Note: This blog post contains affiliate links and I was sent some Wrag Wrap to review/ giveaway.

Eco friendly wrapping paper alternatives course and the #CutTheWrap Challenge

Last year I set the challenge to not use any single use wrapping paper over the festive season at all. I think it is relevant every year! Find out why and pledge to take the challenge here: Cut The Wrap Challenge. When you sign up to the challenge, you can then join my newly formed Zero Waste Christmas Facebook Group. It’s a group to share ideas over keeping waste low over Christmas.

This blog post can help you with the challenge. However there are so many ways to wrap up gifts beautifully and with the environment in mind, that I am setting up a course on the subject! It will be fun, filled with tutorials for different gift wrapping ideas and is going live on 23rd November. It will be ready in plenty of time for you to wrap up your gifts in time for the festive season. Find out more here to pre book your place and get an early bird discount: Sustainable Gift Wrapping Course

Eco friendly alternatives to wrapping paper

Once you have your sustainable gifts sorted, these eco friendly ways of wrapping them will give them the perfect finish! You could also add upcycled gift tags to them to take it one step futher

The fabric eco friendly wrapping paper alternative

One of my favourite techniques for wrapping gifts in fabric is Furoshiki. It’s a Japanese wrapping style that is elegant and involves zero waste! It is a bit like origami for gift wrapping!

There loads of ways to wrap up your gifts in fabric aside from Furoshiki. You can wrap up gifts with fabric and string. Or put the gifts in fabric gift bags or sacks. If you can sew, these gift bags made out of festive pyjamas are a fun upcycling project and look great.

Another way of wrapping up gifts in fabric is to use Wrag Wrap. I first found out about it at a local Zero Waste Christmas market. Wrag wrap is reusuable and is made of recycled plastic. It comes in a variety of beautiful colours and patterns and looks really attractive. Wrag wrap crackles when you use it, so that it sounds a bit like paper folding as some people said they miss that with fabric wrap. It isn’t cheap and is a bit fiddly to wrap up with, but it is fun and looks great! Tip: I found it a bit tricky to wrap up soft items in this, but boxes or books work well.

Use items from your recycling

There are lots of things that you would usually put in your recycling that makes fun gift wrap. For example colourful pages from old magazines or kids artwork. Check out some more ideas here: Saved from the recycling – beautiful ways to wrap gifts

The no wrap method

You don’t have to wrap up a gift to make it exciting. Obviously you could just hand the person a gift unpackaged. But if you want to make it more fun, hide the gifts around your home and set up a treasure hunt. If you need help with this, I’ve written a handy list of Treasure Hunt Clues for around the house.

As you can see there are lots of ways to wrap up gifts whilst bearing the environment in mind. So come and sign up for the Cut the Wrap Challenge and why not treat yourself and/or a friend to my sustainable gift wrap course

For more ideas about how to save money and the environment at Christmas time, check out this post: How to have a luxurious eco friendly Christmas on a budget

Wrag Wrap and Keep This Cracker Giveaway

Next week I will be reviewing reusuable Christmas crackers by Keep This Cracker on the blog and I am giving some away alongside this Wrag Wrap bundle. They are the perfect combination to help you on your way to an eco -friendly and zero waste Christmas.

You can enter the giveaway below. None of the options are compulsory, but you must choose at least one option to enter. The more you do the more chances you have to win. If you purchase access to the Sustainable Gift Wrapping course you will get 5 entries to the competition. If you sign up to the mailing list and the Cut The Wrap challenge, you will get 3 entries and you will get one entry per relevant Instagram follow. The competition closes at midnight on the 3rd December – full terms and conditions here. Good luck everyone!

The post Beautiful eco friendly ways to wrap up gifts. Plus a festive giveaway! appeared first on Eco Thrifty Living.

If you don’t have any clothes that are suitable or want something seasonal, take a look in charity shops. I found a pair of kids PJ’s for £2 in a charity shop recently, that I decided would make great gift bags.

Note: if you like this post, you might be interested in my sustainable gift wrapping course.

Upcycled fabric gift bag

Fabric gift bag step 1

Lay out the gifts that you plan to give on top of the pyjama bottoms. You need to make sure they will fit. For larger gifts you might want to make a bigger bag. For smaller ones, you could get more gift bags out of it. It is important to leave a big enough gap at the top and bottom. This is so that there is spare fabric to tie up at the top over the gift. For some sustainable gift ideas check out my post here: Sustainable gifts your friends and family will love

The pyjama bottoms that I found were aged 9-10. As you can see they comfortably fit a couple of bottles of fizz and a couple of books in them. If your gifts are bigger, you will need a bigger pair of trousers or pyjamas!

