25 Frugal and Creative Gift Wrapping Ideas

A few weeks before Thanksgiving my friend Colette asked me if I had any Christmas gifts that she could wrap for a demonstration. Since I am a frugal shopper and I shop year-round for gifts, I had a few things I could give her to wrap.

She told me she was teaching frugal and creative gift wrapping ideas for a class so I just had to go check it out! I took some pictures while I was there so I could share with you her creative gift-wrapping techniques!

After I saw all of her wonderful ideas, I decided to scour the internet a bit too in order to find even more awesome DIY gift wrap ideas. In the end, I have 25 awesome ideas to share with you!

5 Gift Card Wrapping Ideas

Wrapping gift cards creatively can definitely be a challenge. Most people opt to just slide them into cards, but before you do that, check out the unique ways to wrap gift cards below!

1. Gift Card Snow Globe

gift-card-snow-globe

I think this snow globe idea is so fun! It is super easy too and perfect for Christmas. I know my kids would really dig this cool gift card wrapping!

You will need:

To Assemble:

Hot glue your gift card to the inside of your lid. Fill jar with glitter, water, and decor and place lid tightly on the jar. The rubber seal of the lid should keep the water in. But use caution about where you place the jar in case you get a leak.

2. Gift Card Candy JarGift card candy jar

This is a really fun idea because you can hide the gift card in the candy if you’d like, that way the receiver is totally surprised once they start to open the jar! Plus, this idea can be themed however you like, so it’s perfect for birthdays, Christmas, and other holidays.

You will need:

  • canning jar, lid, and ring
  • paper
  • string or yarn
  • candy
  • gift card

To Assemble:

Fill your jar with candy and slide the gift card down inside until it is hidden. Place jar on top and insert round festive paper or add a cute tag.

3. Ugly Christmas Sweater Card Holder

Ugly sweater gift card holder

If you want to get a bit more artsy with a Christmas themed gift card holder, this ugly sweater idea is funny and so cute. Get the full tutorial from Kelli Murray.

4. Candy Tin Holder

Candy tin gift card holder

This is similar to the candy jar idea above, but with less candy. However, it still hides the gift card really well so it’s great for a surprise. Get the full tutorial at Create Craft Love.

5. Taco Holder

Taco gift card holder "Let's talk about how awesome you are"

Any taco lover will immensely appreciate the beauty of this gift card wrap. Put a Taco Bell gift card or something inside for a very themed present! Get the tutorial at The Craft Patch Blog.

With this idea in mind, there are many other themed gift card holder you could do as well. For example, a movie theatre gift card in a popcorn themed holder, a Sephora gift card in a makeup pallet holder, etc.

Here are some more gift card printables and ideas. Plus don’t forget these gift card deals!

Clever gift card wrapping ideas

Washi Tape Gift Wrap Ideas

Washi tape is such a wonderful craft item. It is super fun and easy to use and comes in all kinds of colors, prints, and designs, making it the PERFECT thing to use to add a bit of oomph to your gift wrap.

Find Washi Tape on Amazon.

1. Washi Tape Tree

Washi tape tree gift wrap

This gift has a Christmas Tree made with Washi Tape on the side. Simple but very cute.

2. Washi Tape Birthday Candles

Washi tape birthday candles

Here is a quick and fun birthday gift wrap idea using washi tape. You could even use washi tape to stick some real birthday candles onto the side of the gift if you’d like!

3. Washi Tape Bow

Washi tape bow

Bows are a nice addition to a present and with washi tape, you can have some fantastic bow designs! Get the full tutorial from Elizabeth Doodah.

4. Flowers

Flowers taped gift

Perfectly suited for valentines, use a nice washi tape print to stick some flowers to the side of your gift. This idea came from Berries.

5. Monogram

Washi tape monogram

This is a wonderful way to add some personalization to your gift! Get the full tutorial at Washi Tape Crafts.

10 Brown Bag Gift Wrapping Ideas

I like to pack my groceries with a few paper bags when I go to WinCo so I will have some paper bags for wrapping presents. Colette came up with several great ways to embellish paper bags to make them more festive and cute.

