Zero Waste Gift Wrapping

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Since going ‘Zero Waste’ I’ve realized that there are plenty of creative options to replace all the things that I used to buy. Some of which are better in more ways than just reducing waste for environmental reasons. One such example is holiday gift wrap. I love making my gift wrap because it is a fun project where I can spread out my paints, and let my creative juices flow. Plus, the final product is not only super cute but also has more love and time put into it. I can make each package unique, and use all different ribbons and tags that I’ve collected throughout the year.

Supplies:

  • paper - old grocery bags, wrappers from take-out food, paper packing from a shipped package, etc.

  • ribbon and string - recycled from other gifts you’ve received, saved from packaging, etc.

  • paint, crayons, colored pencils, or markers

  • scissors

  • pencil

  • a piece of cardstock or cardboard

  • craft paper tape (not plastic!)

  • Gifts that you’ve already boxed

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I start out by cutting apart all the paper and grocery bags to lay them out flat.

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Draw a tree shape (or any other fun shape) on the cardstock. Cut out the shape to make a stencil.

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Begin decorating! Don’t worry if your stenciled designs don’t come out perfect, you can always cover up the imperfections with other designs. I painted yellow stars on the treetops and red ornaments on another package. Get creative with dots, stripes, stars, paint splatters, or anything else!

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Wrap your gifts and tie them up with the reused ribbon and twine. For the tags, I used scraps of patterned paper, pieces of old greeting cards, paper from junk mail- think outside the box!

Happy Holidays!