Step 2

Chop into 4 pieces. I made one cut around half way up each leg to make the bottom pieces. For the top pieces, cut down the middle of the waist band on each side. Next cut down the central seams to separate the top part into two pieces. Don’t cut over two pieces of fabric at once on the top part as it has more potential to go wrong

Step 3 of the gift bag

Turn the leg pieces inside out. For the bottom part of the trouser legs, you only need to sew across one end. I zig zag stitched the ends together to stop them from fraying, then I did a straight line stitch a bit further in. Make sure you tie the thread ends together after sewing so it doesn’t come undone later.

The top parts are a bit more complicated. However, you again want one end sewn up and one end left open. Remember to do the zigzag and the line stitch to make it a good quality seam! You might want to chop off the sticking out bit of fabric where the legs join to make it a straighter bag. It’s up to you how you do it.

With both bags, I sewed the raw edges i.e. the cut edge. I thought the finished edges look better for the opening.

Step 4

Turn your bags the right way out , insert gifts and tie bags with a ribbon!

I think these gift bags made from old clothes look really attractive! It took me a couple of hours to make them and cost me 50p each. It would be a bit of a mission to make these in bulk if you wanted to use them for all your gifts. However you could build up your stash slowly.

In case you are wondering if the clothes would have been better off left as is, we buy and donate far more clothes to charity than we can use in this country. Find out more about this issue here: Is it OK to haggle in charity shop?

Not using conventional wrapping paper might feel a bit strange at first. However, I think in a few years time most of us will be avoiding it – well at least I hope so! My hope comes from remembering the time when it seemed like I was one of a handful of people refusing plastic bags in shops. Now shops aren’t allowed to give them away! Awareness of our impact on the environment is spreading and step by step we are making the changes in the right direction.

Come and join my Zero Waste Christmas Facebook group and share pictures of your resuable gift bags there. Plus don’t forget to check out my sustainable gift wrapping course for more in depth tutorials on eco friendly gift wrapping techniques. Plus for more free ideas for how to wrap up gifts without the waste, check out my post here: Beautiful eco friendly ways to wrap up gifts.

The post How to make an upcycled fabric gift bag appeared first on Eco Thrifty Living.

Note: if you want some in depth information about wrapping gifts in sustainable ways, check out my sustainable gift wrap course.

DIY recycled wrapping paper

1. Maps

Let’s be honest, these days paper maps are rarely used. Those once essential tools have now become relics of the past. But many of us still have them lingering around the place. Instead of chucking them in the recycling during your next round of decluttering, you could use them to as your own recycled wrapping paper. They make an attractive and unusual wrapping paper!

2. Kids artwork and colouring in pages recycled wrapping are perfect for gifts to family and other kids.

When my kids were younger, I used a lot of the artwork they brought home from nursery to wraps gifts for their friends. It is quite sweet because the kids then feel like they made something for their friend. In turn the friend feels that the wrapping paper was personalised for them!

3. Toilet roll tubes

Your first thought for packaging up gifts isn’t usually a toilet roll tube. However if you have a small gift, they can make a really attractive little upcycled gift wrap/ package. You fold the ends in like I did in this post about a Valentines day gift one year: Toilet rolls and homemade chocolate

4. Paper shopping bags

Obviously it would be far better to refuse the bag and bring your shopping home in a reusable carrier bag. However, even though I can’t remember the last time I came home with a paper bag, I still have them in my house. This because they have been given to me by other people.

If you have some, you could either use the shopping bag as is, as a gift bag or cut it up to use as wrapping paper.

5. Magazines make an attractive recycled wrapping paper option

Magazines can make attractive wrapping paper. If you have something a bit bigger than the sizes of the pages to wrap up use sticky tape to make them into a larger sheet. I don’t get any magazines and depending on how far down your eco-thrifty journey you are, you might not get any either. But if you don’t have any, you could raid other people’s stashes.

6. Glass jars

Glass jars and bottles make a great container for all kinds of gifts. 5 ideas to get you started are:

• Homemade bath salts
• The dry ingredients to make a cake or cookies. Layer up the ingredients, so that it looks pretty. Remember to include the recipe too!
• Homemade goodies like biscuits, brownies or truffles
• Vanilla extract – make your own by adding vanilla bean pods to vodka. If it isn’t going to be ready in time, you could still give the gift with instructions to wait a while to use it!
• Soap – could be hand soap or shampoo bars!

7. Brown paper is an easy recycled wrapping paper

Brown paper can often be found lurking in packages delivered from online purchases and is an easy quick win recycled wrapping paper. Tie it up with ribbon or string. From far too much browsing on Pinterest recently the latest trend seems to be to tuck a sprig of seasonal leaves behind the bow. It does look really nice and is easy to do if you have some greenery nearby.

