Last minute gift wrapping. Some of us love it (me!), and others despise it. You can usually tell the difference by looking at how people wrap their gifts (no judgement here, though). Regardless of how you wrap your gifts, there’s nothing worse than realising you have less wrapping than you initially thought. We’ve all experienced the unamusing surprise of unravelling the last piece of paper from the roll, and somehow that last piece never fits the gift you need to wrap.
If you’ve left gift wrapping to the last minute, then you’re in luck (well, kind-of). We’ve pulled together eight last minute gift wrapping ideas using items usually found around the home. Sadly, if you don’t have any of the items below, you’re fresh out of luck! Test your luck below.
8 last minute gift wrapping ideas using household items
It’s time to find a tree and a glass jar
You’re not going on a bear hunt, but you will need to find a green tree with new growth that’s within easy reach, a clean glass jar (have a look in your recycling bin and give it a good wash), and a scrap piece of fabric or paper. Once you’ve found a tree you like, snip a piece of newly grown greenery. Place all of your gifts inside the jar and put the lid on. Place a small piece of fabric over the lid of the jar, then wrap the greenery around the mouth of the jar and cut it to size. Tie a small piece of twine on either end, wrap it around the mouth of a jar, thread a gift tag through one end and tie the twine into a bow. Ta-da!
Lunch bags make great gift bags (they really do!)
School has ended for the year, so the joy of not having to pack any more school lunches should have well and truly set in (am I right?). While those brown paper bags are great for sandwiches and tuck shop orders, they also make great last minute gift bags. Simply pop your gift inside the bag, fold the top down a few times, punch two holes in the top with a hole-punch, and thread ribbon through with a gift tag. Easy-peasy!
Find a fabric bag
Most of us have a few fabric drawstring bags stashed away in a cupboard. You usually receive them when you purchase jewellery or a new pair of shoes. These bags make perfect gift bags. All you need to do is pop your gifts inside and tie a tag to the top of the bag. It’s really that easy!
Bottle shop bags
Have you ever tried to wrap a bottle of wine? It takes work. Plus, a wrapped cylinder is usually a dead giveaway of the gift inside. If you don’t think the paper bags you receive from the bottle shop could ever look good, think again. Simply pop your bottle of wine inside, fold the top down a few times, punch a hole in it using a hole-punch, thread twine or ribbon through the hole, and attach a gift tag. Voilà!
Get creative with a basket or box
If you’ve been generous this year and have a few gifts for one recipient (lucky duck), make up a hamper using a basket or box. Any basket or box you have around your home will do the trick. Scrunch up some paper to prop up the gifts and arrange each gift inside so they all present nicely. Wrap twine or ribbon around the box or basket and tread a tag through it.
Wrapping paper rolls (totally ironic)
Ever thought of using a wrapping paper roll to wrap a gift? It seems a bit ironic, doesn’t it? But desperate times call for desperate measures when you’ve run out of wrapping paper. Simply cut the wrapping paper roll to size, fold one end on itself to close the gap, pop your gifts inside and then fold the other end on itself. Tie ribbon or twine around to keep the ends closed and attach a gift tag.
Wrap it in pretty fabric
If you have a scrap piece of fabric lying around your home taking up space. Then put it to good use with this last minute gift wrapping idea. The Japanese have devised the clever idea of wrapping a gift using fabric. This gift wrapping technique is waste-free and makes a gift look beautiful when done correctly. There are many tutorials on the internet that demonstrate how to wrap different shaped gifts in fabric. It’s best to search Google for the best tutorial to wrap your gift. But if you’re wrapping a simple box shaped gift, place it in the centre of the fabric square and tie each opposite corner to each other. Then thread twine through and attach a gift tag.
Store bags (when you have nothing else)
After shopping up a storm over the past few weeks, you no doubt have a stack of bags from the stores you’ve purchased all your gifts from. If there’s one in your stash that doesn’t have the store name or brand printed on it, use it as a gift bag. Then tie twine or ribbon around the bag handles and attach a gift tag. Too easy!
Need some gift tags? Find a beautiful range of botanical gift tags to accompany your last minute gift wrapping here.
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