gift wrap alternatives

I wanted to show you the simple gift I gave my friend Irene yesterday. I wrapped the packages in brown paper, added a scallop cut page from a book of music, and topped it all with a religious icon of the immaculate conception.

I'm encouraged this year to find alternatives to traditional gift wrap. Here are a few I came up with

• wrap the gift in recycled brown paper bags, using just a small piece of paper like sheet music as an accent
• look for printed gift boxes and containers that will be reused
• tuck small gifts in mittens or stockings
• does the item need to be wrapped? Maybe just a bow will do
• make the presentation part of the gift...a nest with a little treasure, a traincase full of goodies, a clamshell with a jewel inside, tied shut with a ribbon, an old metal lunchbox filled with goodies
• sew an envelope out of scrap fabric or felt
• be on the lookout for sturdy lidded boxes that might otherwise end up in the trash heap...shoe boxes, oatmeal boxes, jewelry boxes...instead of wrapping, decoupage them! (perhaps put a little note in the bottom of the box asking the recipient to reuse the box)