Thrifty Gift Wrap with Food ColoringI love putting in effort when wrapping a gift, but at the same time, I don't like spending money on gift wrap. The gift wrap usually ends up in the dustbin, so I will rather look at thrifty ways of wrapping a gift without having to spend too much on the wrapping itself.
Firecracker Wrapping for Money GiftWhen my grandson was 10 years old he loved fireworks every Memorial Day, Fourth of July, etc. So for his September Labor Day birthday I did the following. I took 10 toilet paper rolls and put a five dollar bill in each one.
No More Wrapping PaperI make simple cloth bags from fabric remnants or clothes that have seen better days, curtains, sheets, even pant legs, and cloth napkins. Kids recognize a favorite flannel shirt every birthday or Christmas, forever!
Plastic Soda Bottles as GiftwrapI thought this was such a neat idea.You can use a bottle to fill with little gifts, or in place of loot bags, or baby shower novelties. You can use a small or a 2 litre, depending on what you're putting into the bottle.
Newspaper for Gift WrapUse the funny papers for wrapping Christmas presents. My mom and dad did this at Christmas. We all enjoyed reading the funnies after we opened our presents.
Making Personalized Gift WrapTo make personalized gift wrap for moms, dads, and grandparents use a common brown grocery bag. Cut along one side in the corner crease to the bottom of the bag, then turn and finish cutting out the bottom of the bag leaving a nice rectangular sheet of paper.
Use Maps as Wrapping PaperThis wrapping paper idea came from one of my friends years ago. Use outdated atlases and maps for colorful, cool-looking, and good quality wrapping paper. I use mostly for birthday gifts, but cut out a silhouette of Santa in his sleigh and/or reindeers and attach for Christmas gifts.
Froggy Gift BagThis little froggy gift bag is very easy to make, using a 12x12 inch piece of card stock and scoring a bit, two circles and a couple of eyes. The bag itself isn't very big but fun. I made it for my granddaughter's birthday!
Fabric for Gift WrappingI started this at Christmas time to reduce garbage, expensive gift wrapping costs and environmental waste. I bought inexpensive holiday material (after Christmas they will be cheap) and simply sew it up along the sides and hem the top and it resembles various size "Santa's Sacks.
Brown Paper Gift BagsCreate your own gift bags using ordinary brown lunch bags, fabric, and fusible web. I cut out the words "Ho ho ho" from plaid fabric and fused them on a bag. On another, I cut out an angel that was pre-printed on the fabric and fused it to a bag.
Using Wallpaper for Gift WrapOld leftover wallpaper makes great gift wrap! Stick a piece of old lace or ribbon around your gift and you've got one beautiful package...
Fast and Frugal Gift BagFor a frugal and fast gift bag, use a brown paper lunch sack. Take a bag and fold it down about 1 - 2 inches from the top. Take a hole punch and put 2 holes in the center of the flap you just made...
Covered Gift Box Out of Throwaway BoxesI use the boxes that come from Cereal, Macaroni, Taco Shells or any box with a clean, interior to make wrapped gift boxes. Remove wax paper liner if there is one. Carefully undo the glued end flaps. Flatten box...
Hot Glue for Gift WrappingAfter running out of tape during a Christmas present wrapping marathon I decided to try hot glue. It worked so well I haven't used tape since.
Gift Wrapping Idea for Uniquely Shaped BoxesWhen wrapping shower gifts in the past, my mom always seemed to come up with an item that did not quite fit in any available box. For example, she once purchased a beautiful, unique, serving dish from a Pier 1 store, but forgot all about getting a box.
