Tag Archives: unique gift wrapping ideas

Environmentally Friendly Gift Wrapping Ideas

Upcycle! Upcycle! Upcycle!

My husband recently received a gift and although the bag was pretty, the gift giver wrote his name and birthday wishes directly on the bag, making it impossible to reuse. I really do hate wasting items and try to reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible. My husband tossed the bag in recycling, but the glittery back caught my eye and I just had to rescue it! I love the way this gift came together by combining 3 rescued items: a gift bag, a previously used ribbon and a broach! Check-out my latest tutorial to see the variations I came up with and perhaps you might rethink some of your own castaways!

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Stay Tuned for the Big Reveal:

We have been super busy this past week….tune in to see pictures of our latest and perhaps most spectacular DIY reno and upcycling project yet. I am honestly speechless…my hubby really out did himself this time! I hope to have the finishing touches done and the post up by next week!

Gift Wrapping Ideas: Edge Work!

This gift was created using scrapbooking paper. The edges of the paper were folded to create a white board running down the centre of the gift. A pink strip of paper was mounted on top and then a second strip of white paper sits on top of that to create a layered look. I added in a small white doily and big pink button in the center to serve as the focal point in this gift. I love the black-based floral print. The contrast between it and the white and pink creates a beautiful stand-out look.

I absolutely love this paper! Whenever possible, I try to use scrapbooking paper for wrapping gifts. Why? Because there are so many incredible papers to choose from. A great way to get started using scrapbooking paper for gift wrapping is by purchasing a 12″ X 12″ scrapbooking paper pad. There are many great collections and they often follow a specific theme, colour scheme or a certain look. Some examples might include: Christmas, pastel colours, shades of blue, vintage, travel, floral, chalkboard designs, etc. Once you find a book you like, be sure to watch for coupons or a good sale price. I only buy paper when it is 40% off or greater. Some books come with coordinating solids and others only contain patterned papers. If your book does not come with solids, purchase some matching single sheets of paper to go with your patterned papers. Often the colours in a book follow a set scheme and a handful of solid colours will match with most of the patterned designs.

Regardless of whether you are using scrapbooking paper or regular wrapping paper, you can create interest in your finished projects by focussing on the edges of your paper. In this video tutorial, you will learn how to:

  • Use a folded edge to compensate for a piece of wrapping paper that is too small
  • Incorporate a folded edge as a design element
  • Enhance your gift wrapping with torn paper edges

You will be amazed to see how a variety of looks can be created with the same elements being used in slightly different applications. I hope you enjoy today’s tutorial.

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My Secret Weapon for Great Gift Wrapping

Re-used elastic ribbon, a dollar store netted wire bow, silver curly ribbon and a few strands of iridescent present stuffing are used to create this beautiful gift.

Today’s gift wrapping tutorial introduces you to one of my secret weapons. I wouldn’t consider myself a hoarder by any means, but when it comes to gift wrapping, I keep and re-use the same ribbon and embellishments over and over again. When I host a birthday or when we open gifts on Christmas morning, the paper gets recycled, but I collect anything and everything that is re-usable. This is my secret weapon because it saves me both time and money! This is especially true at Christmas when there are so many gifts to wrap!

In my latest BOWhemian WRAPsody tutorial, you will see how I take one of my old embellishments and with a tweak here and there, create a beautiful gift. With such a great finished look, you don’t need to feel the least bit guilty about taking this shortcut! Watch the video to see how you can start saving time and money by purchasing the correct types of embellishments and creating simple looks that can easily be stored and re-used in the future.

If you want to learn more great ways to create beautiful looking gifts…subscribe to my channel! Don’t forget to LIKE and SHARE. Thanks for your support!

Less Is More! Gift Wrapping with Simple Elegance

Anyone who knows me well would attest to the fact that “less is more” might actually be my design mantra (or at least one of them). I’m not sure if I come by this desire for simplicity naturally or if it has developed over time. As a kindergarten teacher, I have seen more cringe worthy projects than you can shake a stick at. It often has nothing to do with a student’s artistic ability or inability, but rather, they just don’t know when to stop! I find the same can be said of adults who perceive that they aren’t very “artistic” or don’t have a “good eye” for design. The best rule of thumb for those that feel they aren’t gifted in this realm….KEEP IT SIMPLE…LESS IS MORE! The more elements you add, the worse it looks…generally speaking of course.

This is the second video tutorial in which I used this white/silver swirl paper. The paper has a simple elegant pattern and I wanted to share a few ideas for possible embellishments. In my last video, I used a thrift store silver broach to dress up the gift. If you want to check it out, you can catch the video on my youtube channel or in my previous post: Gift Wrapping “Beyond Re-Broach”.

In today’s video tutorial, you will see how I use two simple dollar store elements to create a beautiful, yet simple look.

Gift Wrapping “Beyond Re-Broach”

Gift Wrapping Beyond Re-Broach

Recently, while out thrifting, I made a huge score in the jewellery department! I picked-up several pieces of jewellery to use in some of my gift wrapping designs. You may recall the Thrifting Challenge that I presented a few weeks ago. The task was to go thrifting with an open mind and ample time. I specifically wanted to challenge you to use your imagination to envision how every day items might be incorporated into a gift wrapping project. Think “WRAP, RIBBON, EMBELLISH” and see what creative ideas are born from simply putting the thought out there. It’s like a treasure hunt and you really can’t ever be sure what you’ll discover.

