Using Wrapping Paper Scraps
I was cleaning out my wrapping paper today and had a bunch of “pieces” of wrapping paper. You know– all of the ends you cut off and hate to throw away. Well, recently I have been getting everything organized again. The wrapping paper has been driving me nuts so I decided to tackle it.
I was trying to figure out what to do with all the those wrapping paper scraps. Yes, you can use them to wrap small gifts but it seems like they just multiply. The kids are getting a large gift from their grandmother in Colorado that I will need to wrap, so I’m going to take all those pieces and make a quilt type wrapping with all the scraps. That way, I will use the wrapping paper scraps and get them out of my hair! Yeah!!!!
Here’s another tip: When purchasing large items like coats or bigger toys, be sure to ask for extra large bags to bring them home. These make great trash can liners! You will be able to save on buying trash bags!
Tawra
Have you ever had a wrapping paper that you just loved and only have a small piece left? It is often too small to wrap anything. I will take a large package and wrap it in tissue paper or solid paper of some kind. Then I will carefully cut out the figures or part of the little piece of wrapping paper I loved and glue it to the tissue wrapped package.
I also once had a little piece of snowman paper I loved but not enough to use for wrapping gifts, so I made what I call “Santa” sacks for my grandkids. I cut out the snowmen from the wrapping paper. Then I took small brown paper sacks and glued one on each one of my sacks. Then I filled the paper Santa sacks with goodies for the kids. I don’t do this with all my scraps of paper; just my special ones.
Jill
Photo By: voxtheory
If I have a scrap piece of paper left over and I LOVE it, I have a 4×6 frame and put the paper in there for the holiday season. Easy to change as well.
My Dad was abandoned by his abusive, alcoholic, adulterous father during the great depression, so he stayed with whoever had food, time and money for him. When Dad grew up he gave back, and even taught his kids to do so. When I was a little girl, he took me with him to deliver food boxes to the poor. Once I saw something in the box that made me ask “Dad, why are we giving them books?” He replied “So their children have something to open for Christmas.”
As I matured, it seemed that society forget that CHRIST’S MASS was a celebration of Jesus’ condescension from being worshipped by the angels in heaven to dying on the cross to pay for our sins. It seemed we spent time and money on everything but him, and where he would have us pay our time and attention.
So instead of wondering whether my sister needed another pair of gloves, I started buying gifts for “Jesus in all his earthly disguises” as the hungry, homeless, poor, sick, imprisoned, etc. For example, last year I purchased “Heifer Project seed animals” http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.204586/ for poor communities overseas in the names of my loved ones. This charity gives a few female and a male animal to the poor so they can become self sufficient. The recipient is required to pass on the first born to another needy family so they know the joy of giving too. Now my “300 Sunday School children” sell the Heifer Project Cards in the fellowship hall every Advent.
As an Wife/Daughter/Sister/Auntie, please be assured that I don’t need another material gift from you. However, I would be greatly blessed by receiving a donation to charity in my name, or knowing that you sent a care package to one of our deployed soldiers, etc.
Here are the names and address of a few that don’t receive much mail. In order to ensure that each receives some mail, please write by the beginning letter of your last name:
RANK, NAME (LAST/FIRST) (e.g., SPC PHAN, COREY)
5/2 SBCT, 4-23 INF BN, A CO PLT
FOB WOLVERINE
APO, AE 09355
A-B PV2 Stanton Thomas-doesn’t get mail
C-D SPC Jacob Hall-doesn’t get mail
E-F PFC Jason Fingar
G-H PFC Alidjan Garcia
I-J PV2 Michael Brown-doesn’t get mail
K-L PV2 Brian Henries
M-N SPC Juan Rocha-doesn’t get mail
O-P SPC Bradley Plugge
Q-R SPC Joshua Sylvia
S-T SPC Ryan Wilmot
U-V SPC Louie Tabangay
W-Z SPC Corey Phan-doesn’t get mail
Hello Grizzly Bear Mom: What a great idea. I wrote down everyone’s name. I have a lot of cards that I would love to make someone happy with. Do we send our mail to FOB Wolverine APO AE 09335? Just wanted to make sure.
Would it look like this? Linda SPC Phsn CoreyHarr?
I hope I understand all the instructions you included in your lovely idea.
Merry Christmas to you and Happy New Year.
Just a quick idea to share the wealth…I always buy extra Christmas paper when it’s on sale…I use a theme paper for our daughter’s gifts from us. Afterwards, I’m left with partial rolls….Same thing with Christmas cards…Many people have cookie exchanges, so why not a paper/card exchange??….Gather all your extra cards and paper, and get together with friends to exchange all the surplus stuff…Everyone gets ‘NEW’ paper and cards for their house, and everyone SAVES some money in the process!! We also might save a few trees in the process as well!!!…..Merry CHRISTmas one and all!!!
