Frugal Wrapping...

Have you seen the price of wrapping paper these days?? Wow. Luckily, that's an area where I can cut back. I did not buy a roll of wrapping paper this year due to my "pack rat" tendencies and my frugal mind. Creativity is the key when getting those gifts ready for presentation. Here's a few ideas:

Hard to wrap gifts:

If you have an odd-shaped gift that doesn't have a box, tissue paper is the way to go! I have a stash of odd and/or previously used tissue paper that I dig out for these occasions.

First you lay out a few sheets of tissue paper (use one piece of tape to hold together if you have to use more than one for length). I like to color coordinate with the gift if I can and I make sure the paper is dark enough that the gift doesn't show through.

Cover your item with the tissue paper best that it fits and tape together any random pieces. Then gather at the open ends. Now, take one of those squished, pathetic bows you have from last year and remove the paper backing, along with the staple:

Unravel the bow and snip one end in the middle. You can now take both ends and just pull them apart, making two ribbons.










Secure the ends with the ribbons and curl with your scissors. There you have it! A beautiful gift, pennies to wrap, and easy to open.

Some more ideas:

Planters filled with gardening tools.
Mugs filled with coffee or tea.
A bottle of wine and two wine glasses attached with a beautiful bow.
A vintage recipe box filled with new recipe cards or small kitchen gadgets.
A cookie jar filled with homemade cookies.

Or how about a jewelry box filled with fun girly stuff. Close it up, decorate with ribbon and done:
Or this one:

Use your imagination and you won't be spending a small fortune to wrap those special gifts any more. Another tip: I keep every scrap of paper (no matter how big or small) that's left over after wrapping. It comes in handy to wrap those stocking stuffers! Another trick: the pieces that you don't use (or the used paper still in semi-good shape)...run it through a paper shredder and you have filler for baskets and gift bags. Hope this helps alleviate some of your wrapping woes this year!