Although it is tempting don’t add decorations like paint, stickers and glitter as then the paper won’t be recyclable any more. This is because these things usually contain plastic.

8. Newspapers

One year I wrapped all my kids gifts in newspapers. We used to get a free newspaper through the door, but we don’t get it anymore and I don’t buy any. So we don’t have usually have any newspapers to wrap anything in. If you do have some though, newspaper sheets make a good sized upcycled gift wrap. Again make it more attractive by adding tying a ribbon or piece of string around it. Make sure to save and reuse the ribbon and string afterwards

9. Cardboard boxes

We do a fair amount of shopping online these days and most things come delivered in a cardboard box. Sometimes we order a gift to get sent straight to the recipient. Receiving and opening the cardboard box is the surprise. Again, if we get a gift delivered to our house in a cardboard box, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to unbox it and then wrap it up!

Most delivery boxes don’t come with gifts in them though and most gifts don’t come in delivered cardboard boxes. If you can match a gift and a spare box size wise, then wrapping it up with a ribbon will make it look perfectly gift like!

10. Padded envelopes

A used envelope will have things like an address and a stamp on it, but cover these up with stickers and it will make a great gift wrap for a small gift like a book. I did say not to add stickers to the brown paper. However if the envelope already has labels and stamps on it, it is unlikely to be recyclable anyway.

For more ways to wrap up gifts without the waste, check out my post here: Beautiful eco friendly ways to wrap up gifts.

The post Saved from the recycling – beautiful ways to wrap gifts appeared first on Eco Thrifty Living.

The easy peasy gift treasure hunt

You can make it simple and do it like an Easter egg hunt. You don’t need any clues for this, you just hide gifts around a room or a house and then people search for them.

It would make sense to do this one person at a time, so that only their gifts are available to find!

To make it easier to identify as a gift, wrap some reusable ribbon or string around them. I have collected a big stash of ribbons that I have collected over the years. I use an old toiletry bag to store them!

Simple clues

Leave a trail of treasure hunt clues around your house and entertain the adults and kids in your family! It can be hard to break with traditions especially if you are used to having a load of gifts under a tree, but you will probably be more upset about it than the kids. You could even hang the first clue from your Christmas tree and start a new family tradition!

10 clues to use in your home:

1. Table – What has four legs but can’t go for a hike? Look under it to find something you’ll like
2. Book on a bookshelf – My spine is the wrong way, all the others are facing out. I have a lot to say, but I can’t shout it out! (place a book on the bookshelf the wrong way round i.e. spine to the wall).
3. Bed – Go to the place, where you like to close your eyes, but this time keep them open to find a surprise!
4. Wardrobe – Hanging around in here is a bit boring because you usually only visit in the morning!
5. Games cupboard – Roll the dice or shuffle the pack. Make your move and look towards the back!
6. Fridge / freezer – Want to find something cool? You know where to search, you are no fool!
7. Bath – Quack Quack and you’re on the right track
8. Under the sofa cushions – Use your hands to rescue me from lost sock and loose change land!
9. Airing cupboard – Clothes go here to get some air, come and find me in their lair!
10. Shoe storage area – The things stored here travel a lot and there are different types depending on whether it is cold or hot!

For more ideas for festive clues take a look here: 56 Christmas scavenger hunt clues

How to avoid printing out clues on paper

If you don’t want wasted pieces of paper containing clues, there are the following options:

• Each clue leads to a gift, so you just tell them the next clue when they find the gift.
• If you want to save the gift or gifts till the end of the hunt, put something as a marker in each place e.g. a teddy, a book or even a pair of socks! Obviously you would need to use a book for the bookshelf clue!

Alternatively print or write out the clues and hide them around the house!

For more ideas for how to wrap up gifts without waste check out my blog post here: Eco friendly wrapping paper alternatives

The post How to swap wrapping gifts for a festive treasure hunt! appeared first on Eco Thrifty Living.

In this article I walk you through how to wrap up a book using the Furoshiki method. I think it looks great and really stylish.

How to wrap up a book in fabric -Furoshiki style!

In the picture at the top of the article I have wrapped up my Eco Thrifty Living book in a silk scarf in a few easy steps. I got the silk scarf with a bunch more, when my mum was having a declutter. She was going to give them to charity, but I found a new use for them! If you don’t have your own fabrics to use to wrap up gifts, you will be able to find some inexpensively in a charity shop!

Step 1: Lay out your fabric and put the book on top at an angle

Step 2: Bring two diagonally opposite corners towards each other and tie them together in a double knot

Step 3 – Repeat with the remaining two corners

Doesn’t it look great! When you give someone a gift like this, you can ask for the gift wrap back. I find that most people hand it straight back to me. But you could also give it as part of the present if you want to.

