Turn your holiday gifts into works of art with some easy gift-wrapping ideas.

Sometimes the most odious thing about the holidays is the present wrapping–it just seems like a such a chore. You work really hard buying (or making) all those presents and then there’s more work. Have a little fun with it by using one of these easy gift-wrapping ideas. From fun to elegant and many involve repurposing stuff you already have on hand–these are gift-wrapping game changers!

10 Gift-Wrapping Ideas for the Holidays

1. Repurposed Paper Bags – Cut open brown paper bags, turn them over so the plain side is facing up, and decorate with holiday-themed stamps. Wrap up your packages and tie with string for a vintage wrapping look.
2. Metallic Painted Tissue Paper – Repurpose tissue paper from holiday gifts past, but bring it back to life by painting it with gold or silver paint. Many home improvement stores carry the Martha Stewart line of specialty finishes that features several different metallic options.
3. Old Road Maps – Turn old paper maps (who uses them anymore anyway!) into fun wrapping paper this season.
4. Brown Paper Packages – You can buy rolls of brown wrapping paper that can be customized a billion ways. One of the simplest is to use gold and silver pens to draw stars or snowflakes on your packages. Tie them up with pretty red and white bakers’ twine.
5. Origami Wrap – Wrap packages in white paper. Cut shapes out another layer of colored paper and double wrap your packages for an easy but pretty effect.
6. Chalkboard Wrapping Paper – If you haven’t seen it before, Chalkboard wrapping paper is a thing. It’s super easy to customize your packages with just some simple white paint markers. You can find it online and at some craft stores.
7. Washi Tape – Decorate plain white or brown paper with colorful patterned washi tape. Washi tape is Japanese masking tape, but it comes in all sorts of colors and patterns and is available online or at craft stores.
8. Duct Tape Gift Bags – By the same token, turn practical duct tape into gift bags. Here is an easy tutorial.
9. Repurposed Magazine Bows – Top your packages with pretty repurposed bows made from the pages of old magazines. Here’s a how-to.
10. Burlap, Black Ribbon and Gold Spray Painted Pine Cones – Turn everyday burlap into an elegant package by adding black velveteen ribbon and gold painted pine cones. It looks impressive, but it’s actually pretty easy to pull off. Burlap is available at most fabric stores.

Related on EcoSalon

12 Simple, Elegant DIY Christmas Decorating Ideas to Deck Your Halls

16 Gift Wrapping Ideas to Take Your Holiday Prezzies to the Next Level

15 Clever Repurposing Ideas for Christmas Cards and Wrapping Paper

Image: Christmas Gift via Shutterstock

The post 10 Easy Gift-Wrapping Ideas and Solutions to Make a Wrapping a Breeze appeared first on EcoSalon.

Rolling pins: perfect for pie crusts and original pieces of graphic art.

Printmaking is simply the process of transferring a pattern or piece of art with inks onto paper. Every time you transfer the ink, however, it is considered an original piece of art since it will have it’s own unique qualities, making you (the roller pin swiller) a master of tarts and art. A very DIY nerd thing to say, yes; but true.

You can use many items for this exercise: a carved block, a Styrofoam plate, fruits, erasers, potatoes – anything that will transfer ink. As far as the rolling pin goes, use rubber bands and craft foam to create pure awesomeness. The advantage of using this particular implement is that you can print a large swathe very quickly.

This is going to get messy. Be sure to cover your work area and wear an apron.

What you need:

Break your supply list up into the stores you’ll need to visit.

Craft store:

• craft foam
• spray glue
• paper
• tape
• block printing ink
• rubber bands
• scissors

Thrift store:

• rolling pins
• glass or acrylic from frames*

*If you find more than one frame, purchase it so you can have a few colors of ink out at the same time. If you only have one piece of glass or acrylic, you will have to wash it to switch colors. More than one rolling pin is handy, too.

Other options: use an old mouse pad instead of craft foam. They make excellent DIY stamps.  Look for a flat baking pan instead of using glass or acrylic.

Step 1. Cover your rolling pins with paper and tape it on. On my first attempt, I used plastic wrap. It worked but some of the plastic picked up the ink. Paper works better.

Step 2. Cut out the craft foam in your own one-of-a-kind design and attach it to the covered rolling pin with spray glue.  If you don’t care how messy your rolling pin gets, you can adhere the foam directly to the wood. Some craft foam has a sticky back., in which case you can skip the spray glue. Alternatively, instead of using craft foam wrap the rolling pin with rubber bands. Now your rolling pin is ready to go.

Step 3. Squeeze out some ink on the glass. Block printing ink is water-soluble and non toxic. It’s thick and sticky and doesn’t dry too fast. It will even wash off your rolling pin handle.

Step 4. Spread the ink with a brush.

Step 5. Roll the pin in the ink so it covers the craft foam or rubber bands. You can go back and forth and side to side to make sure it is completely inked up.

Step 6. Now, the exciting part. Tape down your paper and roll on your design. You can add layers by rolling the stamp out more than once on the paper or by adding additional colors.

It’s the perfect project for custom-made wrapping paper.

You can make tags and cards. Even wallpaper. You can frame the prints for custom art. Experiment on wood, cork or metal, too. This project has endless possibilities.

We hope you find them.

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