The gifts are unwrapped… Are you wondering what to do with all of the wrapping paper laying there before you? Would you like some creative ideas? Here are 15 ways to recycle it, some of these may be brand new to you, others old hat… but my hope is that you'll find at least a few that will help you gain control over your leftover wrapping paper in a jiffy!
15 Ways To Recycle Wrapping Paper
- Shred it and use as pretty packing material for future gifts or to pack those eBay sales you plan to make during the new year.
- Use it for paper crafts with the kids, children can do wonders with left over paper.
- Create book covers for ones that you may want to disguise… I'm not referring to Rudolph-themed papers, but the non-holiday themed papers you may have used like these Indian papers which can look so beautiful around a few select books in your office adding pattern and color.
- Cover craft boxes using a thin coat of polyvinyl acetate glue to secure the paper to the box. Paper Source makes a PVA glue that I swear by. While you're at it, cover shoe boxes too!
- You can also cover paper magazine holders…
- Or a pencil holder!
- Create sewing patterns by drawing your design on the white side and cut.
- Line the cat's litter box! Really!
- Use it for shelf paper in your pantry or closet.
- Line your dresser drawers.
- Decoupage a chair seat, top of a stool, or the front of a dresser for instance.
- Use a craft punch in either a square or round shape and stick the shape to a piece of cardstock in the same shape for firmness, then stick another to the opposite side. Use a hole punch to add a hole towards the top of your shape and put ribbon or string through the hole and tie it onto future gifts or to label foods or craft supplies in your home.
- Frame your favorite pieces as works of art.
- Decoupage a flower pot.
- Lay your favorite pattern beneath a sheet of glass on your desk or coffee table to add color and/or pattern to your room.
If you want to recycle the wrinkled papers left over from presents but feel like all hope is lost — it's not. Remove all tape and on a flat surface, use your hands to smooth out the paper. Then cut the torn edges off so that you have a rectangular or square piece. You can then set your iron on a very low heat setting and iron the paper on the white side. Of course, please exercise caution — recycling wrapping paper is the goal, not burning down your home!
What do you do with leftover wrapping paper? Will you use any of these tips above? If so, which ones? Please share your ideas below!
(image: nicoletter who makes lovely wrapping papers)
Upcycling Christmas Cards:
Once January rolls around cut them into fun shapes and use them next year for gift tags!
I will probably use the one for making book covers.
Thanks for the tips.
Also will probably cover old shoe boxes looking for a second life
might be a bit dated, but i used some to wrap the lids of the cardboard box we store christmas lights in- they haven’t graduated to plastic bins yet. Then the boxes are always recognizable in the attic.
or use to wrap up decorations before packing them away, instead of newspaper.
I plan to do #13: My husband got several gifts in gorgeous red-on-red metallic-y paper that I can’t wait to frame and hang on our wall!!!
I was thinking about cutting small scraps of leftover paper into squares and making a quilt-like design to use on next years presents. You could also make them into coasters by gluing onto a piece of cardboard or wrap your less delicate ornaments with them.
My daughter in law and I made beads for a necklace by cutting the wrapping paper in triangles about an inch wide at the widest end and rolling them up, a dab of glue holds the tip down. We are stringing them on monofilament clear fishing line. It was fun!
Love all these ideas — and the ideas in the comments as well. (Definitely have to try the necklace beads!)
Leftover wrapping paper could also be used to make pretty bookmarks. Just cut out suitable sized strips of cardstock and then wrap them in the paper. Make a hole in the top and add some ribbon (maybe also left over from gifts) for a finishing touch. These would make great small gifts to tuck into birthday or Valentine’s Day cards (especially if you use red wrapping paper) or next year’s Christmas stockings!
I used my wrapping paper to slide into one of those tall,clear coffee mugs that you get at specialty coffee places (like SBs). I LOVE that I can change it for the holidays, put in pictures, etc and it’s really cheap. These make great presents, too!
Cut into various square sizes and use it for origami!
How about using the beads to make garland for the tree? Paper can be used for scrap booking.
Hi, for years I have been using most of your ideas. Have a Happy New YEAR!
Thanks for the 15 nifty ways to recycle wrapping paper.
You can create “new” wrapping paper by cutting out images/shapes from the “old” paper, and sticking these (double-sided tape or glue)on brown paper (recycled from grocery bags). Or you can make gift bags by using old wrapping paper to cover up company logos on store-branded paper shopping bags — especially the pretty ones with ribbon or “rope” handles!
Loved these ideas! Thanks for posting. Now, does anyone have ideas for what to do with old magazines?
love all the comments and the 15 ideas. will definitely use some of them. you can also take several (4 – 6) cut squares (4×4″ approx), stack them, and cut in strips, tie in middle with strong string, put a pipecleaner around with a long tail, fluff it all out, and you have a chrysanthemum for your daughter’s room or maybe in the den or sun room. can change out different colors to match or contrast, as you see fit. a good project for little hands too.
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