Investing just a little thought into your wrapping can help our planet and up your gifting game. Everybody knows the old newspaper trick when it comes to sustainable wrapping. And we're not knocking it - who doesn't love a present wrapped in the comics section? But if that's been your M.O. for the last few years, it's time to change it up. Jumpstart your eco-friendly creative juices:
Make your own reusable bags. The traditional Japanese art of wrapping cloth, Furoshiki, is a great alternative to wrapping paper and ribbons. Use some beautiful fabric that you've found or even a silk pillowcase. Check out a few different techniques here. Sew up paper bags. No ribbon or tape required. Just take a paper grocery bag and flip it inside out (carefully). Then stick your gift inside and sew up the open side.
Who says the gift isn't wrapping? If it’s clothing you’re gifting, get crazy and wrap a box with the clothing itself! If that ruins the mystery, use some old fabric or pillow cases as wrapping “paper". Use old maps or calendars. Don't let good paper products go to waste. Tape together a few calendars or old subway maps and cover up a small package. Bonus points if you can make a bow out of paper, too.
Borrow from nature. Instead of plastic bows, use objects you'd find on a walk around the neighborhood. Springs of oak, pine cones, dried flowers, seed pods, ferns... see just how creative you can get.
Collage on brown paper bags. Ok, you still have to wrap a gift in a paper bag but decorate it with more than just ribbon. If you've got old National Geographic magazines lying around, cut out some neat images and place in the corner. Nothing says "Happy Holidays" like a leaping gazelle.
Typographic Gift Wrap - Again, wrap a present in brown paper bags, but instead of using a name tag, cut out people's names in big letters from newspaper or other types of paper. Just make sure you've got your spelling correct - it's trickier than you think to cut out letters!
If you must choose wrapping paper... Choose vegetable based inks, wrapping paper made from recycled paper, or paper that doubles as seed for wildflowers. Most wrapping paper cannot be recycled because it's dyed, laminated, or contains non-paper additives. So choose wisely - we like these recycled (and recyclable) options.
Make your own reusable bags. The traditional Japanese art of wrapping cloth, Furoshiki, is a great alternative to wrapping paper and ribbons. Use some beautiful fabric that you've found or even a silk pillowcase. Check out a few different techniques here.
Sew up paper bags. No ribbon or tape required. Just take a paper grocery bag and flip it inside out (carefully). Then stick your gift inside and sew up the open side.
Who says the gift isn't wrapping? If it’s clothing you’re gifting, get crazy and wrap a box with the clothing itself! If that ruins the mystery, use some old fabric or pillow cases as wrapping “paper".
Use old maps or calendars. Don't let good paper products go to waste. Tape together a few calendars or old subway maps and cover up a small package. Bonus points if you can make a bow out of paper, too.
Borrow from nature. Instead of plastic bows, use objects you'd find on a walk around the neighborhood. Springs of oak, pine cones, dried flowers, seed pods, ferns... see just how creative you can get.
Collage on brown paper bags. Ok, you still have to wrap a gift in a paper bag but decorate it with more than just ribbon. If you've got old National Geographic magazines lying around, cut out some neat images and place in the corner. Nothing says "Happy Holidays" like a leaping gazelle.
Typographic Gift Wrap - Again, wrap a present in brown paper bags, but instead of using a name tag, cut out people's names in big letters from newspaper or other types of paper. Just make sure you've got your spelling correct - it's trickier than you think to cut out letters!
If you must choose wrapping paper... Choose vegetable based inks, wrapping paper made from recycled paper, or paper that doubles as seed for wildflowers. Most wrapping paper cannot be recycled because it's dyed, laminated, or contains non-paper additives. So choose wisely - we like these recycled (and recyclable) options.
