Handmade Holiday: No-Waste Wrapping Solutions

At risk of being labeled an overachiever, I wanted to share a bit about my no-waste holiday. Yes, I make dozens upon dozens of unique gifts each year, but I also hate spending money on things that will immediately go in the trash. For a few years now, I’ve been slowly working toward ditching paper gift wrap and tags altogether for the presents under our tree, and, where feasible, for the gifts that leave our home. Here’s a quick overview of how I save money with no-waste gift wrap. And if you scroll down, there’s also a quick tutorial to get you started on your own no-waste holiday!

My holiday gift wrap stash consists of a variety of drawstring bags, fabric envelopes, traditional “gift bag” style bags, and finished flat sheets of fabric “wrapping paper” that I secure with fabric ribbons. A mix of organza, tulle, and netting remnants serve as tissue alternatives. I don’t really use bows, though you can make those reusable, too (see this great tutorial from See Vanessa Craft).

Now that I’m 3+ years in, I wish I could go back and start this project over with different colorways for each family member, so I could do away with labels all together. This year, I’m going adding some no-sew button gift tags (just a button with a name written on, on an elastic loop) to my existing mix of embroidered and painted fabric tags.

: In times of desperation, my go-to is the drawstring bag, or a bag with an open top that can be folded over.

: Tote bag style bags hold most gifts. Cotton organza with a woven-in texture serves as “tissue.”

: Creative reuse! Scrabble tiles glued to pin backs make great gift tags…if your family doesn’t all have names that start with the same letter, that is.

: I affix a small button to all of the bags I make, for quick tagging with my mix-and-match fabric tags. Each one has a buttonhole or slit. You can also loop ribbon or twine around the button for attaching storebought paper tags.

: Organza “tissue” is a no-sew addition to the reusable wrapping stash if you use pinking shears!

: Name label embroidered on wool felt and pinked around the edges. This one is a “slider” on a ribbon. 2-3 for each family member is enough for our internal giving, but gifts that come in the mail get paper tags if they are sent unwrapped.