It’s holiday time and I was asked to do a new challenge of creating Eco-friendly gift wrap ideas. I was so excited to have this green challenge, and my mind started spinning with all kinds of possibilities!
What are the eco-friendly materials for packing and wrapping gifts?
What can I use instead of wrapping gifts?
If these are some of your questions I have 13 ideas for you. Basically, you can recycle something that is already going in the trash like newspapers, calendars, etc. You can also wrap things in another useful item that would be used in someone’s home like a towel, or blanket. I also love things like old popcorn containers, reusable bags individuals can use for groceries or other items.
Let’s get started on our Inexpensive and Easy Eco-Friendly Gift Wrap Ideas
Towel Gift Wrap –
For this gift, I have a hot pad filled with rubber scrapers, and some dish and hand towels.
I opened up the hand towel and I placed my hot pad with the rubber scrapers facing down and on the backside of where the print is on the towel. I folded the dish towels to go behind the hot pad.
I folded the towel over the hot pad and towels and tucked it underneath.
I then folded both sides of the hand towel.
I placed a white ribbon (than can also be reused again) on the towel and the present is ready.
Sock Gift Wrap –
I placed a packet of hot chocolate, a candy cane, and one of the new socks inside a mug. I took the other sock and pulled it around the mug so the mug would be inside.
I tied a ribbon around the sock with a little snowflake doily, and I folded the top part of the sock down.
Tinfoil Gift Wrap –
I wrapped a DVD in tinfoil, wrapped it in ribbon, and added some pine cone ornaments.
Recycled Jar –
I filled a recycled jar with nail polish, cotton balls, nail files, cutters, etc. On the outside of the jar, I hot glued on some burlap ribbon. I glued an ornament onto the ribbon and a mini pine cone ornament on the top of the jar.
Blanket Gift Wrap –
I placed a stuffed snowman in a recycled box, I then folded a baby blanket over the box and wrapped it with a ribbon. I added a bell ornament to the top.
Newspaper –
Growing up a lot of us used to use newspapers and comics to wrap presents. I always loved that. This is a sports DVD wrapped with the sports section of the newspaper. To keep it simple I wrapped it with some twine.
Calendar Wrapping Paper –
This is one of the pages from my old calendar. I wrapped a box with it and added some ribbon.
Recycled Clothing for Wrapping –
My daughter’s leggings had a hole in them. I cut off the leg, turned it inside out and hot glued the bottom together. I flipped the legging right side out and slid in a wine bottle.
I tied some ribbon around the top and folded the legging down. I also added a necklace to it to dress it up a bit.
I used a lone mitten to hold a gift card.
I hang on to boxes like this one so I can use them again. I had a charm bracelet and I simply put it in this box instead of leaving it in its plastic sleeve.
These 2 bags are recycled as they originally had an electric blanket and sheets in them. I kept the bags and placed a new blanket in one, and a travel mug with hot chocolate in the other.
I slid them both in a reusable bag. No need for tissue paper and the reusable bag can be used for groceries and other things later.
This is a tin that I was given last year. I saved it and inside I used a scarf to wrap up some coasters.
So many possibilities and my mind is still coming up with more!
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What wrapping paper is eco-friendly?
Amazon has some great choices for eco-friendly gift wrap for purchase.
Want more Eco-Friendly Gift Wrap ideas?
Check out my friend Andrea’s post on her website Design Morsels.
Hi Chas, You have come up with some really creative and eco-friendly ideas. The snowflake doily was a nice touch and the mason jars could be used for all kinds of gifts. I like using traditional gift bags because we just use them over and over each year.
Kathy
Thank you so much Kathy and I have a stash of bags that I reuse as well.
Hi Chas,
I subscribed to your newsletter 6 months or so ago, and I have to say that you never fail to spark my interest and motivate me!
I didn’t realize until a year ago, how much I enjoy making art and crafts, so I signed up to 4 other online newsletters, all of which have there pros and cons, but I have to say that hands down, you make doable craft projects that are not overly time consuming. My ADD brain gets bored easily, so I’m always looking for ways to find projects that are not too complicated and don’t lose my interest. I particularly enjoyed the many “green ways” to wrap holiday packages .”
Bravo! Keep up the great work!
Rich
Maine
Hi Rich, and thank you so much for your kind words. I’m thrilled to have you as part of my blog family and am so excited to hear you are enjoying creating things as well. I totally understand where you are coming from – with 2 kids, working 2 jobs, I still want to do things like this for myself – it’s got to be easy, fast, and inexpensive 🙂 Sending hugs to you 🙂
Excellent suggestions Chas! I’m with Rich–I LOVE your newsletter and the many fine projects you share with us. Thank you, Chas, and Merry Christmas!
Thank you so much Margie, and you guys are just so sweet 🙂 Merry Christmas to you both as well
Chas, these are great ideas! So glad I saw your link at #happinessishomemade. I will use these ideas. Pinning.
Thank you so much Jean and thanks for the Pin. I’m so glad these ideas will be useful for you too 🙂
Clever ideas. Gift wrap was bad enough when it was paper. Now, most of it isn’t even made of paper–it’s plastic and there’s nothing to do with it but throw it away.
Thank you Ellen. I totally understand what you are saying. It’s nice for us to be able to do what we can for our environment.
These are some great ideas that look really elegant.
Thank you so much Calleen 🙂
What excellent ideas! The legging > wine bottle holder worked especially well, and I liked the sock wrapping the other sock + gift, too. My husband is fond of using old calendars for gift wrapping and (although sometimes not very wintery looking) he gets really good results. Thanks for all these thoughts.
(Visiting from the Hearth and Soul link party)
Thank you so much Pauline, and you’re right about the calendar not always looking the most wintry so I like to use them for other occasions like birthdays and such. I’m so glad you like these ideas and thanks for stopping by.
You had some great new ideas. Thank you for sharing them with us.
Thank you so much Laura, I’m glad there were some new ones you enjoyed 🙂
great ideas…My mum must have been ahead of her time..Years ago she would wrap all our Christmas presents in Tea Towels etc…A group down here where I live..make shopping bags and they wrapped their presents to each other in them..
Thanks for sharing that Bree, I love that she was ahead of her time. Good for her 🙂 Love that your group makes shopping bags too – wonderful.