50 Unique Gift Wrapping Ideas That'll Save You Money
Anyone can pull off these creative gift wrap ideas — even if you don't have a box!
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Once your holiday home is fully decorated — stockings are hung, garland is draped and Christmas tree is decorated, it's time to start brainstorming genius gift wrapping ideas that'll impress your friends and family. We all know that what's inside matters most, but creative gift wrapping ideas can add a personal touch to your holiday gift-giving — and it's a bonus if you're able to place your presents under the tree early enough for them to double as decor.
Here you'll find traditional, modern and vintage-inspired gift wrapping ideas that are surprisingly easy to recreate — including ideas without a gift box and gift card wrapping hacks. There are endless ways to flex your creativity: use paint splatters to upgrade basic wrapping paper, mini bottle brush trees to create a snowy scene, colored paper to assemble your own poinsettia flowers, branch clippings and pinecones as a DIY gift topper. You can even give two gifts in one by adorning your presents with homemade holiday ornaments or trash-to-treasure Christmas crafts your loved ones will want to keep.
Find inspiration for every style and budget, from clever ways to recycle supplies you have at home (a.k.a. an eco-friendly gift wrap solution) to elegant displays full of store-bought ribbons and bows. Since you're already crafting, don't forget to check out our favorite ideas for homemade Christmas cards, too.
Christmas Tree Stamp
It doesn't get any easier than this: Wrap each of your gifts in a used brown paper bag and stamp them with Christmas trees (or any other festive print).
No-Box Tea Towel
Elevate any bottle of wine by wrapping it in a festive tea towel. Just fold up the bottom corners, fold in the sides and hold the fabric together with a pretty ribbon.
Cookie Tags
Take a classic gingerbread cookie, ice it then pipe on your gift recipient's name. After the cookie is munched, there's no tag to throw away!
Movie Quotes
Adorn each gift with one of your favorite holiday movie quotes. To get started, you'll need solid gift wrap, letter stickers and a ruler or a book with a straight edge to keep yourself level.
Road Map
Life is a journey — and this wrapping paper shows that in the most charming way. Simply find an old road map and wrap your gifts in it. Keep everything in place by pulling a piece of thread through a vintage button for a cute take on a bow.
Vintage-Inspired Gift Tags
These gorgeous gift tags are made using vintage graphics. Take them up a notch by adding glitter around the edges using tacky glue.
Deer Silhouette
'Tis the season for reindeer and Santa. First, print out a deer silhouette to use as a stencil. Trace your deer onto newspaper or construction paper. Cut out your deer and tape it onto a present wrapped in butcher paper.
Christmas Boxes
Your average cardboard box can quickly become a beautiful gift wrap solution with a few coats of paint, stencils and a little inspiration.
Paper Animals
How about a nice, friendly greeting from a penguin, reindeer or polar bear? They're not hard to make: just use a circle punch and scissors to snip out the pieces you need from colored paper.
RELATED: 50 Best Gifts for Kids of Every Age
Splattered Paint
Don't be afraid to get a little messy with this simple paint splattered gift wrap idea. Find a few of your favorite paint colors and then use a paint brush to lightly fling the paint onto white paper. Just don't forget to cover your workstation in plastic or newspaper first.
Paper Poinsettia
Go for a classic, sophisticated style with these paper poinsettias. All you have to do is print, cut and glue. For a finishing touch, add a small button to serve as the flower's center.
Emoji Faces
The kids are going to love these! Yellow wrapping paper serves as the background for these adorable emoji-face presents. They're almost too cute to unwrap.
Snowy Scene
Create a charming winter wonderland atop your gift using miniature bottle brush trees, wreaths and presents. You can even find mini mail boxes and park benches, which your recipient can use as Christmas decor after unwrapping.
Matte Black
Use matte black gift wrap and finish things off with a piece of twine and an evergreen sprig or pinecone. The simple background will make your accessories pop.
RELATED: Homemade Christmas Ornament Ideas
Cupcake Liner Bows
Turn cupcake liners into a festive bow. Glue six to seven mini cupcake liners on a small circle white card stock, then use a smaller piece of cardstock to create a monogram gift tag.
Paper Flowers
Some flowers may be hard to come by in winter, but you can always DIY the ones you love from either tissue paper or crepe paper.
Natural Gift Toppers
Instead of the traditional gift bows, try something a little more seasonal, like pine branches, holly sprigs, pinecones or kumquats, which really pop against plain brown parcel paper. Bonus: Depending on what you use, you might get a sweet fragrance, too.
Furoshiki Cloth
Furoshiki, the traditional Japanese way of wrapping gifts or personal belongings in special cloth, not only looks pristine — it can be re-used, so it's green, too.
Cookie Envelopes
When you're giving a gift card, but want to add that extra special something, nothing feels fancier than Christmas cookies packaged in a festive envelope made of sturdy card stock. Use pretty paper, and then seal the whole thing with a sticker.
Moss and More
You can incorporate the outdoors without defaulting to holly and pine trees, too. Preserved moss, wheat and thistles also add that earthy element, and their color looks great against neutral gold and silver paper.
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