Festivus: The Joy Of Wrapping

So we are now in the thick of the Festivus; and now that I have all these gifts (homemade & not), I have to figure how to wrap them in a way that helps the earth & my wallet. But there are so many possibilities.

First off, I always save the gift bags & cloth ribbon from the year before. In fact, I still have some ribbon from our wedding. And to make reusing gift bags easier this year, I'm printing & attaching gift tags. That way, there are no stickers you have to worry about removing.

Reusing gift bags & ribbon is one easy way to save on expensive, wasteful wrapping paper. According to Trash Trivia, an additional 5 million tons of waste is generated during the holidays in the U.S. "4 million tons of this is wrapping paper and shopping bags." I try to use cloth shopping bags, and if I do take plastic bags, we store them for later use. And I think some stores like Kroger even take in old bags to be recycled.

As for ribbon, the Clean Air Council reports, 38,000 miles of ribbon is tossed every year. But if you use cloth ribbon, or even the kind with wires, you can reuse it in multiple ways. It's just something to think about.

While I am attempting to make cloth bags & maybe even newspaper gift bags, I plan on making this week's blog easier by sharing some inspiring links. I hope you all don't mind.

There are so many links that provide a pattern for cloth gift bags. Here are some of my favorites:
- DIY Cloth Gift Bags from Wilmington Parent Magazine
- Two Gift Bags At Once from Green Upgrader
- Fabric Gift Bags from Eartheasy

And if you're looking for a simpler, yet artsy way to wrap with cloth, try Furoshiki: Japanese cloth gift wrapping. No sewing required.

Another cool way to wrap gifts is making newspaper gift bags. I found this on pinterst and loved it. I haven't been able to make it yet, but I really want to try it.

So there are a few ways you can be green & creative when wrapping gifts. I really hope you give at least one of them a try. While I am being lazy in this week's post, don't worry, I have big plans for the entry coming up soon. It will most likely be on Tuesday or Wednesday, but believe me friends, it will be worth the wait. I hope that those of you who celebrate Christmas have a merry one this year.