DIY gift wrap

just_thrifty

This is my first thread on this board, so hope it's in the right place! I hate paying for wrapping paper, and always try to reuse it if possible. Read an article in Prima online-
"Use brightly coloured old comics or magazines, or even newspaper, as wrapping for gifts. Use adhesive tape to stick pages together on the wrong side for larger presents. Tie parcels with brightly coloured ribbons, string or raffia. Roll a page from a comic into a cone and fix with adhesive tape. Fill with sweets or tiny gifts for a party bag. For totally recycled gift wrap, cut strips of leftover fabrics to tie around instead of ribbons".

Will definitely give it a go!

misskool

I used to use old fashion magazines, cut out the ads, make a random collage onto the present or make a big sheet to use.

Once I used bits from an argos catalogue but that was for a joke.

To me, wrapping paper is a waste as most people will just rip them up and bin it.

sweetnskint

thats bit extreme for me- some people use material and tie with ribbon!i got a lovely present once wrapped in coloured voile(to be reused) and ribbon!

hmkn

misskool wrote: »

To me, wrapping paper is a waste as most people will just rip them up and bin it.

I'm the one yelling 'don't screw it up' on Christmas Day...:o

The in laws have finally got used to me rescuing all the ribbon, and even the stick on tags where they've written on the blank side and left the picture side ready for reuse next year;) In fact MIL and I now have a (birthday) gift bag that goes backwards and forwards between us. She thinks it's highly amusing, but I'd rather spend another £2 on the recipient rather than on stuff that will go in the bin.

Actually, the rest of (both) families admire my present wrapping, but I spend less on it than any of them. It's just that I coordinate my plain brown paper, newspaper, ribbon (real, because it's easier to reuse and it means I don't use much tape so it's greener as well as easier to reuse paper and ribbon) etc and add decs like leaves,small candy canes, dried orange slices or add small tree decs which are really part of the present. Straw ones from Ikea are v cheap.

My favourite birthday paper at the moment is old maps. Our road atlas fell apart, so DS's friends have all had map paper. It looks really good tied with raffia or bits of blue and green wool :money:

HMK

champys

sweetnskint wrote: »

thats bit extreme for me- some people use material and tie with ribbon!i got a lovely present once wrapped in coloured voile(to be reused) and ribbon!

What a good idea sweetnskint - why have I never thought of that? I always have all sorts of fabric leftovers from sewing...... a good way to put them to use.

elona

If you are really stuck for wrapping something at the last minute then silver foil ( the stuff for cooking) can look really impressive.

Pink.

Hi just thrifty,

Those are good tips. I've added your thread to the main one on DIY gift wrapping to keep all the ideas together.

Pink

louise_1981

Ikea then to charge for bags, but they provide tissue paper and brown paper to wrap things up for free, so I thake my own bag and wrap carefully, and don't use the cellotape. What is even better is it is off a roll, so you are not limited in size. Plus you can decorate with stamps and ink pads

Sainsburys also provide paper at customer services, but these are sheets, however they already have patterns on