Zero Waste Gift Wrapping
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
I start out by cutting apart all the paper and grocery bags to lay them out flat.
Draw a tree shape (or any other fun shape) on the cardstock. Cut out the shape to make a stencil.
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!
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!