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Furoshiki are square Japanese wrapping cloths traditionally used to wrap items or transport goods. Bodycare company Lush, was inspired by this Japanese tradition and created "knot-wraps" made of organic cotton or recycled plastic bottles for the purpose of gift wrapping, while Wrappr collaborates with artists to create limited-edition seasonal prints for their furoshiki wraps. You can take inspiration from furoshiki and wrap gifts with a lightweight silk scarf or handkerchief. If you don’t have a scarf you’re ready to give up, your local thrift store could have some unique options too.
Photo credit: https://wrappr.com/collections/furoshiki-gift-wrap/products/wintergreen-bundle
If you have old maps, oversized posters, or newsprint, instead of tossing them out, you can reuse them as creative ways to wrap a gift. We especially love the idea of reusing the oversized sheets of a Stendig calendar (a piece of art in itself) to wrap presents for a bold and modern look. If these recycled prints don’t look festive enough, you can jazz up your gifts with holiday accents, which brings us to our next suggestion...
Photo Credit: Vessel Home Goods
Use what you can find in nature to decorate your gifts, like holly, small pinecones, sprigs of rosemary, or a snippet of pine off your Christmas tree. Use ribbon to tie to your gift as a decorative accent.
Speaking of ribbons….
Got a plaid shirt you never wear anymore? Instead of store-bought ribbons, cut strips off old t-shirts, pajamas, scarves, and other materials and make your own, one of a kind ribbons.
The Market Bags, for example, has upcycled fabric grocery and produce bags, which can then be reused by the gift recipient for groceries and other everyday errands. Similarly, our handcrafted, heirloom quality EverPresent Giving fabric Christmas gift bags are meant to be passed on and reused. We even have a ‘gift giving story’ tag on each bag, so gift recipients can note down their stories as they pass the bag along - like a chain letter, but for gift-giving adults!
These are some of our suggestions of creative alternatives for wrapping your holiday gifts - we hope you found inspiration in celebrating the upcoming gift-giving season in a greener way. I would love to hear from you if you have some other ideas to share!