8 Unique Gift Wrap Ideas

Make the wrapping part of the present. Cotton wraps such as the one at left, which are often made with environmentally gentle soy-based inks, are a beautiful and reusable way to present a gift.

Stock up on 100% recycled papers. They're out there and often come in whim­sical prints, like the floral one above, that won’t feel stale come January.

Recycle your own newspapers, magazine pages, or junk mail as gift wrap. Add a bit of greenery (here, rose hips and redwood sprigs) for color and a festive scent.

Style your own gift wrap with stamps and colored ink. Kraft paper from Blick Art Materials, Pinecone (after one found in Yosemite) and stamp sets by Yellow Owl Workshop.

This material makes the perfect wrapping for small boxes. Look for sheets with large and colorful images, graphic prints, or old-fashioned black-and-white type.

Use neatly pressed fabric remnants from sewing projects for soft or hard-to-wrap objects. Cut, fold, and punch holes into pages from old calendars or prints to make gift tags.

Reuse jam jars for items such as jewelry. Cover lids with fabric secured with glue.

Shredded paper lines the inside of a shoe box covered with a paper grocery bag. To dress up packages and add color, tie with vintage ribbon.