Handmade Gift Wrapping Ideas to Present Beautiful Handmade Gifts

Don’t spend a fortune on gift wrapping that goes to waste anyway. Here are some handmade gift wrapping ideas that are good for the budget and the environment.

Gift wrap can be expensive and it’s not that great for the environment.

According the CSIRO, Australians use 150,000 km of gift wrap during the Christmas season. That’s a bloody lot! And it’s not all recyclable.

The good news is, you don’t need to buy gift wrap to give beautifully wrapped presents. All you need is a little inspiration, which is what this article is all about, and a little creativity to make your own gift wrap from low-waste alternatives.

One of my favourite ways to wrap homemade gifts is as a hamper. You can pick up all sorts of baskets, bowls, plates, napery etc. from the thrift shop as a base for all your homemade goodies. Check out the article on how to make a homemade hamper here.

Below are links to a bunch of handmade gift wrapping ideas. I’ve started with simple labels if you’re planning on giving some homemade food goodies.

Next, I’ve shared some links to some wonderful ideas on making gift wrap.

Finally, you can find a list of recycled gift wrap ideas that are low-waste and low fuss.

Sustainable Gift Wrap

Now, don’t roll your eyes, but last year, Woolworths delivered their groceries in paper bags that had Christmas print on them and cut lines, so you could, if you were so inclined, cut them up to use as gift wrap.

Turns out, I was so inclined.

So we didn’t use any gift wrap last year, but used all Woolies bags.

Tacky?

Nah. No one cares about the wrap. The paper was a bit stiff, so it was hard to wrap gifts, especially smaller ones, but it sufficed. It was all colour-coordinating, looked nice, was free, and reused recyclable paper.

So, two of my favourite options for wrapping gifts are:

• recycled paper
• fabric that can be reused over and over

Other Recycled Gift Wrap Ideas

If you don’t have time to make gift wrap, there are many things you can recycle into gift wrap.

A good place to start is the second-hand book section in the thrift store. I know, tearing up books seems sacrilege, but there are SO MANY that are out of date and will never be read. It’s ok. Give them one last hurrah by using them as gift wrap.

Here are some ideas for recycled gift wrap.

• reuse gift wrap you’ve been given.
• atlas pages
• magazine pages
• pages from old book
• old dressmaker patterns
• house plans and blueprints that are no longer needed
• old posters
• newspaper
• old calendar pages
• comic book pages (just make sure they are not from a vintage comic!)
• old clothing
• A reusable shopping bag (a pretty calico one)
• Don’t wrap – have a treasure hunt instead. Great for kids or large, hard to wrap gifts

Save money and reduce waste by avoiding purchased gift wrap that often times can’t be recycled and make your own.

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Have you tried any of these gift-wrapping ideas? Share your favourite tips or projects in the comments!