DIY Gift Wrapping Station

The simplest way to wrap your gifts in an eco-friendly way is to use what you have.

Using what you have means if you still have paper gift bags left over from last year, by all means, use them!  Don’t think of paper as your enemy – it’s really one of the best options for wrapping bigger gifts. 

Being more eco-conscious means we try to reduce the amount of new paper we use.  Even Martha Stewart says it’s ok to iron and reuse last year’s wrapping paper!

In order to use what you have, you’ll need a system for organizing things like:

• gift bags (fabric or paper ones you’ve received)
• decorative boxes
• large pieces of recycled paper
• kids’ artwork to use for wrapping
• odds and ends that make fun, festive embellishments

This is where a gift wrapping station comes in super handy during the holidays.  And if you have enough hiding spots in yours, you might even be able to keep surprise gifts hidden from the people that live with you!

From a steady stream of Pinterest inspiration, I set up a gift giving station / craft area in the basement of our previous home.  It was a multi-functional space, so when the holidays are over, it’s more of a place I kept photos to be framed, kids’ work that needed to be filed or put in their binders, and my attempts at sewing.

You’ll also notice, I repurposed several items, instead of going out and buying new organizing tools.

This is one of the rails from our sons’ crib. Even though you can store fabric gift bags neatly inside one another, I was always making a mess rifling through them trying to find the right size.  These rails help arrange them by size, so I can quickly grab what I need.

I also used little storage items I found in the basement to hold spools of thread, markers, and pretty images from last year’s holiday cards that I’ll use this year for gift tags.  Pinterest is filled with ideas on fun ways to dress up old vegetable cans to hold gift or craft items.

It was a large space, so I took advantage of it… here’s the finished product:

How to Set Up Your Own DIY Gift Wrapping Center

Again, try to use what you have.  For my station, I found just about everything from other rooms in the house or out of storage in the basement.

Since we’ve moved to the land of no basements, I’ve arranged my stash into an old wardrobe (boy, do I miss having a basement!) No matter if it’s a closet or a storage bin under a bed, find a system that helps you gather all your gift-giving supplies in one place.

• Set up your station near where you usually wrap gifts
• Have a flat surface for wrapping nearby
• Keep bins or boxes to store recycled wrapping papers
• Set up smaller tubs for natural twine, recycled or upcycled tags, bows, and other embellishments
• Add scissors, tape or decorative washi tape, and markers or pens
• If space allows, store the gifts you plan to give in the same place