First, I love nothing more than good ol' brown wrapping paper. It's neutral which means it can be dressed up or down and the best part, it can be used all year round. Really with this the options are limitless to what you can do. Tie on some baker's twine and au naturale pine needles and pine cones, like this! Not only are you saving on bows, but you're helping out the environment too.
And if you're a little Martha Stewart-esque and know what washi tape is.. (it's amazing, go get some!) you can do something super artistic like this.
On the other hand, brown kraft paper is not for everyone. I know first hand that my mother would not be on the kraft paper boat. So, if you get your seasonal joy out of using traditional Christmas paper, then try something new with the ribbon and bows.
I'm a sucker for monograms, in case you haven't noticed, and I love this idea to make the Christmas paper more modern and fun. Mixing and matching the paper as ribbon is just what Santa ordered.
So cute, right?!
Not all Christmas paper is tacky and reminiscent of the early 80's. Now a days, it can be pretty tasteful, like these gifts.
I love how the fresh pine and mistletoe is incorporated into the grosgrain ribbon. Also, just the paper itself, kept clean of bows and accouterments, is so refreshing...but, keep in mind, you better be a good wrapper to achieve that. No tchotchkes to hide your faults here.
If you are an adventurous soul, or gifting to someone that appreciates good design like myself, well then why not do it up like this next one.
I've been a sucker for herringbone this year... can't get over my l-o-v-e for it. It's so classy and looks great with red. This gift is a melting pot for every great design element, but make sure you feel secure enough with your 'eye' to achieve this look.. or it could end up very, very wrong and that would just be super sad.
Our last gift wrap idea is for those that want to do mother Earth good without sacrificing the joy of unwrapping a Christmas gift.
Fabric wrapping is picking up steam, and becoming a great option for those that just can't stand backing up the landfill this time of year. Your gifts will need to be all within the appropriate sizing to be wrapped with one good size cloth. This can be achieved a few ways -
1. buying work rags at home depot and dying a load in Rit Dye
2. buying red or green fabric by the yard and cutting 16x16 square templates
Many people started doing this for baby showers with baby blankets. Baby blankets are a great way to also achieve this look if you can find any in a festive print or color.
Well, that's a WRAP on our 2012 here at BsT&B. I hope Santa brings you everything your little heart desires and you all enjoy the time spent with your family and friends. Don't forget to leave out your cookies and reindeer food. ;)
