Genius Ways To Wrap Gifts That Don’t Always Include Wrapping Paper

I love to creatively wrap gifts. It’s kinda my thing. BUT, it has to be easy.

I’ll admit, I’m not so great at the traditional wrapping paper and tape. I can’t ever fold the ends right, and it ends up looking like a toddler wrapped it.

That worked out really well when I actually HAD a toddler. LOL!! I’d just blame it on her.

But now, I have no excuse. In order to get decently wrapped gifts, I have to employ one of my secret wrapping tricks — that I’m about to share with you.

Genius Tips And Tricks To Wrapping Gifts Creatively

1. Cellophane Bags and Tissue.

To do this, you have to make sure the gift will fit in the bag. Place your gift in the center of a couple pieces of tissue paper. Bring the paper up around the gift — it will look kinda like a little paper bag.

Then, you just drop the tissue covered gift down into the cellophane bag. The ends of the tissue paper will almost be sticking out the top of the bag.

Now, tie a ribbon around the top of the bag. That’s it!!

What Creative Ways Do YOU Know To Wrap Gifts?

2. Aluminum Foil.

Yep. I’m serious. This can make such a pretty wrapping, and you may not even need tape.

If you ball the foil up into a ball and then CAREFULLY open it back up before you wrap it, you will have a cool textured wrapping.

3. Paper Shredder.

Take pieces of tissue paper, and run it through one of those shredders that makes long strips out of the paper. You will end up with a kind of packing that isn’t just pretty, it’s functional.

You can put a handful of the paper strips into a box to add color, texture, and a bit of cushion to your gift.

You can also use some of these paper shreds in the bottom of a cellophane bag for a pop of color.

4. Balloon.

Now, granted, this entails giving something little that will actually FIT into the neck of the balloon. But, if you are giving money, this works out great!! It’s way better than just sticking that money in a boring card!!

5. Boxes, Boxes, and Boxes.

Especially at Christmas time, we have a plethora of boxes coming to the house, but I save mine all year long. I don’t just stick to the shipping cardboard box. I use everything from the box those bulk size Goldfish Crackers come in to a small box that medical face masks come in. If there is a box, I save it.

Granted, you have to wrap these boxes, but it’s WAY easier than trying to wrap a loose gift. Have you ever tried to wrap a t-shirt that’s not in a box? It’s a trainwreck.

Get Creative When It Comes To Wrapping Gifts!

6. Colored Pencils or Markers.

Break out those colors, because sometimes they can make a hella good “wrapping” for a gift.

I employed this tactic when I was smacked in the face by time, and I didn’t have wrapping paper. The gift was in a plain white box, so I decorated the box with swirls, squiggles, and other pretty designs. It turned out GREAT, and I’ve been doing it ever since with plain boxes!

7. Stickers.

This one probably requires a plain box as well. I have my kids — who aren’t the best at drawing things — put stickers creatively on the boxed gift, and it turns out JUST as awesome as wrapping paper. Just tape the ends of the box shut before you give your gift.

8. Kids Drawings.

Give your kids a bunch of crayons and colored pencils, and have them go crazy decorating the plain box. You can tie it up in ribbon to make it extra special.

9. Pom Pom Balls.

One way to disguise a badly wrapped gift is to glue pom pom balls all over it. It adds color and texture, and the gift recipient probably won’t even notice the actual gift is wrapped like you did it in the dark.

10. Newspaper.

This might sound really cheap, but if you do it right, it can be gorgeous! Try to pick a page of newspaper that contains a picture that reminds you of the person you are giving the gift to. Make sure that picture is front and center on the “wrapping.”

11. Gift Bag.

If you are hard-up for wrapping, you can always just go with a gift bag and tissue paper. Try to pick a festive bag with matching paper, instead of just random stuff you had shoved in your junk drawer.

Let’s Talk a Bit About “To: From:” Tags

This is my FAVORITE part of wrapping a gift. Even if the wrapping SUCKS, I can spruce it up with a topper.

1. Name Ornaments.

Go get a package of small ornaments, and write your recipient’s name on it with a paint or permanent maker. Then fix that ornament to the box with a bit of ribbon.

You can find Little Flat Ornaments on the Amazon website.

2. Rafia.

I love to get bags of rafia from the craft stores or the Walmarts. These usually come in long strips that can fit around boxes like ribbon.

I like the plain, uncolored kind of rafia, because it goes with just about anything AND adds a bit of downhome country feel to the gift wrapping.

You can get Rafia on the Amazon website.

3. Tree Leaves or Branches.

So, these aren’t so much “To: From:” tags as they are decorations for your gift.

Just head to the great outdoors — aka your front yard — and choose some pretty natural decorations. There will be no doubting that these gifts came from you.

4. Wooden Cutouts.

You can get these Wooden Cutouts cheap on the Amazon website.

Just use a paint marker or permanent marker to write the name of the person receiving the gift. Attach it to the gift with either tape or ribbon.

5. Photos.

Talk about a personalized gift!! Get pictures printed of everyone you have a gift for. Coordinate pictures and gifts. Everyone will LOVE them!!

6. Candy Canes.

Simply take those colorful sticks of sugar, and tie them with ribbon on your gift. It’s quite a pretty pop of color to an otherwise simply wrapped gift.

7. Paper Doilies.

Just bust out your glue stick, and strategically glue a paper doily to a plainly wrapped gift. Decorate the doily if you so desire.

You can find Paper Doilies in bulk for hella cheap on the Amazon website.