This Christmas gift wrap idea has come almost as much out of necessity in these tough economic times as it has out of creativity. This originated for my oldest niece's birthday gift last year. I decided to get her Barbie's that came with clothing and smaller chest for the movies they've put out to bolster Barbie's reputation. There are between two and four dogs residing in my niece's house, and I was quite disappointed to learn that the dogs had chewed up some of her favorite dolls. There were some semi-pricey ones I'd gotten her as well. I usually aim to spend about $20.00 on this child's gift each year.
Having heard about the dogs mishaps with the Barbie's and deciding that the best offense is often not defense(though that helps too), but prevention; I went to Target and proceeded to search out a tote that would hold the Barbie dolls. This way, if the dog attempted to chew, he would have to chew through the plastic tote to get to the semi-pricey dolls. I found a clear tote with a purple lid that suited my niece and fit the Barbie. I paid $5.00 for the tote. I bought the Barbie on-line for about $15.00, only it did not arrive in time for her birthday. So, I went to the store on payday, and bought her a six dollar Barbie to present in the gift at her birthday party.
This tote left me at a loss as to how to wrap the contraption. It did not suit gift wrap well, as it had odd dimensions. And paper gift wrap is expensive and disposable. I checked gift bags, but the biggest ones are over $5.00, for printed paper. I entertained the idea of making my own gift wrap out of old magazine pages, but that just wouldn't work for it. Finally, I decided to check Jo-Ann's Fabric and crafts and found flannel fabric on sale for $2.50 a yard. I bought a yard of fabric, took it home, placed the tote on it, and proceeded to knot the fabric on top. I wrapped ribbon either through the knot or around some of the fabric and presented it to my niece. Since my niece enjoyed sewing and had sewn her own pair of shorts as her first sewing project, the fabric proved to be a better gift wrap and craft idea than paper you simply throw away.
Since then, I have used fabric to wrap many gifts...and if someone has a good sense of humor, you can consider sewing their gift shut. Recently, I bought a cake pedestal for a friend's bridal shower and found the best gift wrap was a yard of fabric that I had at home and didn't have many plans for. My aunt's Christmas gifts were also wrapped in fabric this year to the tune of "What a great idea."
The best part is, the fabric does not need to finished, or even cut to size, unless you wish to. If you know of someone who enjoys sewing, they consider the fabric-wrap as much a part of the gift as the gift itself. And to think, how many times can you re-use this gift wrap? Or you can make something useful out of it. You can also personalize the gift wrap. If someone is into dogs, they have dogs. If someone is into music, they have treble clefs or guitars. Some fabrics are masculine and plaid, some are feminine and frilly. I wouldn't go too feminine, unless you just want a pretty wrap and not a concealing one.
Also, to keep this affordable, buy quality fabric on sale. A good cotton or flannel or even a $10 a yard brocade (on sale for $6 a yard), is a better deal for concealing and wrapping a special gift than the $2.00 a yard cotton that won't completely cover the gift and will fray on the first washing.
Best of luck, and I hope you enjoy this idea.
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