As the holiday season approaches, many people are looking for ways to save money. An easy place to cut back is to save money on gift wrapping expenses. There are many ways to use inexpensive materials to create your own gift wrap. There are also many everyday items that you may have in your home that you can turn into a designer inspired presentation.
Using nature’s gifts, such as pine boughs and fruits, creates a simple but beautiful presentation as well as an inexpensive and eco-friendly way to trim your holiday gifts.
Garden Items as Gift Wrapping Trimmings
A walk in the garden can inspire some wonderful ideas for trimming your gift packages. If you do not have your own garden, a nature hike can yield many treasures that create elegant adornments. Take advantage of the season’s bounty!
- Pine branches - Pine branches are a great way to decorate a present. Simply take a clipping suitable in size for your package and secure it with a bow. If you do not wish to use a bow, you can simply attach it with a spot of hot glue.
- Sticks and twigs - As with pine branches, sticks and twigs are another quick and easy eco- friendly trimming. Create an elegant look by making a swag of sticks on a tone on tone package, such as natural white butcher’s paper with a simple white bow.
- Winterberries - Winterberries, or Ilex verticillata, are readily available in areas as far north as Ontario and as far south as parts of Florida. Simply take a cutting and attach as you would sticks and twigs. Their beautiful red show adds a natural splash of color to any package.
- Holly - Common holly, or Ilex aquifolium, is perhaps the quintessential shrub when one thinks of Christmas. With its green leaves and red berries, it gives any package a traditional flavor.
Seasonal Fruits and Nuts as Gift Wrapping Trims
Attaching seasonal fruits and nuts to your wrappings is an inexpensive and beautiful trimming for your packages. It also brings a traditional holiday flare to the gift as fruits and nuts were common gifts of yore.
Fruits such as pears, apples, clementines and oranges all offer a beautiful display of color to any package. If you select fruits with a stem, simply tie a florist’s wire around the stem and tie it off to the ribbon. Cover the wire with a floral bow, as it will cover the wire.
Since clementines and oranges have a peel, you can affix these to your packages with a dab of hot glue. They stand beautifully on their own or nestled in a bow.
Nuts can be placed in a clear sandwich baggie and tied off with a ribbon, and secured to the package. Again, it is best to use a floral bow to cover the length of ribbon that is attached to the package. Nuts can also be affixed individually with hot glue.
Using fresh greenery, fruits and nuts is a simple and elegant way to trim gifts. It not only offers an eco friendly solution to trimming presents but also brings with it the tradition of Christmas’ past when gifts of food were quite common.
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