Gift wrapping bliss:

Inexpensive, beautiful, creative and fun gift wrapping ideas to stay in budget

I love gift wrapping! I love to express my love for the recipient of my gift by making it look fabulous. I connect to them as I am embellishing the gift. But, frankly, sometimes I spend way too much in the wrappings. And I feel bad about the waste of paper. And I’ve heard a lot of complaints from my neighbors, friends and clients that things are not the same financially and they are stressed out. So if any of this rings true to you, here are several inexpensive, beautiful, fun and creative gift wrapping ideas to stay in budget while you experience gift wrapping bliss.

Save on Ribbons

One of the ways we go overboard in the gift wrapping is on ribbons. You buy three or four different papers. Then you want different color/texture ribbons to go with them.  These ribbons can be enticing. You end up buying yards of ribbon, each from $5 to $20. That adds up!  So here’s a fun way to save on this area.

Instead of all those expensive ribbons and adornments, combine a basic, inexpensive gift paper with strips of beautiful fabric.

1. Purchase an inexpensive, large gift paper in either a basic color or in a print of one tone, let’s say, red flowers.

2. Go to your local fabric store and look through the specials for some remnants of glimmery, sheer, happy fabric pieces that fit your budget. Get about three different ones, all contrasting happily with your basic color paper.

3. After you wrap the gift, measure it’s width and length and cut out two strips from one of the fabrics to fit width and length, allowing for 2-3 inches extra. If you have the special scissors that cut fabric to avoid loose threads (I don’t know how they’re called, but they have a jagged edge) then that’s even better. But it’s not necessary. Remember use what you got. This is to save, not to spend more!

4. Wrap one side over the length. Make a knot, allowing the remaining part of the strips to hang from the knot.

5. Repeat process for the width. Now tie the knot of this strip around the knot from the other strip.

6. Leave the extra strips hanging spontaneously or do a double lace.

You can purchase or use old lace or other interesting fabrics or trimmings that you already have. Even if you buy them, they are usually lots cheaper than the trimming sold in gift stores, and if you have an old fabric store, you can get them really cheap. I got my local discount store where I buy at amazing prices for all my theatrical productions, so that’s where I go.

With half a yard of three fabrics, each at about $2.00, I can wrap so many gifts that I often have left overs. And they are unique, so many, and say “You are special!”

Other ideas on what to do with remnants (event old fabric from your favorite old cloth that you have not wanted to throw out):

1. Create flowers, dolls, spirals, animal figures and other 3D objects that go with the gift and can even be used for the Christmas Tree as ornaments. Now you have a double gift!
2. Paste them around cheap, blank journals, notebooks, frames and other objects for last minute or extra gifts.
3. Create “manuscript” type Holiday Cards by writing a heart-felt message on the fabric or on paper and then pasting it on the beautiful clothing.  Roll the fabric into a scroll and tie with a contrasting fabric strip. This can be so memorable that your recipient will treasure it!

Vintage Ornaments

If you are like me, you save lots of non-usable jewelry and miniatures. You loose an earring, but you love them so much that you keep the other. Your brooch has missing stones, yet it’s so beautiful, you keep it. Do a scavenger hunt for all those stones, crystals, odd earrings, brochs, necklace, beads etc.  Use them as ornaments in your gift wrapping.

1. Place them at the end of the strings.
2. Place them at the center of the bow.
3. Paste them to a cardboard box that you’ve painted, like a handle.
4. Create a card-collage and use these “Vintage” Embellishments in the gift and the card, to match them.

Save on paper and save the trees!

You don’t have to use gift paper to present your gift beautifully. One of my favorite ways to wrap is what I call my Crafty Wrappings. And your kids will love helping you out with the drawings!

1. Use any of these papers that you already have:
   1. Manila envelopes
   2. Cardboard boxes
   3. Brown paper bags or paper
2. Create beautiful symbols using any of these that you have:
   1. Markers
   2. Oil pastels
3. Here are  some ideas:
   1. Spirals. I love spirals! There are so many types of spirals.
   2. Stars. They are great for the Holidays!
   3. Hearts. Show your looove!
   4. Flowers.  It’s easy to draw flowers. Make lots of them!
   5. Butterflies. You can print a model outline from an online image site as a mold.
   6. If you want to get really creative, draw and paint something that has special meaning for the recipient.
4. Use collage from magazines, old gift paper, etc. to do a crafty wrapping that is so cool the person will want to hang it up!

Saving on gift paper, embellishments and ribbons may seem a small thing. But depending on the number and size of gifts you have, it  can cut two-three figures off your Holiday expenses.

The best part is that it helps save trees and reduce waste (especially if you recycle old stuff) and it engages your creativity so that instead of being stressed out, you are having fun while you wrap your gifts.

Let me know if these ideas are useful and share yours below.

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