Thrifty Thurston Crafts with Gift Wrap

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By Alyssa Ramsfield

Gyro PsychologyAlong with the joy of Christmas morning comes what we like to call at our house “The Mountain.” This pile in the middle of the living room floor usually consists of broken bows, torn ribbon, and ripped wrapping paper. Hours of hard work and plenty of cash went into making that heap just to be packed up into garbage bags. What if we could turn that mound into something new?  Instead of taking out the trash this year, let’s take out the crafting supplies!

 

Drawer Liners

What you need:

1. Leftover paper

2. Double sided tape or spray adhesive

3. Measuring tape

This idea is for the organized at heart. Use your leftover gift wrap to line drawers around the house! When picking out your gift wrap keep in mind colors and patterns that fit your home’s décor. The first step is to measure the inside of the drawer you would like to line. Then, measure and cut the paper of your choice. To adhere the paper, double sided tape works great! You could also use a spray adhesive from a local craft store. This is a quick and easy project that can be done annually to spruce up your home.

crafts gift wrap
For even more ideas on how to recycle and reduce waste, visit the Thurston County Solid Waste website. (Link is included below.)

Ornament Storage

What you need:

1. Shredded wrapping paper

2. Boxes of ornaments

There is nothing worse than opening up your ornament box to decorate the tree and finding sentimental ornaments broken to bits. This has happened to me and I knew there had to be a cheap, simple way to keep these breakables safe. All you need is ripped up wrapping paper for the job. Take leftover paper scraps and wrap those ornaments. You can also create a nest with torn wrapping pieces at the bottom of the box for extra protection.

Bookmarks

What you need:

1. Cardboard cut into a rectangle

2. Glue

3. Hole Punch

4. Ribbon

As a book fanatic, I can never have enough bookmarks. Creating bookmarks with gift wrap can be fun for the whole family. First, cut out a rectangular piece of cardboard to a standard bookmark size. Using an old cereal or soda box works great. Next, cut out your gift wrap to fit the piece of cardboard. Take your cut gift wrap and glue it onto your cardboard. Once the glue has dried, cut a hole into the top of the bookmark. Lastly, tie a piece of ribbon through the hole.

crafts gift wrapGift Bows

What you need:

1. Tape

2. Scissors

3. Measuring tape

Why buy bows when you can make them from paper scraps? Save some pennies and effortlessly make bows to use on gifts for the holidays. First, cut your wrapping paper scraps into 12 and 24 inch strips that are 2 inches in width. Then, take the scissors and run them down the edge of the paper just like the technique used to curl ribbon. Next, lay out your paper curls and decide how you want to place them on your package. Finally, tape each piece on top of the next until you have a bow that is the desired size.

If crafting isn’t at the top of your holiday priority list, make sure that cutting down on waste is. “Recycling is great, but we really like to encourage people to go one step further and avoid creating that waste in the first place,” explains Education and Outreach Specialist of Thurston County Solid Waste, Emily Orme. “We have some holiday websites with specific things folks can do to prevent waste during the holidays.”

Check out this link to find great ideas from Thurston County Solid Waste to prevent garbage and what common holiday items are recyclable.

Thrifty Thurston highlights inexpensive family fun in Thurston County.  The weekly series focuses on family-friendly activities throughout our community.  If you have a suggestion for a post, send us a note at submit@thurstontalk.com.  For more events and to learn what’s happening in Olympia and the surrounding area, click here.

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