3 Ways to Sustainably Wrap Presents

Gifts purchased, check. Now on to the fun part—wrapping all your thoughtful presents.

Poosh already highlighted how to sustainably enjoy the holiday season, and today I’m adding to the list with three eco-friendly ways to wrap presents. Yes, I’m back with another DIY project. Get ready to say goodbye to tape and hello to finding a new way to bundle your precious gifts.

I don’t want to give away all my tips before you watch my tutorial in the reel below, but after you’ve tuned in, I have all the instructions listed out for you to reference when it comes time to conceal all your holiday presents.

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1: Use the no-tape method

*I created custom wrapping paper using Kourt’s handwriting printed on recycled paper, but you can skip this step and use regular recycled paper.

Instructions:
1. First, measure enough paper to go around the present once and cut it about 2 inches from the present.
2. Next, fold the paper over to create a square cut about 2 inches off the bottom once folded.
3. Put the present in the middle. Pull one corner of the present and scoot the paper so that it just covers both corners.
4. Then pull the other corner over the present and hold the paper with one hand.
5. Take your finger and pull it along the bottom part of the paper to create an edge. Then use your middle finger to push the paper in and guide it toward the present, making it so that you have one corner done.
6. Do the same step to the other side. Make sure the lines are flat along the sides of the present.
7. Line up or guide the paper in to make edges even on both sides of the present. Now you have all but one side done.
8. Do the same thing with the remaining paper. Use your finger to create a crease for the edge of the paper on both sides.
9. Guide both sides of paper into the middle. Fold the remaining paper over and tuck it under the folds already created. The final edge will stay closed by itself.

TIP: Use the ribbon of your choice to hold paper together and add decor to the top. I used real holly to make this one extra special. Also, by not using tape the recipient won’t tear it apart, thus the wrapping paper can be reused for other purposes such as giving it to your kids to color!

2. Reuse old fabric

Instructions:
1. First you’ll need to find an old pillowcase, sheet, or other fabric you no longer use.
2. Place the gift inside of the pillowcase to measure how much you need.
3. Cut, leaving about 3 inches on each side.
4. With the remaining pillowcase pieces, cut into long strips.
5. Use the strips to tie bows at the ends of your present, and voilà, the “candy wrap effect.”

TIP: Before wrapping, iron your fabric so that it’s crisp and tidy.

3. Use empty boxes to create giftable art (that contains the actual present too, ofc!)

For this example, I created a sustainable gingerbread house, but you can get creative.

Instructions:
1. First you’ll need to find a box that fits your gift.
2. Reuse stuffing from old packages or paper bags from the grocery store to stuff the box.
3. Have glue sticks and a glue gun handy.
4. Seal the box without tape by tucking the four corners.
5. Add the box to a brown grocery bag and staple and glue the tip down.
6. Cut two edges of the box to create a rooftop for your gingerbread present wrapping.
7. I used a glue gun to make this hold easy and fast.
8. Paint a gingerbread roof any color you desire with paints.
9. Decorate with paint and paint markers.
10. Glue candy or any fun scraps you find around the house you would like on your gingerbread house.
11. You don’t need a tag for this; you can include to and from with paint marker on the box or personalize it to your desire.