• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
  • Categories
    • Furniture
    • All Natural
    • Decor
    • Biz & Blog-Sense
      • Recommended Resources & Tools for Blogging
      • Stock Shop
      • Tips for choosing the right web hosting for your site
      • Link Parties
    • Lifestyle
  • Shop My Style
  • Collaborate
  • Contact

Chalking Up Success! logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Categories
  • Shop
  • Collab
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Categories
    • Shop
    • Collab
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Decor

    November 12, 2021

    Eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas

    eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas for Christmas. Parcels tied with brown craft paper, ribbons, fresh greens and air dry clay ornaments.
    Pinterest image showing Christmas gifts wrapped in brown paper and decorated with ribbons and air dry clay ornaments

    Today, I'm sharing some eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas. Sustainable gift wrapping just got easier! Do your bit for the environment by wrapping presents without plastic this year. Join me as I create some pretty faux gifts to place underneath the Christmas tree. I have a few sustainable gift wrapping ideas I think you're going to love! Add a personal touch to your gifts with some beautiful handmade gift tags. The tags are available to download from the subscriber library.

    If you've followed this blog for any length of time, you'll know that I'm always looking for ways to reduce plastic in my home. I'm certainly not perfect where sustainability is concerned, but I try my best and do what I can.

    Shiny plastic-backed wrapping papers and metallic style or glittered papers, can't be recycled. Neither can sticky tape or the curly waxed ribbons we see so much of at Christmastime. That's why those types of wrapping papers are off-limits for me. Honestly, I much prefer my way of gift-wrapping anyway. It's pretty, sustainable and shows the recipient that you took the time to make their gift look extra-special.

    As embellishments for these eco-friendly gift ideas, I use ribbons, string and wooden or clay ornaments that can be reused or recycled year after year. Fresh greens not only add a touch of rustic charm but will make your home smell amazing too!

    Please save!

    If you'd like to save these eco-friendly gift ideas for later, be sure to pin to your most relevant Pinterest board - hover over or tap the top left corner of the image below and the Pinterest 'Save' button will appear

    Pinterest image showing Christmas gifts wrapped in brown paper and decorated with ribbons and air dry clay ornaments
    Eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas
    Table of contents
    • Please save!
    • Eco-friendly gift-wrapping supplies
    • Shop the post
    • Some tips before you start
    • Instructions
    • How to make an air dry clay star ornament
    • Paint splattered gift wrap
    • Large paint-splattered gift - black and white check ribbon
    • Alternative gift decorating ideas
    • How the gifts look when finished
    • Sign up to our newsletter
    • Enjoyed this post? Show your support!
    • These posts are good too!
    • More Gift wrapping inspiration

    Eco-friendly gift-wrapping supplies

    For your convenience, this website contains affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase through one of these links, I may receive a small commission. You pay the same price whether you use my link or not. Thanks so much for your support of Chalking Up Success! Please read my full disclosure here.

    Supplies for our eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas
    Supplies needed for eco-friendly gift wrapping
    • Craft paper
    • String
    • Narrow black ribbon
    • Black and white Gingham check ribbon
    • Linen ribbon assortment
    • Silver craft wire
    • Washi tape
    • Scissors
    • Craft paint
    • Paintbrush
    • Raffia
    • White stars (See below)
    • White wooden beads
    • Mini silver bells
    • Sprigs of fresh evergreen
    • Christmas tags (see below)

    Alternatives:

    • Dried fruit slices
    • Orange slices
    • Mini Wooden snowflake ornaments

    Shop the post

    Some tips before you start

    TIP ONE: The white stars used for this project were made from air dry clay. Read my tutorial for making air dry clay ornaments to learn how to make them. You can see how I used the stars to decorate my wooden triangle Christmas tree here.

    TIP TWO: I designed some Christmas gift tags to give my gifts a cohesive look and to add to my eco-friendly gift-wrapping project. If you're a subscriber, you will find them in the subscriber library.

    If you're not a subscriber but would like to download the tags, you can sign up for our Newsletter here.

