Eco-friendly wrapping guide

Gifting and wrapping is the perfect time to show off your creative side.

I’m the type to cringe every year while looking at all the discarded wrapping paper and material that piles up after the gifting massacre. I’m going to have a guilt-free craft period this time around with a few tips to keep your present wrapping more eco-friendly.

First thing’s first – take a walk around your house and keep an eye out on reusing what you have on hand. Think of it as a scavenger hunt: patterned paper, magazines, old comic books, maps, cellophane, string, etc.

1. Curling ribbon: Using the edge of a scissors, re-curl ribbon to fix any kinks or creases.
2. Iron wrapping paper: On a very low setting, iron paper to smooth away any creases or crinkles and make paper appear new and unused.



3. Storing ribbon and paper: Take ribbon and wrap it around an empty giftwrap roll. Take paper and fold it within a large heavy book to ensure it stays flat and crease free come wrapping time.
4. Broken jewelry, knick-knacks or Christmas tree ornaments: Reuse these small finds as decorative pieces on your new Christmas bag! Dress up a plain gift bag with metallic marker designs and sparkly accents.
5. Crinkly tissue paper: Take 2 layers of tissue paper and wrap gift to give off an intentional crinkly effect. Dress it up with recycled ribbon and a homemade paper bow.

How to create a homemade paper bow:

Save on extravagant wrapping decorations and opt for a more homemade feel with these crafty bows.

Materials:
1 pair of scissors
1 stapler
1 roll of clear tape
1 magazine page or shopping bag

Instructions:

1. Select a magazine page that is colourful and not too text-heavy, or a paper shopping bag for an extra thick and sturdy bow. I chose the magazine’s back page as it’s stiffer than the inside page and will be a little more durable.
2. Cut paper vertically into nine ¾-inch strips. Keep three strips 11 inches, cut three strips 10-inches, two nine- inches and one three-inches long.
   
3. Form each strip into an infinity-shaped loop and secure ends in the middle with a piece of tape. Create a loop with the three-inch strip.
4. Starting with the largest loops, layer them over top one another to form the bow. Hold in place.
5. Staple loops in place two to three times and then affix center loop to cover staples. Congrats – you’ve got yourself a fine looking bow.
   

Tips: When choosing which colour of paper to use, select one that will coordinate well with your wrapping paper. Select a colour of similar intensity, not shade. If you have bright teal wrapping paper, try a pop of cranberry for the bow. Try not to have a bow that is of a similar colour to the wrapping paper, as your bow will blend with the wrapping paper, instead of stand out on its own. When in doubt gold, silver or white are always great holiday colours.

Have fun this season with eco-friendly reusing and recycling in mind. If you have your own wrapping secrets, share them as a comment below!