Living Our Lives Well: Traditions of Christmas ~ Home Made Gift Wrap and Tags

When our older kids were growing up, there were many years that we had to find ways to save money. Making our own wrapping paper was one of them.

Brian used to go to the local newspaper and buy end rolls for about $2. We then let the kids decorate this plain newsprint with markers, coloured pencils and sometimes paint. Other years, if I was in a hurry, I'd wrap the gifts up, and quickly decorate each one with coloured markers, and add some ribbon.

As time went by, and we were more able to afford it, we eventually started buying wrapping paper from the store. But a few years ago, when the younger kids learned that we used to decorate our own, they wanted to try it too. So, we decorated some of the gifts that we were giving to our grandkids.

As part of this series, I decided to do a few packages similar to the ones we did years ago, but also some that are made with fabric. All of the materials used were items we already had on hand, except the plain brown craft paper that we used rather than newsprint. If you don't have fabric, the thrift store is a great place to shop.

We gathered up all the materials we would need for the gift wrap: fabric and lace from old wedding dresses, red and white fabric was from another dress, old Christmas craft magazines, scrapbook paper, and old sheet music were used for the paper wrapping. Just look around your house...you'll be surprised what can be turned into wrapping paper...comics, newspaper, coloured craft paper, old curtains or sheets are all options.

Next, we got out our craft supplies. We already had some ribbon, and we used bows from the wedding dress, as well as some tulle.

Fabric Gift Wrap

Time to start...The first two packages are not at all like the ones we did with our kids, but I wanted to do something with the pretty material and bows we had.

I found that regular tape was enough to hold the fabric in place until I could secure it with ribbon.

A twist tie or fine wire holds the bow in place.

This one used lace from the dress, and a
homemade Christmas ornament rather than a bow.

Red and white material with tulle is a simple way to wrap a gift.

Paper Gift Wrap

Next, we used the plain brown craft paper.
The paper can be decorated with markers, crayons, stickers, or stamps. It can be decorated first, or you can wrap the gifts, then decorate the packages.