    Black and white printable Christmas gift tags
    Download the gift tags from our subscriber library

    Instructions

    Step one – wrap the gifts

    Wrap the presents with brown craft/packing paper.

    One of my rolls of paper has a lovely white floral design running all over it. I wrapped one of the smaller gifts in white paper but the rest are all wrapped with plain brown craft paper.

    A gift parcel wrapped in brown craft paper.
    A gift wrapped in brown craft paper sealed with Washi tape

    What's a good substitute for tape?

    Washi tape is a great substitute for clear sticky tape. Washi tape comes in many different patterns, so you are bound to find one to suit. The great thing is that Washi tape is made from sustainable sources and is biodegradable - perfect for our eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas.

    Today, I'm using green and white striped Washi tape to seal my presents.

    Step two – Decorate

    How to make gifts look expensive

    You can make your gifts look expensive by taking a little time to decorate them. Use ribbons, greens and simple ornaments to up your decorating game.

    To give the gifts under your tree a consistent look, consider using similar or complementary coloured ribbons. Repeating the ornaments that you use for decorating your Christmas gifts will also create a cohesive look.

    Use the same style of gift tags on all your gifts. Again, this creates a cohesive look. (Download my gift tags here).

    Go the extra mile by creating handmade ornaments from air dry clay. Add a personal touch by stamping the recipient's name into the clay ornament with a cookie stamper.

    The gift in photo one, below, has been wrapped and tied with a simple, black, narrow ribbon. I've added an air dry ornament and tucked some fresh green under the ribbon to finish.

    I thought a large bow would be overkill for the smaller gift in photo four below. Instead, I've used two types of ribbon, one over the top of the other. The narrow black ribbon complements the wider buffalo check ribbon underneath.

    Next, I added a homemade Christmas tag and another DIY air dry clay ornament with a white star and a bell. I secured the star ornament to the gift with some Washi tape.

    See below for how to make a clay star ornament.

    Collage of photos showing four eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas.
    Four eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas

    How to make an air dry clay star ornament

    DIY Air dry clay star ornaments
    1. First, make air dry clay stars by following the tutorial in this post: How to make air dry clay Christmas ornaments.
    2. Thread a small silver bell onto some fine silver crafting/jewellery wire. Twist the ends of the wire to secure it to the bell.
    3. Next, thread a small white wooden bead onto the wire on top of the silver bell.
    4. Take one of the air dry clay stars and wrap the wire around it a few times, crossing back and forth over and around the star.
    5. Thread the end of the wire through the wire at the back of the ornament a few times.
    6. Make a loop in the wire for a hanger.
    7. Twist the wire a few times to secure, then cut off the remaining wire.

    Paint splattered gift wrap

    Another eco-friendly gift wrapping idea is to create unique wrapping paper by hand-painting designs on plain craft paper.

    For three of the gifts, I created a paint-splatter effect using black and white craft paint.

    It's a good idea to save small glass jars to use for painting projects. Smaller cosmetic jars are great for mixing small amounts of paint. Add a few drops of water to a drop of paint to water it down slightly, then mix it well with your paintbrush.

    Warning! The paint gets everywhere! Either put something under the parcels to protect your work surface or do this bit outside.

    Flick the brush towards the gifts. Start with white and finish with black paint.

    DIY paint speckled wrapping paper
    DIY paint speckled wrapping paper

    After the paint splatter has dried, start by wrapping brown string around the gift a few times and tie it off in a bow. Gather some of the greens and a clay star ornament and tie them together with raffia. Attach the bundle to the string with raffia. Finish the gift-wrapping off with one of the black gift tags.

    Large paint-splattered gift - black and white check ribbon

    Wrap the ribbon around the parcel and tie it in a bow. Even though the ribbon is not wired, you will be able to bend it into shape. Roll the ends of the ribbon around your fingers a few times to create a curl effect.

    Attach an air dry clay ornament underneath the ribbon with Washi tape.

    Tuck some of the greens underneath the ribbon. You will find that the sprigs of greenery will stay underneath the tight ribbon without the need to attach it.

