How to Re-Purpose your Leftover Christmas Wrapping Paper

How to Re-Purpose your Leftover Christmas Wrapping Paper

A family’s boxing day is always rich with the enjoyment of turkey sandwiches and board games galore. However, the tidy of up of all the wrapping paper, often leaves us wondering what a waste. Here are some delightful ways to give new life to your old wrapping paper this boxing day.

 

1. Paper Bunting

 

You will need:

  • Wrapping paper
  • Scissors
  • Hole punch
  • String or ribbon

Method:

1. Cut the wrapping paper into equally sized triangles - make as little or as many as you like.

2. Hole punch into the top two corners of the triangles: one on each end of the shortest side of the triangle. This is the top! This is to leave a hole for the string to hang your creations.

3. Use a long piece of string or ribbon to weave through each hole

4.  It's that simple, all that's left to do is hang your bunting in your place of choice - anywhere from the kitchen to the shed.

2. Tiny envelopes for Thank You letters

 

You will need:

  • Wrapping paper
  • Envelope you like the size of
  • Plate
  • Water
  • Cardboard (cereal box will do nicely!)
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick

Method:

  1. Find an envelope you have tucked away at home, that is the shape and size you desire.
  2. Place the envelope in a serving plate filled with lukewarm water until all the gluey bits are released from the paper – this should take no more than a minute.
  3. The envelope now needs to be dried, do this by patting it down until it is no longer dripping with water. Now trace this envelope onto thin cardboard like a cereal box.
  4. Use scissors to cut out your shape.
  5. Now use this lovely template to trace onto your wrapping paper of choice! Make sure to trace on the side that will be inside the envelope when it’s finished.
  6. Gently cut out your envelope creation with scissors and fold into shape.
  7. Glue together your envelope with the glue stick.

Ta-da! Why not use your cheerful creations to pop your thank you letters in and brighten up someone’s day.

3. Paper Confetti

What's New Years without some fun confetti!

 

You will need:

  • Wrapping paper
  • Shredder
  • Cute small bags or boxes to keep confetti in for guests to enjoy!

Method:

  1. Fold over your wrapping paper to a thickness that will feed through your shredder.
  2. Start shredding away and empty the contents into little boxes or little bags for family and friends to have a whale of a time with.

4. Line bookshelves or drawers

 

You will need:

  • Wrapping paper
  • Drawers or Bookshelf of choice
  • Measuring tape
  • Ruler
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Glue (you can stick down in place or not - up to you!)

Method:

  1. Measure out the space you wish to put the wrapping paper in - be it the draws in your bedroom or a bookcase in the nursery. 
  2. With this measurement, use a ruler on the wrapping paper of choice and pencil a line for you to cut along to make it the perfect shape for your space (make sure to pencil on the side of the wrapping paper that will be facing down)
  3. Once your perfect shape is cut out, place this in the space of choice - you can glue this down or just place it there - that way you change it out whenever you please.

For a festive fun extra little tip, why not re-use your tinsel too and make a Sparkly tinsel garland for 2023 to bring in the New Year in style. Cut the tinsel in the shape of the numbers and hang with string!