Did you know that there is a 25% increase in the amount of garbage we dispose of around the holidays? And most of it is packaging and wrapping paper. According to an article in The Atlantic (12/22/12) we spend $2.6 billion annually on wrapping paper. Wasteful!
Cloth wrapping has been used in traditional cultures for over 1,200 years and is still used today by many wise parents. Furoshiki is the ancient art of cloth wrapping from Japan which is elegant, practical and eco-friendly. In Korea it's called Bojagi and is often silk or hemp patchwork cloth.
Another advantage is that different shaped gifts are easier to wrap with cloth. Here are some ideas:
We love how simple and beautiful cloth wrap is. And your wrapping becomes another gift or can be used year after year.
Playsilks are especially beautiful as wrapping because of how luminescent and shiny the colors are. Plus, after the gifts are open the children can play with them!
Our starter set of silk wrappings is available here.
Leave a comment about your ideas for reusable gift wrapping below and enter to win a Holiday Gift Wrap Set!
Two winners will be chosen 11/14/18.
I used a sheet from a giant calendar I had. I chose the child’s birthday month and wrapped the gift with calendar sheet from the month. ( PaperSource sells those giant calendars…I love them)
Courtney on
We love to use art work from the year to recycle as gift wrap for family! It is a great way to make it seem like a work of art!
Katrina Fortier on
what a beautiful way to wrap gifts! children will love this 💗
Lea on
I have used cloth napkins for wrapping too!
Elizabeth on
I think using the Sarah’s playsilks are a lovely idea to wrap gifts. The playsilk would be as fun as the gift itself.
Terri on
I’ve started to collect the cartoon section of newspapers for Christmas wrapping this year. Also, I’m going to buy some fabric and wrap some friends gifts with them. After Christmas we’ll get together and use that fabric to make reusable beeswax food wrap!
Nikki on
I save just about every gift bag I obtain from events over the years. I actually have a storage bin in the shed dedicated to gift bags, wrapping (full rolls and left over pieces), bows, ribbons, gift tags, etc. I reuse whenever I get the chance.
Felicia on
We recently had to toss paper items due to mold in our home (including wrapping paper!) so I have been looking for non-paper items to start over with. I was considering those giant sacks that are sold around Christmas each year but i love the idea of using colorful silks. These would be great for more than just Christmas gifts but birthday also. I love the ideas that others have mentioned as well!
Jen on
I use left over paper, bows, ribbons, etc to make sensory bins and sensory bottles for tons of open-ended play for my own kids and the kids I teach! Would love to win some scarves to use in class :-)
Caley Kukla on
I love wrapping gifts with cloth or brown paper (that we cut from paper bags and reuse afterward. We like to find natural “bows” like a pinecone or leaf to tie it to, also. We haven’t yet been able to wrap with silks, but that is an awesome idea, and the kids would love to get their gift wrapped in one!
Andee Fischer on
Love the idea to use silks for wrapping gifts! We have reused old paper and ribbons, used paper bags for art and then wrapped gifts with them, and used old newspapers! Growing up, my mom’s cousin always wrapped her gifts in upcycled magazine pages, and I loved it!
Tabitha K. on
We’ve painted brown paper grocery bags to create upcycled gift wrap. We’ve also used blouses or shirts with a nice print that have been worn or torn in some areas are still nice in other areas. My daughter recently received a gift wrapped in a Sarah’s play silk…she loves it! You can’t go wrong wrapping a gift in a play silk. :)
Aniko on