With Christmas fast approaching, I always enjoy finding the perfect gifts for my loved ones. But what about the gift wrapping? Wrapping gifts is more than just hiding the surprise, it's about adding a personal touch, adding anticipation and making it special for the person receiving it.
The downside to traditional wrapping paper.
The problem with that shiny, glittery wrapping paper that is often used, is it's often not recyclable due to the glitter, foil and plastic coating. It's time to ditch the plastic coated wrapping paper and create a more sustainable approach to gift wrapping. Below I'll share some eco friendly gift wrapping tips and tricks that are creative, stylish, and kinder to the planet.
Sustainable Gift Wrap.
Recycled Paper:Â Opt for a rustic look with brown kraft paper, if the plain paper isn't to your taste you can decorate it using festive stamps or drawn designs. Why not make it even more personal using letter stamps to add a message and name to the recipient.
Fabric Wraps:Â Reusable fabric wraps like the japanese art of gift wrapping Furoshiki, adds a touch of elegance to gifts. It looks beautiful and of course is sustainable, as the fabric can be used again for gifts in the future. Sari's in particular look beautiful as fabric wrapping.
Repurposed Materials:Â Â This is one of my favourite ideas, Get creative and use repurposed materials that would otherwise be thrown away. Use old maps, book pages, pages of comics or magazines or repurposing fabrics from old clothes. There's so many options for creating unique gift wrapping.
Natural Gift Embellishments.
Add a touch of nature to your gift wrapping, with natural elements.
Foliage:Â Â A sprig of holly or fir, a posy of dried flowers or a cinnamon stick tucked into a natural raffia ribbon adds a lovely festive touch.
Dried Fruit:Â Dehydrating thinly sliced fruit such as orange, lemons and apple in your air fryer or oven to add a rustic charm. Make a small hole in the dried fruit thread onto twine and attach to your gift.
Pine Cones: Pick up some pine cones on your walks, dry them thoroughly and use string or raffia around the base of the pine cones to attach them to your gifts.
Salt Dough Tags: Add a handmade salt dough tag for that personal touch. salt dough tags are simple to make with products you likely have at home.
To make salt dough tags you will need:
1 cup plain flour
½ cup salt
¼ – ½ cup warm water
Mix the ingredients together to form a dough, roll out and use cookie cutters to make shapes and use stamps or foliage etc to decorate. Don't forget to use a straw or pencil to make a hole to attach to the gift. You can air dry the tags in a few days or place in a low heat oven for a couple of hours.
Gift Wrapping Candles.
We know that Kind Melts candles make a fabulous gift, but wrapping them when they're not boxed, can be a bit tricky. Here are some of my top gift wrapping ideas for candles.
Tissue Paper:Â Classic and simple! Place the candle in the center of your tissue paper, fold the edges up to meet at the top, twist and tie with twine or raffia.
Fabric Pouches:Â Simple sew some fabric scraps into a pouch, they're perfect for holding candles, and can be reused for future gifts or storage. Alternatively, you can use a larger piece of fabric and wrap as you would with tissue paper.
Paper Tube:Â Â This is a fun and creative option! Roll a sheet of decorative card into a tube, secure the edges and bottom. Place the candle inside, add some foliage and tie with raffia ribbon for a festive finish.
Pleated Paper:Â This is one of my favourite ways to wrap an unboxed candle, Here's how I do it:
Cut a piece of paper long enough to wrap around the candle, allowing a little extra for overlapping.
Cut the paper so it is approximately 2-3 inches longer than the height of the candle. This excess is to make the pleating at each end.
Wrap the paper around the candle leaving the same amount of excess paper at each end, secure the seam with paper tape or glue.
Starting at one end, fold the excess paper in towards the center, creating a pleat.
Move along and repeat making pleats until the end surface is covered.
Secure the final fold with paper tape or glue.
Repeat the process on the other end of the candle.
Add raffia or paper ribbon to finish the look!
Finishing Touches.
Securing your gifts:Â Â Instead of plastic tape, I always use paper tape, twine or raffia. It's biodegradable and adds a lovely natural touch.
Furoshiki, Fabric Wrapping:Â There are many ways to tie a fabric wrap, from a bag knot to a flower knot. You can find a tutorial here. https://keikofuroshiki.com/pages/how-tie-furoshiki
The Personal Touch: Finish off your gift with a personal message on a gift tag or a salt dough gift tag.
Get creative in a sustainable way and add a touch of magic with Kind Melts eco friendly gift wrapping ideas.
Comentários