Gift wrapping? Of course!

by Agnes, on

Wrapping gifts is fun and creative. However, unpacking is only a brief treat and usually the wrapping is thrown away immediately. Some materials cannot even be recycled. Here are some tips that will help you to avoid producing waste and to enjoy gift wrapping even more.

Self-made wrapping paper

If the paper is just printed and not laminated with other materials, it is at least possible to recycle it. Of course, smoothing out and reusing gift-wrap is even more efficient. Wrapping your presents in old newspaper has already become a classic too. Yet, you will find even more material in your home that is perfect for wrapping gifts, for example old calendar sheets, the pages of books that you won’t read anymore, sheets of notes, maps, comics, scraps of fabric, pieces of old wallpaper … Once you have developed an eye for it, you will find inspiration for beautiful gift-wrap everywhere. You can even use these materials to decorate simple but environmentally friendly packing paper: just cut out nice shapes like stars, hearts or letters and stick them on. If you like, you can also use potato stamps to print patterns on the packing paper.

Boxes, jars and more

It does not always have to be paper. Metal cases, gift bags or boxes are equally beautiful and you can use them again and again. You can also make your own gift boxes from shoeboxes. There are no limits to your creativity: For example, some presents look very stylish in a glass jar. A gift can even be the wrapping of another one. For this, socks, self-made scarfs or beautiful shawls work especially well.

The final touch

Even if curling ribbons made from plastic can quickly be attached to the gift-wrap, they are all the more harmful to the environment. Ribbons made from fabric are a pretty substitute – they look elegant and can be reused. To make your own ribbons you can keep strips of cloth or the suspension loops that are sewn into newly purchased clothing. Gifts can also be decorated with natural materials like nuts, fir cones, twigs or leaves. For attaching light decorative elements you can use self-made glue: simply mix icing sugar or flour with a little water. Anyway, in most cases you do not really need adhesive tape made from plastic. For example, cords made of natural fibers hold your gift-wrap together and at the same time serve as decoration.