Wrapping paper?

[sunanthem]

What are you wrapping your holiday gifts in besides the regular store bought wrapping paper?

[fek&fuzz]

Brown craft paper from the hardware store that turns into fireplace paper.

Cloth bags that I sew.

[LilMama23]

We use cloth bags - we were able to purchase some felt holiday bags from Avon and some beautiful cloth bags from Hyena Cart.

[avendesora]

I'm supposedly making cloth bags this year... I just birthed baby #3 on Thursday, so it might not actually happen this year!

Aven

[mercy589]

subbing for ideas. I really need to work on this...

[Ruthla]

I just use regular store bought wrapping paper- but I don't give a lot of bulky gifts so it's not a lot of total wrapping paper.

[MJ13]

We're using the brown paper as well. With a pretty ribbon

[Babytime]

I got a roll of white paper and my girls drew pictures on it. We also did this last year and everybody loved it. They drew on some, stamped on others, painted on others ... lots of fun for them and family loves to look at their designs.

[Minerva]

I'm using the store bought paper for right now. However, since we're usually careful about unwrapping, I can save it to reuse. I've got one piece that's in its fifth go-around this year!

[ParisApril]

My family has been doing cloth gift bags for years. Every Christmas we have a bunch from the year before to choose from and they just get passed around and around.

[rsps]

rather than cloth bags, we just use cloth as the wrapping paper and tie with ribbons.

We have a group of friends that cycles the cloths around -- many are cloth scarves or napkins that were picked up at garage sales.

[dovergirl]

Another vote for brown kraft paper with pretty ribbon. I've had the smame roll for 3 years (huge roll) and I love not having to think about gift wrap. I've even got my sister using it now!

[jayell79]

I've used printed recycled newspaper before, as well as the unprinted leftover newspaper you can buy on the end of the roll.

Originally Posted by Babytime

I got a roll of white paper and my girls drew pictures on it. We also did this last year and everybody loved it. They drew on some, stamped on others, painted on others ... lots of fun for them and family loves to look at their designs.

That is a really good idea!

[sunanthem]

I've been thinking of going with nice baskets, for my MIL and SIL to keep, since I'm doing a themed gift basket for them anyway. Also, they are getting chico bags, so I coud use those to wrap some things, and they are such pretty colors.
Another thought was tin foil?
Also, some origami paper boxes I have. And I have a really nice orange thick shopping bag with a cool design on it from a local shop I think I will cut up and use. Now that I'm thinking, I could also wrap things in playsilks and handmade dish towels. I'm also printing some gift tags at the library; they are easy to find for free online. Also cool magazine pages look nice.

Any funky trimming decor ideas?

Like pinecones, or baked ornaments....

[athensmama]

We just got back from a b-day party. A friend of mine wrapped her gift in an old map/page from an atlas. I think this is a neat idea if you have such things lying around.

[almadianna]

frontier has some great gift bags for sale. we are using those in combination with newspaper.

[mercy589]

Originally Posted by rsps

rather than cloth bags, we just use cloth as the wrapping paper and tie with ribbons.

We have a group of friends that cycles the cloths around -- many are cloth scarves or napkins that were picked up at garage sales.

Oh! duh! That would be so easy! I had wanted to make cloth bags but wasnt sure how big they would have to be, etc. Just hemming up some material would be great!

[annethcz]

Newspaper.

I've used cloth bags in the past, but they tend to get lost and not reused, so I've given up on them for the moment.

[Metasequoia]

Brown paper bags, recycled wrapping paper, maps, sheet music, wall paper - you can usually ask a wall paper store for their old smaples books, they're usually happy to get rid of them. You have to get the plain paper though, not the self stick stuff.
To decorate the gifts, shells, bells, twigs, leaves, etc. I just collected a load of lotus seed heads, they will look grogeous attached to some gifts!

[marybethorama]

I usually use the newspaper sales ads that are printed on glossy paper or the funnies (comic pages). Often I have to tape a couple of sheets together but I don't mind.