The holidays are a wonderful time of year but sadly, they can also produce a whole lot of waste… And one of those greater holiday offenders, is wrapping paper! Thousands of presents are wrapped with paper, bows and ribbon, and then thrown away. It’s something that has always bothered me. As I reflect on many Christmas’s, sitting amidst all the unpacking on holiday, seeing the growing pile of wasted paper. As I continue my journey towards a more sustainable, healthy way of life, I want to share what I learn along the way. Whether it be ways to reduce waste as it pertains to holidays, everyday activities or the products I choose to wear, use or own. We can all do our part, and one way to do that is through sharing information with one another on how to reduce waste.
Luckily there are ways we can work towards a waste free Christmas. So why not start there? If you think you’re ready to step up your game and work towards a less wasteful existence, then you’ll love today’s diy because I’ll be sharing how to wrap your Christmas presents the zero waste way! If you ask me, this way of decorating looks so much more thoughtful and unique. After all, isn’t that the best part about a gift? It’s not necessarily the item, (or at least that’s what you learn as you grow older) but rather the gesture and thought behind it, that means the most. Prepare to be inspired as you begin the gift wrapping process! Although it can typically be stressful, maybe this method will turn it into a more enjoyable and inspiring process altogether. Happy wrapping!
How to Wrap Your Christmas Presents
the Zero Waste Way
The Materials:
1 Yard of Fabric (per gift, pending its size)
( I used the green, silk fabric for one of the boxes and also really like this fabric for a boho look )
Scissors
( Here’s a similar looking pair to my scissors)
Dried Flowers
( I recommend Lunaria and Everlastings)
The Steps:
Step One: Lay your fabric out
Make sure your fabric is completely smoothed out and there aren’t any bunched up areas or folds. The more precise each step is done, the better the end result will look! Trust me, this diy can look a little sloppy if not done right. lol
Step Two: Place the gift in the middle of the fabric
A next, more obvious step, would be to place your gift in the middle of the fabric. If the gift is relatively small, 1 yard of fabric should be enough. If it’s medium sized or larger, I recommend bringing the item to the store, so you can make sure you buy enough fabric! My craft store of choice is Joann’sbecause they have so many colors, patterns and fabric options to choose from!
To make the end result as pretty as possible, I recommend placing your gift in a box. At first, I had attempted wrapping a small gift on it’s own, but quickly found that the shape just looked too weird. So I’d definitely opt for a small box or tin to place your little treasures in first!
Step Three: Fold the fabric over the top of the gift, length & cross wise
In the next step, you’ll need to cut the fabric, but before you can do this, you’ll need to test out how much fabric is needed length wise, to tie over top the box. To test this, start off by folding the fabric over the box like you would with normal wrapping paper.
Step Four: Test folding the fabric over the gift lengthwise
This step is very important, so pay close attention! Leave the fabric cross wise overtop the gift, just like you would with normal wrapping paper. Then, fold the fabric lengthwise over the gift, and tie it. You’ll likely have a lot of extra fabric hanging over, which is what you will cut off in the next step.
Step Five: Cut the tied, excess fabric off lengthwise
Now that you know how much excess fabric there is lengthwise, cut just enough fabric off so that you can still tie it. This step is necessary to simply get rid of the excess fabric, so make sure you’re very precise in your cutting.
Step Six: Twist both ends of lengthwise fabric, one at a time
Take the two ends of fabric, lengthwise, and twist both. To have a neat finished product, make sure you’re twisting both ends really tight.
Step Seven: Tie both ends of fabric over top the middle of the box
Once both ends are tightly twisted, you can tie them over top the middle of your gift. If both ends are still relatively long after tying, trim extra length off of them.
Step Eight: Tuck the ends under or leave as is
I went with two different styles to show you guys the different styling options. You can either tie the two ends and leave as is, or take the ends and tuck them in. You can’t go wrong either way!
Step Nine: Decorate your gift with dried flowers
The final step was my favorite part. At this point, you’ll want to dress up your pretty package. I suggest adding beautiful dried flowers or other natural elements such as pine tree sprigs or fresh rosemary, even! For my gifts, I simply added dried flowers left over from an arrangement that was made for me by May Chester Design. She’s a florist from Pittsburgh and her floral work is absolutely beautiful. Definitely check her out if you’re a local. She’s brilliant with creative floral design!