Now that you have learned how to wrap up a gift Furoshiki style, are you after ideas for eco-friendly gifts? If so, you can get some inspiration in my list of sustainable gifts your friends and family will love.

If you want some more ideas for sustainable ways to wrap gifts, check out my article on the subject here: Beautiful eco friendly ways to wrap up gifts. Plus check out my course that I am currently developing on the subject. All the details can be found here: Sustainable gift wrapping course.

The post Furoshiki is a beautiful and stylish way to wrap up gifts! appeared first on Eco Thrifty Living.

Note: This post was originally written in 2019, but has been updated for 2021 and you can sign up here to join in with the 2021 challenge.

Why do we need to cut the wrap?

The pleasure of a wrapped gift is brief and recycling doesn’t solve the problem

A lot of wrapping paper can’t be recycled because it is plastic lined or has glitter stuck on it, which is also made from plastic. Even if you could recycle more wrapping paper, the production of all that wrapping paper causes unnecessary damage to the environment. It uses up precious resources that could be better used for something else!

I don’t think that chopping down a tree for the momentary excitement of people being able to unwrap gifts is worth it.

Wrapping paper is an extra expense

You can pick up cheap wrapping paper, especially if you buy it in the January sales. However it is still an extra cost at what is to many an already expensive time of year. If you have a lot of gifts to wrap up, the costs can add up!

Why do we do it then? Habit, culture, expectation, because it looks pretty? Whatever the reason it is undeniable there is something fun about wrapping paper and the element of surprise when you open a gift.

What can we do instead?

Take the challenge to #CutTheWrap this festive season by ditching single use wrapping paper in favour of more sustainable alternatives.  

There are lots of beautiful, stylish and fashionable ways present a gift without trashing the environment. So many that I have created a whole course on the subject – Sustainable gift wrapping course

Using sustainable wrapping paper is only part of the challenge, we also need to give sustainable gifts. For some inspiration check out my suggestions for sustainable gifts your friends and family will love.

How to join in with the Cut The Wrap challenge

Join in with the campaign by signing up below and pledging to avoid single use wrapping paper this festive season.

This year for the first time I will be running a series of free Zoom events demonstrating Furoshiki gift wrapping techniques, which you can find out about once you sign up to the mailing list below!

Also please share the campaign and your alternative gift wrapping pictures on social media using #CutTheWrap between now and the end of December. Tag me on @ecothrifty (Instagram and Twitter) in your posts too and let me know what you are up to!

I’m so excited about you joining in and I’m really looking forward to seeing what you do! Make sure you opt in to receive the blog newsletter to get the latest from your blog directly to your inbox, as well as pledging to join the campaign! Thank you everyone for your support!

The post Take the #CutTheWrap challenge and switch to eco gift wrapping appeared first on Eco Thrifty Living.

Note: I originally wrote this post in 2012, when my kids were a lot younger! It has been updated in November 2020

Back in 2012, I paid a total of around £15 for all these items for festive gifts for my kids.  I found them in charity shops and school sales! I then hunted around the house for things to wrap them up in.

Fabric Wrapping

My mum gave me some blue fabric a while ago and a bag full of ribbons, decorative string and tassels.  I dug out all the gold coloured ones and tied up the gifts.  They looked so appealing, I wanted to open them!  

When I ran out of blue fabric, I wrapped up a gift in an old kids t-shirt. I wrapped my younger son’s gifts in his old babygrows, using all the blue ribbon I could find!

I also used a couple of babygrows for my older sons presents. They are great for wrapping up small gifts!

We also had a pair of old jeans, with holes in all the wrong places, that were beyond repair.  Chopping them up Istuffed the legs with a couple gifts for my husband!  I then tied them up with some white ribbon (as pictured at the top of this article) and they looked lovely!

I hadn’t planned on giving so many gifts to my children, but the gifts weren’t expensive and were mostly educational.  They were be passed down and then given away as my children outgrew them.  After the gifts were unwrapped the fabric went back in the cupboard to be used again another time. Wrapping these gifts was a fun challenge and I was really pleased with the results.  My children didn’t bat an eyelid at their gifts being wrapped up in fabric and were just eager to undo the ribbons and find out what surprises were hiding beneath!  

If you are after some more ideas for eco-friendly gifts to wrap up check out my post here: Sustainable gifts your friends and family will love. Plus I have loads more ideas for wrapping up gifts without the waste here: Eco Friendly Wrapping Paper Alternatives

The post All wrapped up in fabric! appeared first on Eco Thrifty Living.