    Finish off with a gift tag.

    Christmas gifts wrapped in an eco-friendly way with brown craft paper, ribbons, fresh greens and air dry clay ornaments.
    Beautifully wrapped Christmas gifts

    Alternative gift decorating ideas

    • Tie some strings of raffia around the parcel instead of ribbon. (See this in the collage image numbered two above)
    • Add two lines of contrasting ribbons around the parcel and attach them at the back of the gift with Washi tape. (Photo three above).

    How the gifts look when finished

    Here's a look at how the gifts turned out. They are going to look amazing underneath the Christmas tree, don't you think?

    An assortment of Christmas gifts wrapped in brown paper and tied with ribbons, and string.
    Beautiful eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas

    Why not have a go at eco-friendly gift-wrapping this year too?

    Sign up to our newsletter

    If you’re not part of our amazing creative community yet but would love to join us, you can sign up for the weekly newsletter through the form below – we’d love to have you on board. By signing up, you’ll also receive a copy of the free ‘Furniture Flip Checklist’ and gain access to all the other printables, e-books and labels in the VIP Resource Library.

    Enjoyed this post? Show your support!

    Please consider leaving a comment if you enjoyed this post. I also very much appreciate shares to Pinterest or social media - it really helps me a lot and only costs you a minute of your time!

    These posts are good too!

    A hand holding a DIY air dry clay Christmas ornament with a pattern of evergreen leaves.
    Air dry clay Christmas ornaments DIY
    Mini paper bags and numbers strewn on a table
    Paper bag Advent calendar DIY
    A star shaped glass jar filled with mini marshmallows, tied with a red Gingham check ribbon.
    Hot cocoa station for small spaces

    More Gift wrapping inspiration

    Learn how to wrap a gift like a pro in minutes with a few easy steps with Kippi at home.

    A gift wrapped in red paper with a round mini wreath attached
    Wrap a gift like a pro with Kippi at home

    Rebecca of Zucchini Sisters shows us how to make a paper bow out of wrapping paper. Rebecca says, "this simple DIY will dress up a gift and give it a personal and unique look! Plus, it's a great way to recycle scraps of wrapping paper."

    A blue paper bow attached to a gift wrapped in white paper.
    How to make a paper bow - Zucchini Sisters

    More Decor

    • Ideas for creating a beautiful Easter tablescape with floral displays, Easter bunnies, candles and Easter eggs
      Ideas for creating a beautiful Easter tablescape
    • A white ceramic Easter bunny in the kitchen with green plants
      Fresh Spring kitchen decorating ideas
    • Bunny images transferred to fabric without transfer paper
      How to transfer an image onto fabric without transfer paper
    • Easter treat box template: Free Printable
      Easter treat box template: Free Printable

    Sharing is caring!

    • Share
    • Tweet

    Click the image to sign up to our Newsletter!

    Sign up to our newsletter

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    1. Janet says

      November 12, 2021 at 8:01 pm

      Your gifts are so beautiful. I didn't realize that washi tape was biodegradable. Thanks for sharing and educating.

      Reply
      • Jayne Westerholt says

        November 12, 2021 at 10:10 pm

        Yes, Washi tape is made from sustainable crops like bamboo and hemp so it makes a fantastic eco-friendly tape for parcels too!

        Reply
    2. Kristin salazar says

      November 12, 2021 at 8:24 pm

      This wrapping is absolutely gorgeous! I love the painted craft paper with a little bit of green and ribbon! Thank you for the printable as well!

      Reply
      • Jayne Westerholt says

        November 12, 2021 at 10:09 pm

        You're welcome, Kristin. I'm so glad you liked my eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas!

        Reply
    3. Kippi Ohern says

      November 12, 2021 at 8:39 pm

      What wonderful gift wrapping ideas for Christmas. Pinning for inspiration.
      Merry Christmas,
      Kippi

      Reply
      • Jayne Westerholt says

        November 12, 2021 at 10:08 pm

        Thank you so much Kippi!

