Ever feel like you spend just as much on wrapping paper as you do on the gifts? Ditch the wasteful paper that just gets balled up and tossed in the trash and make your own from items around the house. Try one of these eco-friendly alternatives to traditional, non-recyclable wrapping paper:

• Newspaper - It’s super easy to find, cheap, and large, and you can make wrapping unique by using colorful comics or photos.
• Magazines – Dazzle your gifts with these glossy magazine pages. Tape pages together to create sheets for larger presents.
• Sheet music – Sheet music adds a whimsical facet to your gifts.
• Calendars – Since you’re going to toss your old calendar anyways, why not use it to personalize a gift?
• Maps – Customize your gift with your favorite countries.
• Brown paper shopping bags and butcher paper – Not only is it recyclable, but this type of paper also lends itself to a fun craft for your kids. Use stamps with non-toxic ink or paint, or let the kids decorate with whatever their little green heart desires.
• Tissue paper – Save tissue from other purchases, such as clothing, to wrap your gifts. You can even play on the sheer nature of tissue by wrapping your present in a dark color or pattern, then covering it with a lighter solid for an artistic, layered look.
• Fabric – Fabric pieces or scraps can be used to make bows or ribbons to decorate your gift.

Written by Greenista Girl Brianne

Photos by Real Simple

Tags: gifts, holidays, presents, recycling, wrapping paper

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 16th, 2010 at 9:12 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.