Last-minute green gift-wrapping

Why prep early when you can prep last minute? Gifts I wrapped in a frenzy yesterday -- greenly, of course:

Exhibit A: Reused gift box wrapped in a potato chip wrapper, washed and turned inside out, tied with a reused bow which -- being brown, is not particularly a holiday color but happens to go handsomely with a notecard that my friend Anna handmade and gave me as part of my birthday gift this year.

Exhibit B: Reused box covered in a Metro map -- I believe this is the 12-minute map, which I thought was a cool idea but ended up rarely using -- reincarnated as wrapping paper, tied with a reused bow.

Exhibit C: A reused box with an ad in Wired magazine as wrapping paper, tied with a reused bow and accessorized with a handmade name tag I crafted with pretty 100% recycled Twisted Limb paper and old business cards.

Exhibit D:  See Exhibit C.

Exhibit E:  Simplest of all, these are wrapped in reused tissue paper and placed in reused bags, again decorated with a reused bow and accessorized with the handmade name tags described in Exhibit C.

Green gift-wrapping saves you money, keeps junk out of landfills and encourages creativity. :) For more ideas, here's my guide to green gift-wrapping, from box to ribbon! Got more ideas? Share them in the comments!

To make green gift-wrapping easy, remember to keep an eye out for reusable materials this holiday season. Nicely fold or roll up the tissue papers and gift bags that your gifts come in this year, and throw all the ribbons into a shoebox for future reuse. Your collection will serve you well for all birthdays and special occasions requiring gifts in the next year.

Happy holidays!

Photos by Siel

Comments

[mikeg]

Some times you just need to buy gift cards! lol

Mikeg
Howtobelike.com

[annieinsf]

great ideas! my friend also turned me on to reusing old business cards as gift tags--they are the perfect size.
you can glue wrapping paper or a bit of a holiday card to make them more festive amd/or use pinking shears around the edges.

[Siel]

Thanks annieinsf! I don't have pinking shears, but maybe I can find some on Craigslist --