Stay Connected

Monday, April 23, 2018

We had another birthday in the house

So, a while back we talked about using gift bags that have a tear in them as gift wrap. I wanted to show you just how much of a torn gift bag I was able to rescue. I didn't think to take a photo before cutting the bag up. But here is what I salvaged.


This was a large bag with two tears near the bottom of one side section. I cut the bag along that torn side, and cut the bottom completely off, leaving me with one large sheet of decorative paper.

The body of the bag was in large polka dots (used for the large package on bottom), and the top 4 to 5 inches was a coordinating striped trim (used for the small package on top). In addition to enough wrap for the 2 packages, the little gift tag that comes with the package had not previously been used, so I used it this time, with the wrapped gifts. And that cord that is tied around the small package is one of the rope "handles" to the gift bag.

Gift bags turned gift wrap makes one last use of something destined for the recycle bin. I am slowly cleaning out my stash of gift bags and wrapping paper, while saving a bit of money at the same time.

16 comments:

  1. Have missed you so! Pray that all is going well for you and yours!
    Love how resourceful you are always are! Those packages are gorgeous!! Just goes to show that you can do beautiful things with things that would be discarded.
    I had a birthday package to wrap this week. Part of the gift was a scarf from the Dollar Tree. I found used wrapping that coordinated with the scarf. So, wrapped package and used the scarf to wrap around the package and tie in a small bow. Turned out very nice....and my 92 yr old friend will enjoy the pretty pink scarf for quite some time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Linda,
      Thank you -- you are so sweet.
      Your gift to a friend sounded so lovingly wrapped. I am sure it was very appreciated.

      Delete
  2. Nice to "see" you Lili!

    We also have a large stash of gift wrap and gift bags--enough to last 20 years! We save all bags and paper and now there is a designated shelf in the basement for that. The former owners of the house also left all their rolls of gift wrap too. And we're not super big gifters for birthdays or Christmas. I do like watching youtube videos on how to to use old and scraps of wrapping paper.

    Good Job! And Happy Birthday to birthday person!

    Alice

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Alice,
      Initially, we had 1 shelf dedicated to gift wrap, too. It's now grown to most of a closet! One daughter suggested we buy some gift wrap, but I think we have enough bags, ribbons and bows to last several years, even if we cut up all of our bags.
      Those youtube videos sound interesting. I'll have to google for that sometime!
      Hope all is well with you.

      Delete
  3. I like how the wrapping turned out and your use of the trim as well as the big part of the bag. I'm like Alice with more gift wrap than I'll ever need. For family, we seem to use the same bags over and over again. And no one minds a tear here or there. I should to through what we have and save a nice variety for gifts we give out side of the family and donate the rest. Or at least donate enough so that I can easily close the lid on the container that it's in.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi live and learn,
      You know, I hadn't thought to donate gift bags, but that's a really good idea. Every once in a while I see gift wrapping supplies at Goodwill or Value Village. I could pick out the best condition bags to donate and that would cut down on the amount that we have. I imagine with your last move you realized how much stuff a family accumulates, and how much of that isn't really needed.

      Delete
  4. It's good to see you back! That's a very clever use of a gift bag destined for the recycling bin, Lili. It's another good reminder to look at things in different ways, after they are done being used in the original form!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,
      thank you. It's fun, too, to try and squeak that one last use out of something. I like the challenge.

      Delete
  5. Very nicely done Lili. You are reminding me that even if there is a tear in a bag, it can still be put to good use. I also appreciate Live and Learn's comment about donating gift bags.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jayne,
      I know! Donating gift bags sounds like such a great idea and I never thought to do that before.

      Delete
  6. Nice save! It looks beautiful!

    Since I'm the only person left in my circle who still wraps gifts (such an unceremonial lot we are), I don't get a lot of gift bags to recycle! We're also lazy shoppers, so most of us tend to let Amazon do the work for us. And recently, Amazon has started "wrapping" things in reusable decorative cloth bags, which I think is an absolutely wonderful idea! They're pretty nifty - sorta sparkly fabric with a ribbon drawstring. The fact that they are fabric means they don't rip or crease, so they really invite re-use.

    There is something about the prettiness of a nicely wrapped package that I do miss, but all in all, I think fabric bags are a win win.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cat,
      oh that is good to know about Amazon's gift wrap service. I did use it for my step-mom last year and wondered how it looked when it arrived. It's pricey, though, if you have multiple items. We use a few cloth gift wrap bags for our family's Christmas gifts. They can look very nice with a pretty ribbon to tie it closed.

      Delete
  7. You are so good at wrapping things in a pretty way. Not my strong point! However, like Live & Learn, we seem to re-use the same bags and my family doesn't mind a few rips--I have to be more careful if I am giving a gift to someone outside the family and I admit I can be a little sloppy in my gift presentation.

    Good to have you back.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kris,
      We have some almost ratty-looking bags that I use for family, and then there are the "good" used gift bags that get used for outside of family. How nicely the presentation is is hugely dependent on how busy I am that day. Some gifts wind up looking better than others. Oh well. . .

      Delete
  8. Great idea, Lili! Your package looks fantastic. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Meow Meow,
      Thank you! I like how it turned out, too.

      Delete

Thank you for joining the discussion today. Here at creative savv, we strive to maintain a respectful community centered around frugal living. Creative savv would like to continue to be a welcoming and safe place for discussion, and as such reserves the right to remove comments that are inappropriate for the conversation.

FOLLOW CREATIVE SAVV ON BLOGLOVIN'

Follow
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Be a voice that helps someone else on their frugal living journey

Are you interested in writing for creative savv?
What's your frugal story?

Do you have a favorite frugal recipe, special insight, DIY project, or tips that could make frugal living more do-able for someone else?

Creative savv is seeking new voices.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

share this post