In today’s gift wrapping tutorial, I used a more classy style of gift wrap with a white base colour and silver swirls scattered throughout. I added 1 1/4″ wired silver ribbon in a classic cross format. To embellish the gift, I incorporated some glittery silver curly ribbon and a simple, but beautiful silver piece of jewellery for the focal point. The thrifted piece was picked up for $1 and definitely adds a touch of elegance. I love this simple, yet sophisticated look! Although this design could work for many different gift giving occasions, I immediately think bridal shower or wedding gift!

I hope you enjoyed the video! To see my latest gift wrapping design ideas, subscribe to my Youtube channel at BOWhemian WRAPsody. Remember to LIKE and SHARE!

Skip It! #2

Chinese skipping rope for gift wrapping

I’m loving the Chinese skipping ropes I picked-up at the dollar store. They seriously might be the best wrapping hack yet. I love how easy they are to use and how they can be wrapped in a variety of ways because of the elasticity. In this particular post, I used a plain yellow ribbon as a base, an orange skipping rope and a sheer orange ribbon to finish off the look. Check out the video to see how it’s all pulled together!

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Coordinate It! Video #3

Here is the final episode in my 3 part tutorial on how to create impact when you are wrapping multiple gifts. Check out this video from BOWhemian WRAPsody to see yet another version of this concept.

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Coordinate It!

Creating Impact When Wrapping Multiple Gifts

Do you ever have to wrap multiple gifts for the same person? I love it when that happens! I find that carefully choosing coordinating papers is one of the most dramatic ways to create impact when wrapping more than one gift for the same person. In fact, the embellishments can be minimized, as the paper itself can become the visual appeal of the gift. Don’t take the easy way out and settle for wrapping all of the gifts from the same roll of paper. Yes, they will look like they belong together, but trust me, you’ll be missing out on a great opportunity to play with colour and pattern. One thing to keep in mind when you are combining patterns is to try and incorporate solids as well. I always keep rolls of black and white on hand. Both colours are super versatile and can often be used to pull a set of gifts together by adding a simple ribbon in the dominant colour.

I recently did a 3 video series on my Youtube channel BOWhemian WRAPsody that highlights how to pack power in the presentation of multiple gifts, by simply using papers that vary slightly in pattern.

  • Blue White and Green Stack of Coordinated Gift Wrap
  • Blue and White Coordinated Gift Wrap2
  • Blue and White Coordinated Gift Wrap
  • Polka Dot Paper with a Ribbon Knot
  • Blue and White Coordinated Gift Wrap Close Up
  • Blue White and Green Coordinated Gift Wrap
  • Coordinating Gift Wrap for Multiple Gifts

To learn how to create this look, check out my first video tutorial in this series!

Stay tuned for the next two episodes!

Wrap with Scrap!

Scrapbooking Paper

Whether you scrapbook or not, there is no denying the endless possibilities when it comes to the patterns, colours and designs available. I often find myself looking at gorgeous paper and fabrics in much the same way….often finding some designs just too beautiful not to have. When it comes to wrapping small gifts…why not expand your thinking and choose from the vast array of papers available, so much to choose from as opposed to the limited stock of wrapping paper available in most stores and/or the extravegant prices you find in higher end specialty stores. Of course, using scrapbooking paper does limit use to smaller gifts or requires piecing together two sheets. However, it is often available for as low as 50 cents for individual sheets and you don’t have to worry about storing the leftover paper!

Important things to consider if you want to use scrapbooking paper to wrap a gift:

  1. The size of the gift. Scrapbooking paper is available in 12″ X 12″ sheets (as well as standard 8 1/2 x 11 or smaller), so it will only work for small gifts or you can decide to tape two sheets together on the reverse side enabling you to play with a piece that is approximately 12″ X 23″ (with overlap for taping). If you aren’t sure if it will work and you don’t have any at home to test the size, just make a template from newspaper or plain brown packaging paper. In fact, you could keep it as a template for future gifts as well.
  2. Make sure you are purchasing a light weight paper. Some paper is definitely heavy stock and will not be very pliable for wrapping.
  3. If you need to purchase the paper, you may want to look and see what you already have on hand for ribbon and embellishments. Instead of purchasing more, see if you can coordinate your paper purchase with items you already have at home. I think it’s safe to say that most people that are creative and/or crafty…have a stash of stuff they “just had to buy”. Think of gift wrapping as a way to use up some of those crafting items ….perhaps not how you initially intended, but this way you get to purge and be creative at the same time! Make sure to take the embellishments you have with you to the store ~ DO NOT TRUST THAT YOU CAN MATCH THE COLOUR FROM MEMORY….believe me it is next to impossible. You think you can until you arrive at the store looking for teal and realize that even teal has a zillion different tones/shades…yikes!

Check out my latest video from my channel: BOWhemian WRAPsody to see how you can wrap with scrap!

Au Naturel!

I always keep basic brown packaging paper on hand. It’s actually one of my “go to” gift wrapping papers. It is cheap, readily available at any dollar store and oh so versatile! You can dress up the paper (using stamps, paint or sharpies) or leave it plain and just add embellishments. The paper is such a neutral colour that you can literally combine it with almost any colour to create a great look.

For this gift, I simply added a unique “ribbon” I found at the dollar store. It combines a rustic type of cord with tiny leaves to create an organic look. I then cut a few slips from flowers I had in the house. It looks awesome with a simple slip of greenery or combined with a simple flower such as a daisy. Love this look and so simple to pull together! Look for more great ways to use basic brown paper in up coming videos!