Here are 27 eco-friendly gift wrap & reusable wrapping paper ideas to make your gift look gorgeous, and also more green…
Giving or receiving a beautifully wrapped gift always brings a smile, doesn’t it? But now more than ever, people are wanting and looking for reusable wrapping paper and eco-friendly gift wrap alternatives. Ways we can still give beautiful presents, but with less of the waste and environmental impact.
We want reusable, eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas so that we can still give beautiful gifts, but with a more of a clear conscience, too.
So today, I’m sharing 25+ beautiful, reusable alternative gift wrapping ideas that you can try this holiday season, and throughout the year!
Some of these concepts lean a bit toward the Christmas season, but the concepts could be easily modified for birthdays, housewarming, hostess gifts, and more.
27 Beautiful, Eco-Friendly Gift Wrap Alternatives & Reusable Wrapping Paper Ideas
1. Winter Scarf Reusable Wrapping Paper | Heathered Nest
Warm their hearts, AND their necks with a lovely gift wrapped in a seasonal scarf! This post has a quick video tutorial that will show you exactly how to achieve this simple look.
2. Re-Usable Wrapping Paper with Bandanas | Heathered Nest
And once you’ve unwrapped your gift, use that bandana to make a pillow, a pumpkin, Christmas garland, even a 2-minute Easter-basket liner!
3. Battery-Operated Re-Usable “Ribbon” | Heathered Nest
Here’s a bright idea! Light up their face as you hand over a gorgeous gift that actually glows! And then use those string lights to re-gift/re-wrap or string on your tree!
4. DIY Gift Wrap from Old Magazines | Salvage Sister and Mister
What do you do with your old magazines once you’ve sat reading them poolside? Pitch them? How about wrap a present, instead! It’s pretty packaging, and a more eco-savvy solution, for sure.
5. Use a Basket | DIY Playbook
A tisket a tasket, how about using a basket?
6. DIY Santa Bags | Kaleidoscope Living
Adorable. DIY personalized Santa sacks from my friend, Tasha.
7. Vintage Tins
Use old-school tins come in all shapes and sizes, just like cardboard boxes do today. Grab unique ones you see at your local thrift shops, antique stores, on eBay or a neighborhood yard sale.
Stash some with your gift wrap, then break them out as needed to wrap your gifts! It’s easier than wrapping, so not only is it eco-friendly, it is a time-saver, too!
I have a soft spot for these old-fashioned tobacco tins. I don’t know why…I think I just love the shape and their cute little flip-tops. And they are the perfect size to use as a gift card holder!
8. Mason Jar “Gift Wrap” Ideas | Polka Dot Chair
Melissa from Polka Dot Chair wrote a GREAT post on 15 awesome gift ideas that can be given in a mason jar.
She wrote the post specifically for mother’s day gifts, but frankly, the ideas are awesome enough to use all year for almost any occasion. Here’s one of my favorites. And check out her post to see the rest!
9. Eco-Friendly Colorful Shopping Bag Gift Wrap | Design Morsels
Got some pretty-printed shopping bags? Great! Throw a gift in them! Easy and adorable.
10. Fabric Tassel Eco-Friendly Gift Wrap | Sum of their Stories
Scrap fabric turns tres’ chic ribbon embellishment.
11. Gift Bags Made from Old Envelopes | Sum of their Stories
Old shipping bags re-imagined in a lovely and useful way.
12. Spa Gift-Wrapped in a Jar | Classy Clutter
Grab the free printable, and you can give this fun “spa in a jar” gift this season to someone special! Great idea from Classy Clutter.
13. Newsprint | Cindy Hattersly
Cindy has a great post with 10 ideas for gift wrapping…each one uses newsprint! There are some really gorgeous variations there, so check it out if you have a lot of old newsprint sitting in your recycle bin!
14. Candy, Bulbs & Greens | Heathered Nest
Instead of using more paper for gift tags, write the names on the packaging, then embellish the gift with things like real greens, vintage light bulbs, or candy canes.
Something they can eat, re-use (here’s a cool vintage bulb garland idea) or bio-degradable greens all make for beautiful wrapping techniques. Want some of that word find wrapping paper? Click that link for the free downloadable printable. Crossword puzzles more your speed? We’ve got that kind of free printable paper, too!
