The Art of Eco Friendly Gift Wrapping
Wrapping presents is one of my favorite holiday traditions and this year I am challenging myself to only use recycled or reuse items. After five minutes looking around Art From Scrap I had so many ideas, I wanted to share some of them with you.
The easiest way to start is just grab some old maps. The more the merrier!
Then wrap your presents with them, bonus if you can find maps that have a special meaning for the person receiving the gift. Some bright yarn makes for an easy bow on top. Then add a leather scrap for a cool gift tag that could become a key chain after all the presents are unwrapped.
If you are wanting to decorate your gift boxes or wrapping paper yourself I would suggest cork stamping. Take a cork and draw the shape you want to stamp on the top. Simple geometric shapes seemed to work the best for me. I drew a triangle then used an X-Acto knife to carefully cut around the shape. Here are some examples of my stamps.
Find some paint that you want to use. I used acrylic paints, but any thick paint should work. Press your cork stamp into the paint, then dab it off on a scratch paper to make sure you are getting your image. Now it’s time to get stamping!
If paper isn’t your thing, fabric can be a beautiful reuse way to wrap any gift. The Japanese art of Furoshiki, wrapping goods in fabric, has so many ways to tie knots and create beautiful little fabric creations.
You can create your own Sustainable Gift Wrapping in our free That’s A Wrap! Workshop on Saturday, December 15th from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm at Art From Scrap. Part of our Handcrafted Holiday Marketplace, our gift wrapping workshop will show you some beautiful and eco friendly ways to wrap your gifts this year.
We hope you visit the Art From Scrap Creative ReUse Store to see what inspires you to reuse a little more this holiday season. We are open Thursday and Friday 11:00 – 6:00 and Saturday and Sunday 10:00 – 4:00. Our Store will be closed from December 24th until January 2nd, reopening on January 3rd.
Happy Holidays!
Eva grew up in Berkeley, CA and is a recent graduate of UCSB, where she studied Aquatic Biology and German Language. During her undergrad, Eva worked as an aquarist at UCSB’s Research Experience and Education Facility (the REEF), where she managed the aquarium facility and found a love for science communication and conservation.
Rachel Palmer
Nicole is a mixed media artist and vintage goods specialist who has been managing Art from Scrap since 2020.
Veronica grew up in San Diego and spent four years in San Luis Obispo studying Animal Science at Cal Poly. As an undergrad she learned lots about livestock, agriculture, and wildlife.
Lydia
Lindsay Johnson
MELISSA BROOKS
Jenny joined Explore Ecology first as an Environmental Educator, then as a Program Coordinator, and most recently moved into the newly created Programs, People & Culture position. Prior to Explore Ecology Jenny worked in science research and consulting, however her passion has always been science education and outreach. Jenny loves all things related to the ocean, especially free diving, and enjoying the beauty and wonder that is the underwater world. Her greatest life passion is traveling, which she hopes to do more of again soon.
Lu’s love of all things Earth began at James Madison University in Virginia, where they got their Bachelor’s degree in Biology. Lu has a Master’s degree in Spatial Ecology- the study of how creatures interact across landscapes- from East Carolina University, where they studied rock pools along a river and the critters that dwell in them.
