3 Ways Nature Can Brighten Your Gift Wrap

3 Ways Nature Can Brighten Your Gift Wrap

Now that you’ve bought the best gifts from Black Friday deals and Cyber Monday steals, it’s time to put a wrap on the season of gifting. Wrapping paper tends to come in two varieties: decadently thick and luxuriously priced, and cheap, flimsy paper that’s easier to tear than tissues.

Due to the lack of a Goldilocks-approved middle ground, there’s room for better wrapping solutions that utilize nice quality paper and fancy decorations, without the fancy price. Here are three nature-inspired ideas that fit the bill. You can use butcher’s paper as the basis for any of these, and it comes in at under $20/pound.

Mod boxes

First, you’ll need small jewelry boxes or sturdy shoeboxes for larger gifts. Then add a few coats of spray paint in whatever holiday hue fits your gift, and let it dry. If you’re lucky enough to have pine trees and/or berry bushes, simply head outside while the box begins drying and find something that fits your box. You can go with a small pinecone that makes a big statement, or a larger pine branch and some holly berries arranged across the top of the box. Spray paint each individual piece, and set them aside to dry. Once you’re confident that all the pieces are dry, glue them to the top of the box lid. This is the hippest form of mod-meets-nature, especially if you use a bright color.

Traditionally rustic

For this, wrap your gift in brown butcher’s paper. Try to keep the lines as crisp as possible by running a ruler along each fold as you wrap. Use double-sided tape to hold the sides down without showing. You need the wrapping job to look as professional as possible to give the rustic accents something to contrast with. Tuck (and glue) a thin pine branch in a wreath shape, and tie it down with twine to achieve the traditionally rustic gift look.

Shabby snowman chic

For this gift idea, you’ll need three gifts of varying sizes, all wrapped in white butcher’s paper. Stack them with the largest on bottom, and the smallest on top. The bottom should be left plain. The middle box should have three tiny black rocks hot glued to it to resemble buttons. Stick twigs through the upper portion of the box. If you need help getting them through the box, use a knife to cut a slit. The slit will hold the sticks better than a hole will. Decorate the top with two more rocks for eyes and a button nose (or a carrot, if it will be opened within the hour). Top it off with a hat made of construction paper if you can’t convince someone to give his up.

If you’re decorating with an artificial Christmas tree, using pines and holly on your gift boxes will bring a little nature into your holidays and maybe even make your living room smell authentically like Christmas. Bringing the nature indoors is the perfect way to step up your gift wrapping game as well!