Save the world and some money too

photo from Martha Stewart

UPDATE: I just found this awesome photo list on Martha Stewart for wrapping with flair using non-traditional items. Beautiful!

I really, really LOVE to wrap presents. When I was a girl, my Dad would save all his holiday wrapping for me. And I think a part time job at a gift wrapper would be so much fun. But wrapping paper and accessories can get spendy real quick and quite a bit of the materials are not recyclable. This year here are a few options to cut the costs to your wallet and to the planet:

• Use packing paper for gift wrap. As long as you use a good strong tape, this paper is sturdy, looks nice and crisp and is recyclable.
• Reuse gift wrap. A mixture of water and starch sprayed on the paper, then ironed on low will zap the wrinkles.
• Dig in your fabric stash or in the remnants bin at your local fabric source and use pretty patterns to wrap
• Embelish your gifts with clippings of pine trees, real ribbon, or with a little help from your kids.
• Look for recyclable gift wrap to use.

I know there are lots more ideas out there on this topic. Share your tips too!