i must be a scrooge/ba humbug of a person bc years ago when we worked in our paper business lots of hours, over the yrs i always had bought lots of wrapping paper that one yr (this is the last yr i bought wrapping paper) i ended up with about 50 rolls of wrapping papers (many of them still in the wrapped containers too, never used)… well, after seeing all of the wrapping papers, i decided that i was not buying anymore wrapping paper … instead i was going to use those colorful gift bags (they were starting to become very popular by this time) … i then set out all of the rolls of paper with a free sign on it in our warehouse for anyone to come and take away (and yes they were all gone after about 20 mins and this was jan!)… after that, if i bought a gift bag for the gifts ok, and if not then they were wrapped in the old standard of either the comics or even the coupons or those flyers (store ads) that come in the sunday edition or if i wanted to be really frugal (cheap is what my kids called it!) the walmart or supermarket bags that the groceries were bagged in… and add a bow and voila! … hehee… :D
i know, very cheap but when you are working lots of odd hours and just want to enjoy the holidays and well have less stress in ur life, after a while you do what you think you have to do …
and now, bc we are not still in the paper business, i guess old habits are hard to change, i just use the walmart/supermarket bags to wrap presents in…
:D
and as far as baking for gifts too.. yes i used to do that too .. and then after being so stressed out bc of those papers … i decided to end the baking and just buy the mixes and give that away …
i figured that at the holiday times, everyone was giving baked goods and you can only eat so many cookies and fudge until you are really sick to your tummy that maybe in a few weeks you would like to have one of those treats … and yes, i have gotten lots of compliments over the yrs bc of that…
and one yr all i gave away was gift mixes of the jiffy muffin mixes (i dont know anyone who doesnt like those! just add egg and milk and then bake adn there you go!)…
yes, it was frugal (cheap as my kids say) but still its the thought that counts…
and for the seniors in ur life, like we do with mom, make a gift basket with shampoo, soaps (find out first if they use any special kind bc of allergies), toothpaste, toilet paper, cleaning supplies etc… i know my mom loves when we do this… it helps stretch the dollars for her… and less she has to worry about to buy…
:D
just a thought here to share…
If you have a little scrap of the paper left over after wrapping several gifts, use them to make perfectly matching gift tags for the wrapped gifts.
You can try to position the wrapping on the gift so that one of the pictures is in the spot where you’d like to put the tag. Then find that picture on your leftover scrap, fold it so that the picture would be on the front of the tag/card, and the back of the paper would be inside, then cut whatever shape you’d like your tag.
Secure the back of the tag/card over the picture on the wrapped gift so it matches, camouflaged, except that when it opens slightly, you see the inside. Write your message or “to/from” inside the tag/card.
I wish I could show a picture, but I hope this is clear enough.
I use scraps to make ribbons for gifts. It can make an elegant ribbon when it matches the wrapping. I also use the scraps to make gift tags. I also have seen a template for making small gift bags from small (just under 8.5 X 11) pieces of paper.
I have used the scraps in place of the “to/from” cards. I just fold them in half and scotch tape them onto the wrapped package. Sometinmes it slows down the kid who wants to see how many presents he/she has.
I do this as well but I always put the name right onto the wrapping.
We have to pack the presents into boxes for shipping and one year my grandson opened on with out the label which has fallen off in the packing and it was a baby doll that wet her pants.
He quickly passed it to his sister and she gave him the one of army men that she was opening.
They were 6 and 3 at the time and still tease me about it.
I love to use leftover small scraps of wrapping paper for the back drop to my Christmas scrapboking pages. Most often there is a photo or two of someone opening a gift from that leftover paper.
I have put the scraps through the shredder or cut up in strips with siccors to use as gift bag filler instead of tissue paper. Or I put the shreds in a basket for filler, when making gift baskets.
Tawra mentioned getting the bigger bags from the stores to carry the bigger items. She says use them as trash bags later.
I say use them to wrap the item in and then put the paper on. Less chance of peeking. If you run short of paper just use big pieces and if some shows up it is just the bag.
Also if you have pets they might rip the paper but the bags protect the gift from prying eyes.
merry christmas everyone.
Only have 2 things left to get and 3 things to cook. Going to the city tomorrow if the roads are ok and that will be my day to dream.
Got to sing my granddaughter to sleep today. Sang all sorts of carols along with I come to the garden, and other hymns. They make great lullabyes even 20 hours away.
merry christmas everyone.
Just a quick update- shoulder getting better. MRI scheduled for Jan to determine extent of damage. Tree decorated. Gifts still to be wrapped and laundry still waiting.
Christmas will still be joyful even if I am behind. Husband and son healthy and home. Daughter and family having fun with their family in KY.
Just wanted to wish Tawra, Jill and family Merry Christmas and to all the other correspondents, I so enjoy your comments and wish peace and happiness for everyone. Thanks for helping me stay on track. I feel like I have a whole bunch of new friends when I read your website. Thanks and God Bless Everyone.
Even though I don’t “participate” often in commenting, I, too, feel like I am part of the friendship circle on this site. Personalities start to come through as you read comments over a period of time. Especially Rose, Grizzly Bear mom and Grandma to name a few.
Thank you Jill and Tawra for this fellowship!
Much love,
Shellee
I only bought white, silver or gold wrapping paper because I can use it all year! Then I got environmentally minded and more cheap and left the gifts in their “jcpenney.com” bag. I figured you getting a gift, be happy!
You can use the leftover wrapping paper to make the paper wreaths. Or make the “quilts” and glue on the paper bags or anything creative. :)
2012 – another year has gone by since my previous post on this topic. I just wanted to respond to the large bag note from Jill and Tawra. Target’s large red bags are great for using as trash bags. I keep one hanging on the handle of the door where I am wrapping gifts and all the leftover debris (scraps of paper, cardboard tubes and tissue, all go in this large bag that is easily dumped into the recycling bin at the end of the wrapping day. Then just put it into the regular trash bin for other trash. They are quite sturdy and can hold a lot. I have also turned them inside out (so you can’t see the writing on the outside) and used them for gift bags for large items. Tied at the top with a pretty bow and it looks like any other gift bag. Then, use it for trash after unwrapping the gifts.
Thanks Tawra and Jill for all your helpful hints this year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
I use leftover wrapping paper for scrap booking or to decorate picture frames with the kids (frugal and fun)
Wrapping-paper scraps, I think, could also be used for crafts. A small round container can be repurposed to a gift container with wrapping-paper scraps and stickers.