ALT-2 Cheap Gift Wrap Inexpensive Wrap Creative Gift Wrap Trash to Gift Wrap
Presents are fun to give and the best part about giving presents after watching someone's face light up when you hand it to them, is wrapping them. I absolutely love to wrap presents, all kinds of presents and over the years I have found creative ways to wrap presents that help make the moment of giving the present even more special. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Choosing the right wrapping.You could run to the store every time you have to wrap a present and pick out the prettiest paper you can find, grab a spool of ribbon and make the gift look like it's been specialty wrapped by the store. While this might be the best route to go for say a wedding present, it may not be the best way to go for other gifts such as children's presents. There are often things you can find in your own home that you can use to wrap a present that are just as fun and a lot less expensive.
Instead of store bought paper try:White paper and markers. If you have a smaller present drawing your own original designs on white paper with colorful markers can help make that special gift even more special. This works for children's presents, valentine's presents, and special occasion presents. It is more personal and shows you spent extra time and effort in finding the gift and then in personalizing it even more with your own words, thoughts or pictures.
Newspaper. Newspaper can also make a great wrapping paper. The comics are great for kids as well as adults. If there was a special article in the local paper about a friend's success or a child's achievements save it and use it to wrap a gift to this person at a later time. It shows you care just a little more than the store bought stuff.
For special memento gifts, sometimes it's nice to wrap the gifts in another memento. For a wedding gift to a child you may want to wrap the new gift in a piece of an old christening gown. At graduation you may want to use the scrap of a child's blanket to show them just how far they've come and that you've been there for them every step of the way. For a loved one you may want to wrap a gift on the napkin the scribbled a message to you on a first date. All of these type of wrappings help show the person your giving a gift to that you care just that much more.
Brown paper sacks or even the old potato sacks make a nice wrapping if it's a last minute gift. Nothing is more mysterious than opening a brown paper package. It is nice to tie it up with a pretty ribbon, or even just a string perhaps with a special memento tied to it, like a little plastic charm or a few pretty beads.
Lastly an old ribbon or bow can add the perfect touch to any gift. If you are all out of ribbons or bows but have some leftover wrapping paper try cutting long strips of it, taping them together and curling them like curling ribbon. This works great on Christmas presents, and instead of throwing out the extra paper that was too small to use to wrap something else you are recycling it into a pretty bow. These are often quite a success and get a lot of oh's and ah's from the receiver of the gifts.
Always remember that while the present itself is special, sometimes what it comes in can make or break the moment of giving.
