Recycling in Gift Wrapping

Wrapping Week 2011!

According to my chocolate-filled advent calendar (which I’m happily eating away on that until the big day arrives), Christmas is a mere 13 days away. Thirteen days!?! Can you believe it? How did it get to the middle of December already? How did the Bean get to be 5 weeks old already? Wowza. That time, she’s a flying.

Fortunately, by a skillful mix of planning ahead and that lovely little site we call Amazon, I’ve managed to finish nearly all of my Christmas shopping with time to spare. Woo hoo! Now all that’s left to do is watch Christmas movies, bake and be merry until Dec. 25. Oh, and wrap all those dandy gifts that are now piling up in our closet.

I’m a big believer that presentation is half the fun when it comes to gift giving. Yes, it’s what’s on the inside that counts, but don’t you just love opening a gift that looks like it took a little time (and love) to wrap before it landed under the tree? Last year, Jared and I went bananas for wax seals on all the gifts we gave. Sure, Jared burned his finger and we dripped wax all over our dining table, but I’d say the effort was worth it. Our gifts looked crazy adorable.

This year, we’re rocking five different gift-wrapping ideas for the holidays, so I’m spreading the paper-filled love over the course of a week. Every day this week I’ll share a peek at one of the nifty ways we’re dressing our presents for the season. It’s like a fashion show for the boxes in our lives. Yahoo!

First up: bows made from old magazines or newspapers that haven’t quite made it to the recycling bin.

What you’ll need:
• leftover magazines or newspapers
• glue or tape
• buttons
• white craft paper or brown butcher paper

How to do it:
Cut four even strips of magazine paper or newsprint, each roughly ½-inch thick. Holding one strip at a time, fold outer edges in, and secure in center with glue or tape. Repeat with remaining three strips of paper, then stack the four looped paper pieces in a staggered order and tape in place to form the bow. Using another piece of tape, secure button on top of the bow. Tie it onto the wrapped package with ribbon or twine.

And that’s all there is to it! It’s super duper easy, not to mention a great way to put to use materials you probably already have lying around the house. So it’s pretty and practical. Woot!

How’s your holiday shopping going? Are you totally finished? Nearly there? Not even started? And how do you jazz up your gifts before putting them under the tree? I’d love to hear about it!

XO,
Katrina

Article Source http://splashofsomething.com/2011/12/12/wrapping-week-2011/