12/11

Try This: Use Scraps for Creative Gift Wrapping

Celebrate, Crafts, D.I.Y. Project, DIY Gifts, Happy Holidays, Homemade Gifts, Try This
By Mandi Johnson

Creative ways to decorate gifts using scraps from your craft supplies‘Tis the season for gift giving! And you know what that means! It’s also the time for gift wrapping. Maybe you’re the person who drops off gifts for your sister to wrap for you (Ahem… my brother!), but for me, decorating gifts is half the fun of giving them! I have certain friends that I go all out for when it comes to giving gifts. (You know the types—designers, wedding planners, florists…) This year I thought I’d delve into my craft supply bins and see what kinds of things I could use to make my gifts extra special, without heading out to the store to buy fancy gift decorating supplies.

Here’s what I came up with! I hope you’ll be inspired.

Use produce packaging mesh to decorate gifts!PRODUCE PACKAGING MATERIAL

I saved the orange mesh bag that my clementines came in and used it to break up the long expanse of this gift box. All it needed next was a simple bow across its “waist” and a tag. I used an old clothes pin from my craft box to attach a die cut snowflake to the ribbon of the bow, and the look was complete!

I purchased this Christmas tree patterned kraft paper from Marshalls this year, but you could easily stamp your own plain kraft paper to get the same look.

Use scrap pieces of ribbon to make a plaid design on your wrapped gifts.SCRAP PIECES OF RIBBON

I am 100% guilty of hoarding small scraps of ribbon that will never be long enough to tie all the way around a gift, much less into a bow. This small gift was the perfect place to use up my ribbon scraps! I made a plaid pattern by wrapping the ribbon over the top of the box and taping the ends together in the back. I topped it off with a pink tag and a large pom pom made with leftover yarn from my pom pom garland.

Check out this post to learn how to make large pom poms.

Make a little wreath to beautifully top a wrapped gift.LEFTOVER FLORAL SUPPLIES

When I got my first Christmas tree, I went all out decorating it. We’re talking far too many floral branches spraying out from inside the tree and ornaments as far as the eye can see. I have less ambition when it comes to decorating our trees these days, which means there were plenty of glittery floral materials in the bottom of my Christmas boxes this year. Those scrap pieces of floral supplies would be beautiful supplies for decorating a gift!

I used tape and ribbon to make a small wreath to top this gift for my mother, but if you wanted to keep it simpler, you could simply tuck sprays of branches or flowers into a cute little bow. If you don’t have scrap pieces of artificial flowers, why not head outside and trim some from a holly bush or evergreen tree?

Use leftover beads and twine to add whimsy to your gift wrapping.FABRIC, BEADS, YARN, & TWINE

This little gift sports a whole host of craft supplies I usually have in excess. I don’t know why I keep all of those small pieces of fabric, but I do! Turns out they make great little wraps for plain wrapping paper. I adorned my scrap fabric with a few passes of twine, onto which I strung some beads I had leftover from this necklace project.

I topped it all off with a pom pom made from leftover yarn from this kiddo shirt project and another die cut snowflake tag.

Layer wrapping paper for a graphic color blocked giftWRAPPING PAPER SCRAPS & SCRAPBOOKING STICKERS

When wrapping small gifts, I’m never quite sure what to do with the trimmed wrapping paper. My mom would save those small pieces for wrapping stocking stuffers, but we don’t do stocking gifts at our house. So I decided to get graphic with my scrap pieces of wrapping paper and layer them on top of plainly wrapped gifts for a fun little twist.

And how many of you scrapbookers have plenty of spare letter stickers to go around? I know I have quite enough to last me many lifetimes! Why not use those lonely letters to label gift tags and add a fun, typographic element to your gifts?

creative gift wrapping techniquesWell, folks, I haven’t exactly cleaned out my cluttered craft supply bins, but I have at least eased some of the overflow a bit! I’m excited to finish my Christmas shopping and decorate the last of my gifts with even more scrap supplies. What kind of gift decorating ideas do you have? –Mandi

Credits // Author and Photography: Mandi Johnson. Photos edited with Stella from the Signature Collection.

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