Gift Wrapping on the Cheap

One of my favorite things to buy at garage sales is wrapping supplies. There's no need to spend a ton of money in order to make a gift look beautiful, and those party stores will definitely empty your pockets! With wrapping paper selling in stores for around $4 a roll and bows for around $2 or $3, you have to get creative. Since I enjoy making presents look pretty when I go to showers, weddings, birthdays or other events, I have learned to pick up accents throughout my garage sale adventures. After all, it's all about presentation!

Here are a few examples of wrapping "on the cheap" :

EXHIBIT A:

 

Baby Shower Gift

Wrapping Paper (Garage Sale) - 25 cents

Ribbon (Garage Sale) - 25 cents

Baby Bottle (Garage Sale) - 5 cents

Buttons (Garage Sale) - less than 5 cents

Wire Spiral - 10 cents

Picture Frame (Bargain Buy) - 50 cents

Entire Wrapped Gift - about $1.20

(with materials left over!)

 

 I filled the little plastic baby bottle with some white buttons, and included some blue socks and a blue wire spiral to add some cuteness to the package. Also, it's always good to put something personal in a frame when you give one as a gift. If you don't have photos, use a personalized message!

You may recognize the little beaded spiral accent from one of my previous posts:

I simply stretched out the wire a little bit and cut it in half with a wire cutter. Then, I crimped the edges over so they weren't sharp and the beads didn't fall off. 

EXHIBIT B:

I made these bags for the prize winners at my Fourth of July party:

Party Prize Packages

Colorful Lunch Bags (Bargain Buy) - 20 cents each

Ribbon (Garage Sale) - 25 cents

Gift Tags (After Christmas Clearance) - 10 cents for all

Colorful Brads (Garage Sale) - 25 cents

Flag Toothpicks (Dollar Store) - $1.00 for a big bag

Shredded Glimmer Filler (Garage Sale) - 25 cents

All Wrapped Prizes (8 bags total) - around $3.45

(with materials left over!)

I cut up the extra bags to make "frames" around the tags. That way, the bags coordinated perfectly together, since it would be difficult to find paper to match that exactly.

EXHIBIT C:

Tropical Birthday Gift

Plain Colorful Wrapping Paper (Bargain Bin) - 99 cents each

Beach Paper Cut-outs (Garage Sale) - 25 cents

Beach Flowered Wire (Garage Sale) - 25 cents

Stickers (Garage Sale) - 25 cents

Entire Wrapped Gift - around $3.75

Decorative wire is great for many purposes, but it especially works well for making big bows on big gifts (like the one shown above). Get creative and have fun! Make sure your gift is the best looking one on the table. No one will believe how much you spent on the wrapping job! Don't forget, though - the best part about giving gifts is putting a smile on someone's face. So gift away!

Take Time for Lemonade,

Kris