Repurposed Gift Wrap with a Story
Repurpose items from around your home into low waste / reusable holiday gift wrap.
(Original post from 2020)
We haven’t bought wrapping paper or gift bags in years. Even though we live in a small space and don’t have many spare supplies of any sort sitting around, it’s still surprisingly easy to shop our own home for items that can be repurposed as playful packaging.
While the end result is rarely perfect, there’s so much to love— it’s original, it’s free, and it generates less waste. (Related post: Playful Low Waste Gift Wrap)
These handmade bars of soap were wrapped with completed pages from one of West’s work booklets, and topped with salvaged ribbon and tree clippings.
What I enjoy just as much as the searching and wrapping is passing along the stories behind each repurposed ribbon, book jacket, muslin bag, or fabric scrap.
Dust jackets remain my go-to for wrapping presents for kids. (We store most of these paper covers beneath our mattress throughout the year to flatten out the lines, and then grab one whenever we need some colorful packaging.)
While the illustration art is the attraction for the recipient, there’s usually a tale behind the rest of the bundle for the parents / guardians to share.
This method of wrapping is also friendly for folks who aren’t hugely into DIYs (that’s me). Plus it’s also safer this year than going to the store, as we’re meant to shelter at home whenever possible.
Below are a few glimpses of this year’s very quickly completed wrappings, as well as cleverly designed bundles that needed no wrapping whatsoever.
Above: Brown paper biodegradable tape from Net Zero Co.
Almost everything used above has a story to tell— a ribbon that has been passed down through multiple generations and households. A remnant that once held a stone that traveled the country. A string that once wrapped the weighted blanket that helped improve my sleep habits. A spare/unused shoelace from a pair of sneakers designed by a well-known creative and dear friend.
(And, of course, customized boxes of dog treats that shows the sweet faces of our pups— why would we want to cover those up?!)
Repurposed Gift Wrap with a Story
We haven’t bought wrapping paper or gift bags in years. Even though we live in a small space and don’t have many spare supplies of any sort sitting around, it’s still surprisingly easy to shop our own home for items that can be repurposed as playful packaging.
While the end result is rarely perfect, there’s so much to love— it’s original, it’s free, and it generates less waste. (Related post: Playful Low Waste Gift Wrap)
These handmade bars of soap were wrapped with completed pages from one of West’s work booklets, and topped with salvaged ribbon and tree clippings.
What I enjoy just as much as the searching and wrapping is passing along the stories behind each repurposed ribbon, book jacket, muslin bag, or fabric scrap.
Dust jackets remain my go-to for wrapping presents for kids. (We store most of these paper covers beneath our mattress throughout the year to flatten out the lines, and then grab one whenever we need some colorful packaging.)
While the illustration art is the attraction for the recipient, there’s usually a tale behind the rest of the bundle for the parents / guardians to share.
This method of wrapping is also friendly for folks who aren’t hugely into DIYs (that’s me). Plus it’s also safer this year than going to the store, as we’re meant to shelter at home whenever possible.
Below are a few glimpses of this year’s very quickly completed wrappings, as well as cleverly designed bundles that needed no wrapping whatsoever.
Above: Brown paper biodegradable tape from Net Zero Co.
Almost everything used above has a story to tell— a ribbon that has been passed down through multiple generations and households. A remnant that once held a stone that traveled the country. A string that once wrapped the weighted blanket that helped improve my sleep habits. A spare/unused shoelace from a pair of sneakers designed by a well-known creative and dear friend.
(And, of course, customized boxes of dog treats that shows the sweet faces of our pups— why would we want to cover those up?!)
Video: Low Waste Holiday Decor Workshop
With just over a week until the holidays, we decided to do a little low waste decor and upcycling workshop here in Venice at one of my favorite small businesses, Big Red Sun. (Note: Scroll to the bottom of this post for the event video.)
I broke the workshop down into several components / activities:
Repurposing old clothing into reusable gift wrap
Wrapping the clutter-free, low waste gift of biodynamic wine with leaves in lieu of disposable packaging
Creating a zero waste centerpiece entirely from foraged materials
Wreath making (as a low-lift warm up activity to tackle while getting to know new friends)
Discussing the low waste materials and methods used to plan and execute the event itself
ACTIVITY 1: REPURPOSING OLD CLOTHING INTO REUSABLE GIFT WRAP
We hired a Thumbtack Pro to attend the event and repurpose old garments brought in by attendees while the workshop took place. The Pro, Keyra, has been a seamstress, designer and tailor for over 20 years, mainly working in costume fabrication and sewing home decor items.
I brought a stained old holiday romper that once belonged to West’s cousin, and was passed on to West. Kira transformed the piece into a sweet little buttoned pouch for stocking stuffers, and even turned remnants from the jumper into ribbons and ties for miscellaneous use throughout the season. Other attendees brought garments such as lace skirts, bandanas and tops.
ACTIVITY 2: USING LEAVES TO WRAP WINE BOTTLES FOR LOW WASTE, CLUTTER-FREE GIFTING
Our friend at Winc have a line of eco-friendly wines, and they generously gifted us several bottles of one of their biodynamic varieties to use in a zero-waste wrapping activity. The grapes used for this wine are farmed organically and biodynamically, resulting in a wine that’s good for those in search of sustainably farmed, small lot bottles in lieu of mass production and additives.
We wrapped the bottles in soft, flexible leaves, and added decorative organic touches. Each participant had their own style. I chose to show the label, while others wrapped theirs up entirely so the reveal would be part of the gifting process. Some folks chose to wrap only the neck of the bottle, or to create a little trivet of greenery at the base.
ACTIVITY 3: CREATING ZERO WASTE CENTER PIECES WITH FORAGED COMPONENTS
The owner of Big Red Sun, Selena, creates the most gorgeous centerpieces entirely from found organic materials she forages here in Venice.
She turns husks, bark and fronds into oversizes vessels that can be filled with fruit, veggies, acorns, pine cones, moss, flowers, branches, leaves, and a myriad of texture-rich, sweetly scented compostable materials.
For the workshop, we used some of the smaller pieces to craft festive, zero waste decor for our homes and for gifting.
ACTIVITY 4: MAKING LOW WASTE WREATHS
Wreath-making is a great intro activities for a workshop like this. They get attendees warmed up and into the crafting mood, while encouraging conversation that sparks new relationships in the spirit of the holiday.
ACTIVITY 5: ADDRESSING LOW WASTE SOURCING, EVENT SUPPLIES, SIGNAGE, INVITATIONS & TRANSPORT
We tried to keep our carbon footprint in mind from start to finish with this event. From biking whenever possible, to foraging local material rather than buying, to using remnant twine and wire, to bringing existing supplies like clippers and scissors, to using washable drinkware, cloth napkins, and porcelain / glass / ceramic pitchers and platters, we were able to throw a delightful gathering with minimal waste.
I had such a fantastic time conducting the workshop, and getting to see old friends while meeting new ones. Thank you to our event sponsors and attendees for such a joyful holiday experience.
Note: This blog post and the corresponding video were not sponsored, but the event itself was sponsored by our friends at Thumbtack. The biodynamic wine was generously gifted by Winc. (The final photo in this post was taken by Sara Toufali of Black & Blooms.)