Eco Friendly (and easy!) Gift Wrap Ideas
Hello December and hello gift-giving season! This beautiful month is full of opportunities to give gifts and stores are putting displays of colorful paper and shiny ribbon front and center. I don’t love spending money on things that are put into the fireplace or garbage can immediately upon opening so here are some ideas to create absolutely beautiful packages using eco friendly materials, things you probably have around the house, or both!
Wrap With Fabric
This is a great way to use up cute scraps of fabric you may have or you could wrap your gift in something usable that is a gift in itself. Tea towels, bandanas, and scarves can all make beautiful wrapping.
Shown are packages wrapped in my indigo dyed polka dot bandana and a bundle dyed silk scarf. This beautifully speckled scarf was made with my natural dye kit - it even includes the blank silk scarf! You could make one yourself with the kit, or learn to use natural dyes in this style in my bundle dye online workshop.
In Japan fabric has traditionally been used to wrap personal items as well as gifts and is called furoshiki. You can find many wrapping tutorials by searching this term online but I tend to stick with this simple style.
Place the cloth flat and lay the package to be wrapped diagonally on top.
Bring two opposite corners together and tie together.
Bring remaining two corners together, smoothing and folding fabric as you do so to help it lie neatly across the top of the package. To secure the wrapping tie in a loose knot, or a bow if the fabric is large enough.
Use Fabric Scraps as Ribbon
Don’t have a piece of fabric big enough to wrap a large box in? No problem! I love using fabric scraps as ribbon and I always have a ton since I never want to throw away any of my naturally dyed fabric. Wide strips of fabric can be wrapped around a package like a band. You don’t even have to tie it. I just used a little double sided tape to stick down the ends of the green fabric in the photo and a glue stick works well for this too.
Skinnier strips can be wrapped and tied just like traditional ribbon. Mix and match colors to create something beautiful and use up your leftover craft supplies at the same time!
Use Reusable Items as Ribbon
My family all lives our of state so most of my holiday packages have to go through the mail. I’m not a fan of big bows that may get crushed but I do enjoy the pizazz that a coordinating ribbon adds to a package. Plus, it makes it more fun to open. Why not use something that the giftee will want to reuse, or find another purpose for in their home?
I love the look of string wrapped several times around a package, like on the package with the green fabric above. It’s an easy way to add a lot of visual interest and you can securely tuck a gift tag or little note into the web. Embroidery floss is a fun choice because it’s inexpensive and comes in a ton of colors and the recipient of your gift likes to sew, let them know they can keep the thread and use it in their craft! For an extra special touch, use something special like naturally dyed embroidery floss!
Silk ribbon is less of a DIY option but so shimmery and beautiful that your giftee will surely reuse it and not toss it out. They can use it later for tying around a flower bouquet, as a hair ribbon, reusing in future gifts, or any other creative use! The shiny gold ribbon below was dyed using marigold flowers but I have a blog post about dying fabric with onion skins that gives a similar color. If you want to try natural dyes yourself onion skins is a great choice because you don’t need to modant (pre-treat) the fabric with anything to get beautiful, lasting color.
Embellish with Natural Items
Creating art with nature is my life’s work and gift wrap is no exception! These are my favorite items that will stay beautiful even if a package travels through the mail or is tucked underneath a Christmas tree for weeks before the big day.
Dried citrus slices. Slice citrus thinly and place on a baking sheet in the oven at very low heat. Check every 30 - 60 minutes and flip them over a few times. After several hours the peels will be dry and the inside will look a little like stained glass. You can of course use a food dehydrator if you have one and I just noticed that my air fryer has a dehydrate setting! I used that for these slices in the photo and love how they turned out. Tuck them under some ribbon to hold them in place, or use the holes that sometimes form naturally to string a ribbon through.
The second photo below is the peel from a pomegranate! This too can be dried in the oven on low heat. Cut the peel into shapes like this little heart and add some beautiful pomegranate color to your gifts. Shapes can be cut before or after drying, just keep in mind that the peel will shrink a bit as it dries.
Evergreen branches are a staple in my gift wrap. After all, our little farm is called Cedar Dell Forest Farm! Evergreen branches will stay beautiful for weeks and weeks because unlike leaves, they don’t get crumbly when they dry. Tucked into fabric gift wrap, or under a ribbon, they are a nice memento of your yard or favorite natural place to include in your gift-giving.
Use a Wax Seal
This last idea is not a DIY one but wax seals look beautiful and you can reuse the stamp year after year. I had a custom stamp made with my cedar branch logo and my daughter uses it (she loves this job!) to stamp all my earring boxes, but you can find initials, stars, and other ready-made designs at some art stores and online. Use it to add a personalized touch to your gifts and with a fancy wax seal, you won’t need to add anything else.
That’s all for now! If you have ideas you think I should have included here, let me know in the comments! And remember, if you don’t want to wrap a package yourself, I do offer an eco friendly and naturally dyed gift wrap option that you can add to any purchase from my shop. Happy gift-giving
