Creative Gift Wrapping Ideas

• The comic section of your newspaper makes a creative gift wrap for kids or the young at heart. The financial section can work for the right person, too – brighten it up with a bright red or gold ribbon.
  
  
• Buy a roll or large sheets of plain wrapping paper (the kind that movers use to wrap things for packing) and decorate it or have your kids decorate it.
  
  * Cut sponges into holiday shapes and use them to sponge craft paint onto the paper
  
  * Use a rubber stamp and colorful ink to decorate the paper
  
  * Make a stencil out of cardboard and use it to paint a pattern randomly over the paper
  
  * Use a natural sea sponge dipped in gold (or other color) craft paint for an elegant look
  
  
• Save used wrapping paper all through the year, just roll it back onto the paper tube and place a small piece of tape on the edge to hold it in place.
  
  
• Don’t buy expensive ribbons and bows to decorate your packages. You can buy rolls of cloth ribbon for a lot less at a fabric store. Ribbon is a good thing to save and recycle – it doesn’t take up a lot of space and you can iron it with a cool iron if it is wrinkled. Raffia makes a nice bow on packages, too.
  
  
• Save small ribbons that come on packages of things that you buy (such as potpourri). These come in handy for decorating a package or attaching a gift card.
  
  

• Sprigs of evergreen make a nice finishing touch to a package instead of a bow. Use baker's twine around a package wrapped in newspaper or plain brown paper and slip a spruce or cedar twig under the twine at the top. Creative gift wrap that looks pretty and smells nice!
  
  
• A candy cane or small tree ornament make interesting additions to wrapped packages, too. These special touches can give your presents a "professionally wrapped" look.
  
  
• Make your own gift tags out of index cards or old Christmas cards or print labels on your computer.
  
  
• You can also decorate tissue paper (that you’ve saved from other gifts throughout the year) or plain brown paper by using a rubber stamp or a sponge dipped in paint (gold looks elegant). Just stamp at random spots around the paper to get the effect that you want. Or combine two colors of undecorated tissue paper to wrap a package.
  
  
• You can use tissue paper again and again if it is not torn. Wrinkles are ok - you can either embrace the "crinkled" look and use it wrinkled, or you can iron it with a warm, dry iron.

• Need ideas for food gifts to make ?

• Over-sized coffee mugs make good reusable containers for food gifts. Fill to a bit overflowing and place the filled cup on the center of a large piece of colored cellophane, gather the ends at the top and secure with a ribbon or twine.

• Baskets are always a favorite, and can be decorated with paint or lined with a pretty napkin - paper or cloth.

• Pick up orphan plates and platters at yard sales, flea markets, thrift stores, or store bargain bins to use for giving cookies and cakes. Cover them with plastic wrap, foil, or cellophane.

• Fill a clear glass jar (such as a canning jar) with your food gift (baking mix; snack mix; homemade candy, etc.). Using scissors, cut a 9-inch circle out of calico fabric. Place the fabric over the jar lid and secure it with a rubber band. Tie a raffia or ribbon bow around it to cover rubber band.

• Save empty potato chip cans (such as Pringles and Stax). Wash insides and let them dry thoroughly. Use decorative contact paper or glue on gift-wrapping paper to cover the outside of the can and stack cookies or fill with spiced nuts or candies; seal and top with a fancy bow.