These creative gift wrapping ideas rely on more than the usual paper and bows.
It's often said that the wrapping is just as important as the gift. This year, instead of sticking to your usual routine, give everyone on your list a double surprise with gift wrap materials that serve as gifts themselves! We dare Santa to top these ideas:
Shoelaces and a bandanna make a fun, funky package. Photo: Laura Fenton
FOR KIDS
Kids will be extra appreciative of funky gift-wrapping – especially since it means they'll get more presents! Inexpensive
bandannas are thin enough to double as wrapping paper, while a pair of
brightly colored shoelaces can stand in for bows -- and give kids an alternative to their usual white laces. If your gift comes in a smaller box, try covering it with
Silly Bandz braceletsinstead of ribbon, use the
comics from the weekend newspaper as your wrap or tie a
pair of mittens on instead of a bow.
Skip the bow and opt for peppermint-striped socks instead. Photo: Laura Fenton
FOR BABIES
Gifts for babies and toddlers present many opportunities for fun present toppers. In lieu of the usual premade bow, top a box with a
pair of seasonal socks (like those above); other options include a
bib, a
pacifier or a
rattle. For an even more elaborate DIY wrapping, fold a
receiving blanket around your gift and secure it into place with
diaper pins.
A red scarf and a candy cane pin make this gift gorgeous. Photo: Laura Fenton
FOR ADULTS
A chic and simple way to wrap winter gifts for the ladies on your list is to cover them in
scarves. Try folding a
pashmina-style shawl around a gift box and securing it with a festive
Christmas pin, or simply tying a
silk scarf around a box and knotting the ends. Scarf wrapping works for gents too: Use a
money clip or a
tie bar to keep the scarf in place instead of a pin. Alternately,
holiday pillowcases make a great way to cover big gifts for grown-ups.
Conceal hostess gifts in a holiday dish towel cover. Photo: Laura Fenton
FOR HOST/HOSTESS
A
holiday dish towel makes the perfect wrap for a hostess gift -- especially bottled presents like wine, spirits, olive oil or vinegar. Simply roll the gift in the towel and tie at the neck with a length of
butcher's twine. Another idea is to secure a
Christmas ornament to the ribbon: A perfect secondary gift for your host! Bringing flowers? An inexpensive
vase makes blossoms an even nicer gift
and less of a headache for the host when you arrive.
So now that we've got your creative juices flowing, what unusual items can you think of to wrap holiday gifts with? Share your ideas in the comments below!
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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)
A money clip as something to hold a package together?? That's quite an expensive item to wrap the gift in. The last money clip I bought would have probably been in about the 80's and paid over $30.00 for it then...I can only imagine what one would run today. I'd say a bit more than I want to hold a gift together. I've used the comics for wrapping paper for more than 25 years, but not as Xmas paper, only B-day. One year I was down to the last gift to wrap (a large one) and had run out of paper. I didn't want to go out and buy more paper, so I took the leftover scraps from all the different pieces of paper and pieces them all together on the box. I was shocked as to what a beautifully wrapped gift it turned out to be and everyone commented how neat it was. Another neat idea for a wrap is a brown paper bag and lightly spray a bit of gold paint over it where it is "speckled", not "painted". Tie with gold wired ribbon and add pinecones and evergreen, or even magnola leaves to the bow. Can lightly spray the pinecones with the gold paint, as well. So many creative ideas you can do with things might have around the house that you can dress up the presentation of a package.
ReplyAwesome ideas for getting some expressiveness into the wraps, I know that I always carefully choose my gifts for my parents anniversary, including the wrapping. Http://bit.ly/CouponSavings has great ways to save when you buy a gift not to mention their superb list of free stuff.
aluminum foil makes a great gift wrap!
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