This month is all about the Holidays, decorating our home, the trees and wrapping the presents. All of these fun activities can take a toll on a person. Especially me! Today I’m going to show you how I do my gift wrapping with vintage fabric.
I love to see the presents all wrapped up and placed under the tree in time for Christmas. I remember as a little kid anxiously waiting to open those presents. And when my kids were young I’d sent them off to bed and stay up half the night wrapping boxes and adding embellishments. It had become a therapeutic ritual for me after all of the rushing around and shopping.
This of course was when the kids were little. As they grew older I tried to be frugal with the wrapping paper because it was a waste to throw all that paper away. And believe me with four kids, it was a LOT of paper. I even tried using it as a fire starter at one point but I think it was not the best paper for that idea.
In my effort to reduce all of this paper waste I started to wrap gifts with fabric scraps that I had at home – and not just for Christmas. I have lots of pieces of fabric either from old clothes or from curtains that I don’t use anymore. You can use old tablecloths, old sheets anything really as long as you like the pattern and fabric. And I know you have them too, you just need to look at them from a different perspective.
Who says we have to throw everything away? Many of these ribbons that are on the pastry box are so pretty… of course what’s inside the pastry box is also very good, but that’s another story.
If you have a ribbon with writing on it, there is a way to get the ink off. The solution was provided by L’Atelier de Marie-Anne over here. Thank you Marie-Anne, now I can use up all of my pastry ribbons! And they are aplenty!!
The lace you see below was part of a dress my girls wore when they were little and sweet. Well they are not little anymore and they don’t wear lace, and as for sweet, well, as a mama I have to say they are still sweet!
I made this tag by cutting a circle and then using an old hole punch I found to make this pattern.
I hope you have enjoyed my ideas on how to repurpose vintage fabric (or any fabric for that matter) for gift wrapping. Have you ever wrapped your gifts in unusual ways?
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Kathy A
Saturday 18th of January 2020
Loved your idea Mary. With 2 kids (now grown) we considered it a good Christmas when we filled the woodstove 4x with the wrapping paper. Is there ANYTHING green in that statement? My Depression-era mom saved and ironed paper and ribbon. I consider it a fire hazaard and buy the cheapest stuff I can find after Christmas! Well, I started sewing cloth bags with pretty ribbons/cord/lace set into the side seam for my church's bazaar and family. One friend and I sent it back and forth for 3 years! My kids could have cared less about keeping these bags so they'd come back home with me! Then I started using my cooky tins and vintage tins, too. I'm not above saving an oatmeal box either! This last year I wrapped cereal boxes (top cut off) in wrapped paper, added yarn/ribbon handles for gift box/bags and made toilet paper roll "pillow packs" for jewelry. Sold sets of 4 different sizes as a set at the bazaar for a measly $1. My town's transfer station does not recycle lightweight cardboard and THAT hurts my Scotch-Irish-Polish sense of thrift!
Kellie
Monday 5th of December 2016
What a great idea. A nice twist.
Mary
Monday 5th of December 2016
Thank you Kellie. I try to go for the unexpected sometimes. Don't want to bore my readers (wink)!
Florence
Monday 5th of December 2016
Mary, I like your attention to frugality. In our house growing up, we had to cut wrapping paper off carefully, then put back in the box to be reused next year. Today when I see young folks ripping off the beautiful paper, I can't help but shudder at the waste. Old habits are hard to break. When I was grown, I told myself I wasn't continuing that tradition, but I feel guilty every time I tear paper off...LOL. I'm surprised to hear the paper doesn't burn very well.
Mary
Monday 5th of December 2016
Florence the frugality came out of the fact that we had the crisis upon us but even with four kids you are always watching your pennies. I used to do the same thing when I was a kid, learned it from my mom. We would carefully unwrap the presents and reuse the paper. The paper is not good for the fireplace because the colors are toxic when burned. It burns just fine but is not good for inhaling .
Michelle
Monday 5th of December 2016
I love this idea Mary. We donate most of our old cloths to the hospice, but I have lots of fabric scraps that piling up in the craft cupboard waiting for some kind of inspiration and what better way to save the environment and some money than to use them to wrap Christmas presents
Mary
Monday 5th of December 2016
I usually just keep them around till the right project comes along but I had really overdone it lately. I needed to use them somewhere. Why not for Christmas?
Gabi
Monday 5th of December 2016
I love it! I will steal this idea, actually the whole article. I hope you won't mind to quote your idea on my blog. :)
Mary
Monday 5th of December 2016
Gabi, I am glad to hear that you like it. It is an easy and eco-friendly way to celebrate without breaking the bank. I would be happy if you used a photo and a quote and even linked back, no problem at all.