Need to wrap a gift, but have no wrapping paper? Try using these household items for frugal and creative ways to decorate your gifts. And take note: none of these require that you have fancy crafty skills. AuntM is crafty, but messy--anyone can do these things and make it look good. And who is going to complain when there is a gift inside?
Fold it in fabric. Scarves, sheets, pillowcases, towels, even scraps of clothing can be repurposed to wrap around a gift item. Think about what you are giving and see if you can fit the theme--a dish towel for a kitchen gift, or a scarf on a jewelry box, for example. Fabric has the advantage of being extra-flexible. Get a big enough square and you can gather it up into a little bag and just add a ribbon tie. If you can sew, or have a spare pillowcase, a bag is even fancier. If a gift is huge, (who hasn't had a box too big for easy wrapping?) use a sheet. If you are much smarter than I am (or do origami), check out the Japanese Ministry of the Environment's infographic on Furoshiki. For more step-by-step instructions, look for Furoshiki videos on YouTube. If you get hooked on the idea, you might want to pick up a book from Amazon, or some of the beautiful fabrics there.
Decorate plain paper. This is the old standby for messy creatives. A paper bag, butcher paper, freezer paper, or even printer paper. Either before or after you wrap it around your gift, you can rubber stamp, draw on it, or embellish with stickers, washi tape, or even homemade ribbon.
Make ribbon out of plastic grocery bags. I scouted out videos and instructions for doing this for you, and tried a few different methods. This one worked best for me and seems clearest:
Print designs on printer paper. Seriously, just google "print wrapping paper at home" and you will get great designs and techniques. The simplest option is just to lay out a grid of photos or icons to print on the biggest paper you have (for me, that's standard 8.5x11).
Find pretty paper Maps, old books, magazine pages, newspaper, calendars, sheet music. If the paper is big enough to cover your gift, you are good to go. If not, consider making a collage to cover any box you have (even cereal or tissue boxes).
Create a collage Place the gift in whatever box you have on hand. If the box isn't pretty on its own, wrap it in paper. Again, whatever paper you have on hand. Newspaper, printer paper, etc. Then find and lay out photos over the newspaper. See my post on box collages, if you want to know more.
Use newspaper for tissue paper (or wrap) Since fewer households get a print newspaper anymore, this is less of a go to than it used to be, but any kind of paper works.
Show it off in a basket If your house is like mine, you have spare inexpensive baskets around that can be reused for this purpose. Baskets let you easily put together a lovely gift in a flash. Just arrange a group of related items in a basket--my favorite combination is wine, cheese, a little fruit, and a corkscrew.
Tote it in a bag You know those reusable tote bags you forget to take into the grocery store? See if you have an attractive one in which to stow a gift. Or pretty it up with fabric paint, stencils, beading, or stitchery. Reusing old gift bags is also a good possibility.
Jar it Food gifts or a group of small items are lovely in a mason jar.
Tuck it in a tin If you have a cookie baker family member who sends you home with cookies in a tin everytime you visit their house (like my mother-in-law) you have tons of these tins. Yes, you should return them to the cookie baker, but if you have forgotten to do so, they are fair game for your own gifting.
Make your own bag
Tin foil For silver wedding anniversaries or any shiny occasion, tin foil carefully wrapped around a box can look lovely. To have the best result, be careful not to crease the foil as you wrap.
Find more great ideas and how to's on our Pinterest Gift Wrap Board:
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