15. Reusable Grocery Tote Turned Gift Bag | Sadie Seasongoods
I love this upcycling idea from Sadie Seasongoods. Use a reusable grocery bag to pack your present in. A great way to pass along a “green” habit to a friend, and a charming way to package a gift.
16. Gift Wrap with Fabric Ribbon | Jessica Welling Interiors
Don’t spend $ on ribbon that will just be sent to the landfill. Raid your scrap fabric bin for some festive flair. This kind of ribbon will hold up for many rounds of gift-giving to come!
17. Handmade Gift Wrap with Paint Chip Cards | The Country Chic Cottage
Have a plethora of paint chips/paint swatches at home? They make great gift tags! Check out these fun, festive-shaped tags from Angie.
18. Homemade Christmas Gift Bags | Green Scheme TV
Barbara will show you how to make these DIY gift bags from scrap fabric. She makes them in different sizes to accommodate different gifts. Great idea that can be used for many holidays to come!
19. DIY Tree Bark Gift Tags | Sustain My Craft Habit
I love this au natural gift tag idea from Sustain My Craft Habit! Turn something from your yard into an organic tag! Wouldn’t magnolia leaves make a beautiful gift tag, too?
20. Upcycled Pringles Can | Red Ted Art
Great idea for Pringle’s households! Upcycle the old Pringles containers into a unique gift box! This one, from Red Ted Art with a cool Nutcracker theme.
21. Eco-Friendly Sewing Pattern Reusable Wrapping Paper | Sadie Seasongoods
Sewing pattern wrapping paper! Isn’t that such a great idea?! You can find vintage sewing patterns in lots of antique stores. What a creative way to reuse it, right?
22. Present in a Purse | Hello Little Home
Reusable wrapping paper is great. But a reusable HANDBAG? Even better, right?
Ginny is a genius. What woman on Earth wouldn’t love a gift in a handbag?! I mean, the purse is usually present enough, right? But this takes it to another level!
23. Paint Can Gift | Lil’ Luna
Paint cans are great to store things in after they’ve served their painting purpose. And now Lil Luna shares a genius idea for using a paint can for your presents! Love this creative concept…especially for the DIY’ers, crafters, and tool lovers in your life!
24. Sheet Music Reusable Wrapping Paper | Paper Mash
Long after you’ve said, “thanks but no thanks” to more piano lessons (or maybe that was just me), you can still make beautiful music…just on a gift, not the piano. And the cost? Just a song.
25. Burlap Bag Gift Wrap | A Country Farmhouse
Not only does it give gifts such a fun, farmhouse-y flair, but burlap is also biodegradable to boot! A good way to wrap a gift that can be reused over and over (without having to worry about all the dents and dings traditional gift bags tend to accumulate when re-used.
26. Blueprint Gift Wrap | Rock Paper Scissors Shop
I love this idea! Dave is an engineer, so I’m definitely asking if I can nab some old drawings at some point to re-imagine as gift wrap! Architects, engineers, designers…don’t ditch those blueprints! Wrap em up!
27. Lose Your Shirt (As Gift Wrap) | myanadecora on YouTube
Last but not least, how’s this little flash of genius? Give your gift a hug by wrapping some arms around it! The arms of a shirt, either new or thrifted.
Another great concept where the wrapping is actually part of the gift.
Looking for more awesome seasonal ideas? We’ve got ’em!
Pin these reusable wrapping paper ideas for later! And if you use one of these ideas, leave a comment (or better yet, a photo) on the pin! That helps others know whether they want to try these green gift wrap projects, too!
Pssst…before you go, I sure would love to hang out with you again really soon! Sign up now and get a FREE copy of “Builder-Grade To Beautiful: 10 Totally Transformative Home Decorating Solutions, All Under $100!” Click here to enter your email or on the image below. Your copy will be sent right away!
Rebecca Payne says
Thank you so much for sharing.
j says
Hey Heather – I’ve definitely used bandanas, holiday tins, Sunday comics and holiday kitchen towels. I have used those large holiday plastic bags and have asked for the bag back(!) for reuse. There are family members who will toss this and think nothing of it so why not ask for it back. Items have been placed in empty cereal boxes with their name on it! If it happens to be the recipient’s favorite cereal (regardless of age), they will think they are getting a box of cereal, until you tell them the gift is inside! Most recipients can really appreciate your ‘greenness’ when going this route!! Great ideas here and thanks for coordinating/sharing!
Heather says
I love that!!!