of the intended finished product, then fold it in half and glue it, so both sides will be beautiful. Punch a hole in one end and add some ribbon to hang outside the book. To make a less traditional bookmark, fold a square of wrapping paper diagonally, twice, creating a rectangle. Perch the rectangle on the corner of the page that you would like to mark.

Home Decor

Strips of wrapping paper can be looped on themselves, then taped or stapled to make a decorative paper chain. Make snowflakes by taking a square of paper and folding it in half, then folding the result in half several times. Cut patterns from the two long sides of the resulting triangle, then unfold to discover a pretty, intricate snowflake. These make wonderful window decorations.

Wrapping paper is spectacular for origami, and origami instructions abound on the Internet, from the simple to the intimidatingly complex: paper boxes,

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