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.

Materials

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

Directions

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.

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.

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!

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.

Step 5: Place the present under your tree until Christmas (or Hanukkah) morning!
About the Author:

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.