        Reply
    4. Rebecca says

      November 12, 2021 at 8:49 pm

      The gifts look lovely and so personal, Jayne! I love the rustic look of butcher paper. The air dry ornaments are a nice touch, and I love your printable gift tags. Thanks for sharing! Pinned 🙂

      Reply
      • Jayne Westerholt says

        November 12, 2021 at 10:08 pm

        Thanks, for your lovely comment, Rebecca. I'm so glad you enjoyed the post!

        Reply
    5. Cindy says

      November 12, 2021 at 9:53 pm

      Jayne I love this so much! Using brown paper is the way i'd go if I wrapped. I use gift bags for my giftd every year.

      It's,a game with our,familyand friends because we trade the same gft bags back and forth. It makes it fun so we waste nothing.

      I lovethe splattering you did so much. So creative!!

      Reply
      • Jayne Westerholt says

        November 12, 2021 at 10:07 pm

        Wow, Cindy, I love the idea to exchange gift bags, it's definitely a great way to save on paper waste. Brilliant!

        Reply
    6. Crissy says

      November 13, 2021 at 12:58 am

      Your gifts look stunning, Jayne! I love the earthy touches. I’ll have to add some air dry clay ornaments to my gifts this year too. Love the idea!

      Reply
      • Jayne Westerholt says

        November 15, 2021 at 7:34 pm

        Thank you, Crissy! The air-dry clay ornaments look stunning on these gifts, you should definitely make some!

        Reply
    7. Rosemary Palmer says

      November 20, 2021 at 2:30 pm

      I love pretty packages and going to keep these in mind. Thanks.

      Reply
      • Jayne Westerholt says

        November 22, 2021 at 1:26 pm

        Thank you, Rosemary!

        Reply
    8. Paula@SweetPea says

      November 20, 2021 at 2:38 pm

      I so much enjoyed all of your gift wrap ideas.

      Reply
      • Jayne Westerholt says

        November 22, 2021 at 1:28 pm

        Thanks so much, Paula!

        Reply
    9. debbie says

      October 17, 2022 at 9:45 pm

      Where did you find the kraft paper with the flowers?

      Reply
      • Jayne Westerholt says

        November 01, 2022 at 12:56 pm

        Hi Debbie, I already had the kraft paper with the flowers in my stash. I don't remember where I bought it but it was probably at one of our local supermarkets.

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Jayne Westerholt profile image.

    Welcome friend! I'm Jayne, a home, DIY, Lifestyle blogger with a passion for chalk painting furniture, beautiful home decor and creating an organic home.

    More about me →


    The 'Furniture Flip Checklist' is a free mini e-Book in PDF form - 10 things you need to know before buying used furniture for your home - Room planning guide included #freeebook #chalkpainting #furnitureflip #recycle #homedecor #furniturepainting
    FREE with our Newsletter!

    Recent Posts

    • Three DIY Easter bunny baskets.
      DIY Easter bunny baskets from milk cartons
    • DIY Valentine's Day decorations
      DIY Valentine's Day decorations Ideas
    • A table waiting to be prepped for chalk paint
      How to prep furniture for chalk paint
    • A clay heart ornament with wooden beads
      How to make clay heart ornaments

    Image says 'Shop my style'. This button takes you to a dedicated page with my shopping links.

    CLICK THE IMAGE TO VISIT OUR SHOP


    Sign up for our free course

    Declutter Success - Free five day email course from Chalking up success. Includes worksheets and room planners.

    Click to sign-up


    Sign up to our newsletter

    SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

    Click to Subscribe to our YouTube channel

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About Us

    • Privacy Notice
    • Disclosure
    • Terms & Conditions
    • About
    • Imprint

    Resources

    • Subscribe to Newsletter
    • Stock Photography Shop
    • Blogging Resources
    • Furniture Flip e-Book
    • Shop My Style
    • Subscriber Library

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Collaborate
    • FAQ

    Copyright © 2023 ChalkingUpSuccess

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Do not sell my personal information.
    Cookie SettingsAccept
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
    viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT