Charity Wrapping Paper

Whenever I have the same dilemma - what to wrap my gifts to both environmentally friendly and attractive?

I do not see those piles of torn wrapping paper heaped on the ground after opening today. These documents have been used very little and are now ready for the trash and the landfill. One option is to recycle them - but many of these special papers are difficult to classify, with metallic dyes added. Are they really recyclable? And you want them in your compost bin if they are toxic? What to do?

Here are some options I tried and their results mixed:

Buy wrapping paper designed from recycled materials. You can feel better about buying it, and can probably be recycled or composted when you're done. To purchase wrappers charitable groups involved in saving rainforests will soothe your conscience and it's a nice gesture.

Collect leftover rolls of cheap gift wrap Goodwill or Army Hi. When I stopped by Goodwill today, I saw garbage cans filled with half and quarter-cylinder of less than a dollar each.

Save used wrapping paper this Memorial Day, birthday, anniversary, wedding, graduation ... name it and reuse it next year. I've done throughout my twenties. Now, I do not really used to store the paper all year, but it worked well for me at the time. The downside: your gifts do not seem very primitive wrapped, sitting under the tree, with the stuff professionally wrapped all the others. My parents understood my beliefs recycling, but still, my gifts looked "cheaper" than the others. If you can get your whole family to save and reuse all, this option should work for you. Be sure that everyone opens gifts carefully - no frantic ripping allowed!

Make your own gift wrap from butcher paper, recycled brown paper bags, newspapers and funny pages. These are superb! Try some of the arcs of raffia twine with butcher paper and brown bags for a nice, simple, rustic. Or get the family to create your own designs drawn on the butcher paper - use crayons, markers or mixed media. Make a stencil from a potato for the brown paper bags. You do not need these bows and handmade gifts are like another gift by themselves. Best of all, paper bags, newsprint and can be recycled or composted.

Buy a package of nice gift bags from your local dollar store, and reuse them each year. Attach the handle with some sort of gift ribbon attractors have something to "unpack". These bags come in all designs go very well under the tree. They are also a boon for gift wrapping irregularly shaped.

In the same spirit, you can pick up a pile of baskets used, but rather from your local Goodwill or Thrift Store. Put the gifts in the baskets and presto! Nothing to Chuck. Everyone can use a basket or two in their lives.

Make beautiful, reusable gift bags from fabric material that you have behind you. Equipment Fold and stitch the bottom and the other side. Leave the top open insert gift, and tie closed with a ribbon. These bags can be as simple or extravagant as your talents / interest allows.

Give gift certificates this year. Place certificates in an envelope of Nice, a clip with punch, add some ribbon and hang from the tree. The good thing about this: there are practically no packaging to treat (recycle or reuse the envelope), and the recipient receives a gift they will actually enjoy, since they get to look on.