I absolutely love DIY. Crafting is my jam! (I also don't mind a good upcycle... especially since I'm usually scrounging at the last minute to wrap gifts... I have become very creative with gift wrapping at times :) )

I wanted to share some eco-friendly (and fun!) gift wrapping ideas that cover a variety of needs-- [1] something fun and holiday-ish (or any time of the year!) to do with your kids that actually SERVES A PURPOSE! , [2] a quick and adorable packaging solution (where the wrapping is like a tiny gift in itself), and [3] something whimsical and fun when you have some material to upcycle! 

SO lets get into the details! 

[1] The Kid Friendly Hand Painted (or stamped) Kraft Wrapping paper

We have shipping paper by the roll around here (as you can imagine...) but this stuff is easy to find-- whether you buy a roll, or re use the brown paper that's used in so many packages as padding, or even cut up paper bags from the grocery store.

This year, the girls did dinosaur stamps on the paper since we are ALL ABOUT dinosaurs right now! (and the red and green and white made it festive). It was actually minimally messy (yay!) and a great activity for my 3 year old and 5 year old! My five year old really got into pattern making (hurray for math integration!) and my three year old really enjoyed the whole process of squishing paint from the stamp to the paper ;) (we got these particular sponge stamps at Target this summer)

 

 

Other Ideas-- we have also drawn on the kraft paper with smelly markers. I have painted shapes and lines in simple black or white for a really neat modern looking paper. Also doing a paint splatter on the Kraft paper is gorgeous (although you probably want to do that outside :) )

[2] The Quick (yet oh SO stylish) solution- Reusable Cloth Bags

My mom is the queen of gifting our products to others. Seriously-- she's the best. One of the cutest ways to gift our soaps (or any small, adorable gift) is in reusable cloth bags (many times Target will have these types of bags in their dollar spot!!! Or like 2 for $1!! And they are usually on point with the style!). I keep a stash of these bags at my house for when I need an instant gift wrapping solution (bonus- these little bags also make amazing instant-wallets for the small people in your life ;) ) 

 

 *Soaps in these little bags would also make excellent seat markers if you add a name tag to the string-- so if you're having a fancy holiday party and want to do favors that your guests will love....You're welcome

[3] The Creative and Whimsical Upcycled Collage. 

This is perfect when you have wrapping paper scraps, magazines to recycles, or tons of mailers that are begging to be made into serviceable art. Warning- this can become time consuming and addictive :) But it is one of my favorite ways to personalize a gift. I like cutting out little characters from wrapping paper scraps/magazines while Colin and I watch a show to make a fun little scene on large gifts! But if I'm in a rush-- ain't nobody got time for that-- so finding the comics sections of the newspaper or a flashy article in an old edition of Wired magazine makes the PERFECT (and quirky) wrapping paper for those small (like soap size ;)) gifts. Plus, it encourages literacy and a true appreciation for the artists who originally crafted those articles :) WIN WIN WIN 

You can even re-purpose some of that adorable art your little cherubs have recently created! Or use ribbon scraps and natural elements (isn't nature a beaut!) 

 

So there you have it-- LOTS of ideas on how creatively (and collaboratively) wrap those well thought out gifts for your loved ones! I would love to see ya'lls DIY gift wrap ideas. Use the hashtag #YBgiftwrap on instagram so I can find them (and be inspired :) !) 

That's a wrap! (....i had to)