7 Festive Ways to Wrap Christmas Gifts On a Budget

Hey friends! It is officially the Christmas season, one of my favorite times of the year, and I’m planning to live it to the full! Am I the only one who feels torn between wanting to do everything during the season but not becoming so busy that I miss the beauty and wonder? It sure is a balancing act, and I recommend planning your month out ahead and learning to say no if the extra activities are piling up.

As you probably know, I’m all about making the ordinary special. In the ideas below, I share ways that you can elevate your gift wrapping without breaking the bank. A scrounge around your house and a trip to the Dollar Store might just yield everything you need. Enjoy, and happy gift wrapping!

What You’ll Need

Crafter’s Brown Paper–I purchased a roll at the Dollar Store.

Two Different Types of Ribbon—I got the red-and-white striped and snowflake ribbon at the Dollar Store.

Jute Twine—available at most crafting stores as well as Walmart, Lowe’s, and Home Depot.

Cinnamon Sticks–available at Walmart or from Amazon.

Ornaments–preferably with a flat back. I got the ones I used at the Dollar Store.

Candy Cane–good ole Dollar Store again (or wait, it’s now the Dollar-Twenty-Five Store, right?).

Dried Orange Slices–I used clementine oranges. See tutorial below.

Sprigs of Rosemary or Pine (optional).

How to Dry Oranges for Decor

I used Clementine oranges for my project, but large ones would be just as pretty. Wash the oranges off and pat dry. Preheat your oven to its lowest temperature and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice your oranges (with the peel still on) cross-wise, and lay the slices out on your prepared baking sheet. Leave in the oven until dried (you want an almost crispy but still slightly bendable texture). This can take a long time (as in 4+ hours) so make sure you do this on a day when you don’t need to use your oven for anything else. You may want to flip the slices partway through so that they dry evenly.

We’ll be using these dried oranges in our wrapping projects, but they are also so pretty strung on a garland or used as ornaments on your Christmas tree.

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#1

This is a simple one. I started by sliding the ornament onto the twine and then wrapping twine around the package multiple times, tying it in the back. Adjust the ornament as necessary so that it’s in the front.

#2

So for this one, you’ll just need a long length of ribbon. My roll was twelve feet long and my guess is that this was about half of it. Turn your package upside down and crisscross the ribbon horizontally over that side. Then rotate the ribbon and bring it around vertically on the front side of the package. Tie into a bow. You can do a center bow, or a high side bow.

#3

This uses the same technique as the above, except I slid the ornament on before making the horizontal crisscross. Be sure it’s facing the front. Because the ornament has a bow, I chose to tie the ribbon in a simple double knot.

#4

Same technique, just using twine. The ornament really shines on this package.

#5

String three dried oranges on jute twine and wrap the twine tightly around the center of the package. Tie securely in the back.

#6

For this package, I simply slid a dried orange on the twine before winding it around multiple times and tying it in the back. I slid a cinnamon stick under the twine (mmm, smells so good); you may wish to make a tiny tape roll to make sure it stays unless your twine is on super tight. This would look so lovely with a sprig of rosemary or pine inserted with the cinnamon stick.

#7

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Hand-lettering! I love it! Brown crafting paper makes the perfect blank palette for your imagination. Above are two simple ideas, but feel free to let loose and be creative (especially if you’re more artistic than I am!). Another idea I’d love to try sometime would be to stencil my own pattern on the wrapping paper–snowflakes or pine trees or candy canes, or a phrase like “Let it Snow,” etc. Hand-lettering adds a delightful personal touch to any package.

Which of these ideas is your favorite? What would you do differently, or what creative suggestions did these packages bring to your mind? What are you especially loving this Christmas season? I’d love to hear from you below!

Love,