I’m going to keep this short & sweet as its a manic time of year & if you are anything like me you are deleting emails before they’ve even loaded.  I do want to share some quick, simple & cost effective ways you can reduce the amount of Plastic packaging, ribbon & paper you need to use this year.  “Christmas wrapping doesn’t need to cost the Earth.”

WRAPPING

Furoshiki wrapping – an ancient Japanese technique translating to “bath spread”, derived from the practice of wrapping clothing into neat bundles while at public baths to prevent mix ups before being adopted to use for food transportation & later to wrap gifts.

HOW –Take a old silk scarf,  square of fabric & select a style depending on the shape of your goodies from the graphic below & get wrapping.  Printable version here

WHY

• Save on wrapping paper that serves its purpose once & save the resources it took to make that single use paper

• Reuse fabric, old tea towels (hello Op shop!!), chopped up sheets & old silk scarves over & over & over again

• Reduce landfill

• Looks damn nifty & your peeps will think you are mighty crafty!

AVOID

• Buying new rolls of gift wrap each year, specifically that shiny plastic coated metallic stuff!

• Cellophane – often used for food gifts, avoid it in favour of fabric or paper as its going to last longer than any of us

Reuse old Paper – not an ancient Japanese technique but a super one none the less.  Think leftover newspapers, brown wrap, kids drawings; anything you might have lying around that could have a second chance at life. 

WHY

Reusing items is a great way to take the load of the planet & her finite resources & add a personal quirky twist to your gifts.

Sellotape – Try wrapping without this sticky & plastic tape.  I use paper tape or avoid it altogether.  If you are realty crafty you can secure it with string…this is pretty hit & miss for me & depends on the contents & shape of the parcel as to how its going to turn out!

Alternatively try Kraft reinforced water activated tape.  Tape that is activated with water I recall using this when I was really young & its fairly easy to find online.

 GIFT TAGS

Instead of purchasing new tags or stickers (potentially plastic), why not use some old cards or funky paper to cut out your own?  I used old Christmas cards & chopped around the “wanderlightly” swing tag for shape.  You could whip up plain rectangles that look just as cute though.  Pierce a hole in the top or use a hole punch & thread through some string with a needle.  This could be a fun activity to enlist your kids in as well!

FINISHING TOUCHES

I use paper that I’ve saved from gifts in my  “wrapping paper bag” stash…..I also have a string stash.  If you’ve ever given me a parcel with string, I’ve saved it & its out there somewhere in the world on another pressie.  It might not be that “Christmassy” so I like to tie it all together with a little red, green or white string…..just to stay with the Xmas theme.  You can pick up coloured large balls of Jute string in loads of different places but failing that you will find good old brown jute from the hardware store, supermarket or craft store.  Tart it up with a little greenery from the garden & you have yourself an original, biodegradable & Plastic free treasure! Check out these other stylish ways from My Paradise for more ideas on wrapping.

So there you have it a few ideas to reduce the amount of plastic & landfill that we forget all about come Christmas time.  If you do end up with soft plastics remember some may be able to be REDcycled.  Check out my previous post on what you can & cant REDcycle.…also handy for all of those party snack wrappers & save any paper that you are gifted for next year!

Have a wonderful Plastic Free Christmas, lets chat in the New Year!

Big love S xx