1. Polka-dot Stamped

Polka dotted brown bag gift wrap

This one is wrapped in ribbon and stamped with polka dots. She attached a cute tag that has been hand stamped. I am always seeing stamps at yard sales in the summer. Grab a few holiday stamps the next time you see them. Or maybe you are still holding on to your old stash!

2. Pine Bow Embellished

Brown bag wrap with twine attaching pine

She used some pine bow to make this one more festive. Great advantage of those evergreen trees if you happen to have one nearby! Wrap it with some twine or string to stay with the rustic look!

3. Burlap and Lace Scraps

See if you have some burlap or lace from a previous project to add a nice touch to your gift wrapping.

4. Music Book Art

Cut out a piece of music from an old music book from the thrift store or around your house. Tie it up with a little ribbon or lace. If you can not stand to cut music from a book, print some music from the internet.

5. Paint Sample Tree

Been doing some painting? Cut circles from some paint swatch samples and put them together to make a tree!

6. Craft Supply Embellishment

Here is another cute idea using something she likely found in her craft supplies.

7. Color Me Present

The kids will love this one! A chance to decorate their own present. Attach a few crayons with some washi tape and give them permission to color by writing or stamping “color me” on the package.

8. Photo Cover Model

This idea is fun for Christmas wrapping or Birthday wrapping.  Attach a picture of the child to the package with some washi tape or a glue stick. They will have fun seeing the picture of themselves and they will know the package is for them! Makes them feel extra special!

9. Foam Stickers

Here is one I came up with later at home. I was inspired by the foam stickers Colette had used on some of the presents she wrapped for me. It is fun to find things you have around to wrap with! I used some green ribbon to create a candy cane effect on my tubular present.

10. Painted Design

Christmas tree cookie cutter gift wrap paint

Source: A Pretty Fix

White paint stands out really well on brown paper so grab a paintbrush and make a custom design! You could paint snowflakes, stars, stripes, or you could even use a Christmas tree cookie cutter (or any cookie cutter) for an easy design.

Brown bag gift wrapping ideas

5 Other Creative Gift Wrapping Ideas

These ideas didn’t really fit into any of the categories above, but they’re still really creative and unique!

1. Curling Wrapping Paper Scraps

Here is a fun trick. You can curl wrapping paper scraps just like you curl ribbon. Just use one blade of your scissors and curl away with your left over paper!

2. Old Calendar Pages

Calendar gift wrap

Wrap with a sheet from an old calendar. Circle the significant date on the paper! Super cute!

3. Embellishing with gifts

Birthday gift wrap idea

Use extra gift items to embellish the gift. This one Chelsea (my other friend)  used sunglasses and a jump rope.

4. Toilet Paper Roll Gift Box

Toilet roll gift box

If you know us, you know we love our toilet paper roll crafts. Turns out, you can even use toilet paper rolls as small gift boxes!

My boys thought that this toilet paper roll idea was so cool. It seems we always have one of these around. Simply pinch in the outsides and tape them shut. Then embellish with paper and raffia, ribbon, washi tape. Whatever you have at home!

5. Neon Paper Bows

Neon Paper Gift Bows

These DIY neon bows add a pop of color to any wrapping paper. And, you can make the bows yourself with any paper you want! Get the tutorial for all three bows on How About Orange.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, you can take one of these creative gift wrapping ideas, or multiple of these ideas, and apply it to all of the presents you give out in the future.

No need to go out and by the most expensive wrapping paper out there! Just use things you already have to add a homemade touch to each gift. Your wallet will thank you and so will everyone receiving your gift. Happy wrapping!

Other Posts You Might Like:

Creative gift wrapping ideas

Types: Crafts, Family
Categories: Decoration, Frugal, Gift, Inside The House, Christmas

Comments

  • Such great ideas! I have tons of small ornaments and such I’ve collected over the years; some were gifts, some were impulse buys. I now use them to decorate gifts for others! Not only am I decluttering my own space, but it adds a little something special to a gift for someone else.

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