Upcycled Gift Wrapping

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CRAFT: Celebrate the Season

By Vanessa Coppola
The holidays are here, presents are bought (unless you are a procrastinator like me), and now the wrapping begins. I personally love taking the time to make the outside of a gift look just as great as what is inside. Tossing your gift into a store-bought bag is fine but hardly does justice to the time and thought you spent picking out or making the perfect present. You don’t have to spend tons of money or fill the landfills in order to give a gorgeously wrapped gift. Take a greener approach to holiday gift wrap this year by reusing household materials that would normally go to waste. Take a look around your house for materials you can upcycle: newspapers, shopping bags, old clothing, buttons, and crafting scraps make for great gift wrap. Not only are you doing something to help the environment, but there is also the added benefit of being economical.


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Materials

Recycled paper shopping bag
Recycled newspaper/map
Recycled sweater/T-shirt
Recycled cereal box
Craft punch
Scissors

Directions

Upcycled Gift Wrapping Step1
Step 1: Cut the paper shopping bag open and remove the handles. Remove the flap formed by the bottom of the bag so that you have 1 large sheet of brown paper.
Tip: Use the cotton setting and iron the wrinkles out of your bag.
Upcycled Gift Wrapping Step2
Step 2: Wrap your present using your shopping bag, just as you would normally wrap a present. You can add a strip of newspaper or an old map around the present. Another option is to use stamps or a little glitter to spruce up your brown bag.
Upcycled Gift Wrapping Step3
Step 3: Cut a strip of fabric from your recycled sweater/T-shirt. Tie this strip of fabric around your present. Don’t fret if you don’t have an old sweater lying around; take a look around your house for items you might be able to use to embellish your gifts. Old brooches or buttons work great as “bows.” Be creative!
Upcycled Gift Wrapping Step4
Step 4: Using a craft punch, punch a gift tag out of old cereal boxes (or whatever cardboard material you might have around the house). You can paint or glitter over the writing on the tag but I personally loved the original recycled look.
Upcycled Gift Wrapping Final
Step 5: Place the present under your tree until Christmas (or Hanukkah) morning!
About the Author:
Vanessacoppola Abouttheauthor
Vanessa Coppola is a craft journalist who resides in Arizona with her husband and two furbabies. She is a self proclaimed girly girl with a love for nature and all things birdie. She shares her fabulous finds and tutorials on her blog, designsbyvanessa.blogspot.com.

4 thoughts on “Upcycled Gift Wrapping

  1. Marisa@make*happy says:

    Love this idea. This year I saved some mesh bags–from produce and some garlic bulbs–and am using them for my wrapping. I have two blue ones that are just the perfect size to hold gift cards (wrapped in tissue paper to disguise it). I just threaded some cotton string on a large needle and sewed up the open end, then tied those ends into a bow. Lovely, and recycled!

  2. T says:

    It would smell great too with a lavender spring sticking through the bow

  3. Gift wrapping | Pearltrees says:

    […] minutes per gift. Here's how to do it: Materials and Tools 1. 2. 3. 4a. 4b. 5. 6. Happy Holidays! Upcycled Gift Wrapping – Make: By Vanessa Coppola The holidays are here, presents are bought (unless you are a procrastinator […]

  4. 21 DIY Gift Wrap Ideas says:

    […] Upcycled Newsprint, Paper Bags, and Maps. Before you throw those old newspapers, paper bags, and maps into the recycling bin […]

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