Guest Blogger: How to Greenify Your ‘Any-Occasion’ Gift Wrapping

Guest Blogger #650, Entry #1549, September 2, 2012

As more and more of us are becoming eco-friendly, we may have considered giving presents along that theme: plants, soy candles, jewelry made from recycled metal and earth gems, or even make-up and perfume that was created sans a lot of chemicals and toxins.

However, after we purchased these items (well, minus the plants), we probably didn’t think about gift wrapping them in a way that promotes the “go green” movement as well. Yet, wouldn’t it be cool to be able to present a gift to someone in a way that sends the message that “greenifying” can be done in all kinds of creative ways?

Wrap your “any-occasion” gifts in brown craft paper with a personal touch

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It’s possible and below, we have enclosed five tips on how your gift wrapping can be just as eco-friendly as the token that lies inside of the package:

Use newspaper.

This is actually a pretty classic way to wrap a present because some people have been doing this for years by using the cartoon section for children’s presents. It’s probably pretty obvious what the “green hook” to this is. You’re recycling the newspaper (you can do this with magazines too). And, that’s always a good thing.

Wrap ‘all-occasion’ gifts with paper, maps, comics, newspaper & more!

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Cover “it” with (organic fabric).

If you’re wrapping something like a boxed item, using some organic fabric and tying it up with a bow is both classy and smart. All you need to do is cut the fabric to fit the lid of the box and then the box’s “bottom”. If you would like some step-by-step instructions on how to do it easily and effectively, eHow.com has several articles along the theme. Simply go the website and put “gift wrapping with fabric” into the search engine.

Use paper and lace for an added custom look

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How about some vegetable gift wrap?

Here’s a neat idea. First pour some of your favorite non-toxic paint colors into a metal pie tin. Then, cut some green peppers into rings (make sure to take the seeds out), cut a design into a potato and then thinly slice some mushrooms. Dry all three vegetables on a paper towel, dip a brush into the paint and apply a few coats of it onto each vegetable. On a large role of white or brown butcher paper, stamp designs onto it with the painted vegetable prints. (You can also do this with fruit).

Put “it” in a cloth bag.

Virtually everyone has received a present in a paper gift bag before, so don’t hesitate to substitute it with a cloth one instead. As a matter of fact, aside from it being a “green way” to give, it’s also like giving two gifts at once because the bag can be used over and over again to carry groceries from the store or to put books or magazines in while on the go.

Wrap a gift in a favorite shirt!

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Buy some eco-wrap.

Of course, you can always go the retail route and simply purchase some gift wrap that is made in an eco-friendly way. You can find some RetailPackaging.com gift bags that have been made from recycled materials. You can also go to websites like BotanicalPaperWorks.com that actually sells seed paper that you can plant into the ground and FishLipPaperDesigns.com has some really cute gift wrap that is cost-effective and eco-friendly—the final touch to the perfect gift.

For more home ideas on Stagetecture, click here.