At first, today's Mom Saver was going to be quite simple.  What can you do with those extra scraps of wrapping paper?  Simple.  Easy Peasy.  You use them as gift tags.  Ingenious, right?  You don't have to buy gift tags (which if you do buy them are only $1 for 100 of them at the Dollar Tree), AND you are a wise steward of the money you spent on the wrapping paper by using up every last bit of it.

Of course, you can avoid wrapping paper altogether and utilize one of my creative gift wrapping ideas.

Those times when you do decide to utilize "real" wrapping paper, however, you want to use it to it's fullest.

But here's what happened.  I had an epiphany.  I'm The Mom Saver!!!  (Picture a "Super-Mom" with a cape made of receipts.)  Or not.  You know.   Whatever.

Anyway, I'm The Mom Saver.  I can come up with something BETTER than utilizing your wrapping paper scraps for gift tags.  I can find ways to re-use your OLD wrapping paper!  Yes!  By golly!  I'll DO IT!

Except that when I started searching for ideas, I came up with...well...some...interesting finds...

Of course there's the practical "You can make a bow" instructions which I'm sure would be incredibly helpful for someone who wants to take the time to do that.  But those instructions looked incredibly time-consuming and intense.  And I'm all about simplicity right now.

No fear, though.  There were some...ahem...other...ideas...

My favorite?  Utilizing foil wrapping paper as home-made solar panels.  No.  Really.  I actually saw that.  I'll give some chocolate to the person who actually tries that idea...and gets it to work.  Heck...I'll even take you coupon-shopping with me.  Trust me.  It's funner (is that a word?) than it sounds.  Much more funner.  There.  That's better.

Still, that idea takes work.  And climbing a roof.  Neither of which really appeals to me right now.  (At least not like sitting around eating chocolate appeals to me.)

My favorite idea, by far, is utilizing wrapping paper as snow.  I know some of you actually have snow on the ground in your house.  Still, you can use this idea.  Because really, who wants to go outside in the snow & get all cold just to have a snowball fight?  And bringing the snow inside just isn't the same because then you have to clean up the mess.  (There's that work thing again...and if it doesn't involve sitting & chocolate right now...Just sayin'...)  

So what do you do?  Wrapping paper snowballs!  Viola!  Genius!  You ball up the wrapping paper & throw it at each other.  I know.  I'm a veritable genius.

Disclaimer the legal department (husband) forced me to put up:  Before throwing wrapping-paper snowballs, please make sure to remove all breakable items from the home. (Bah humbug! Where's the fun if you're not trying to dodge a family heirloom?) Also, it is not recommended that you throw any wrapping paper snowballs at any faces.  And also...we're not responsible for any injuries or broken items as a result of your fun.  So basically...play at your own risk.  (Look...I know the guy's no fun.  What can I say?  He wanted to shoot SANTA tomorrow!  And what can you say to a guy like that?)

I've had several people ask me if I really do all of the things I tell you about here.  Although I don't always, most of the time I do.  You've also asked for more details.`

Awhile back, I talked about creative gift wrapping.  Shortly after that, I attended several baby showers in a row.  I made a diaper cake for one and creatively-wrapped the others.  What does that mean in real life?  Do I need a bow?  Where do I buy the supplies?  What about the ribbon?

I keep a stock of baby blankets on hand. I try to stock up when they're on sale or clearance.  I buy only real ribbon (not cheap gift ribbon) for the gifts.  I either get it on clearance or buy it in bulk at Costco.

Here's one I recently gave:

The gift is wrapped with a receiving blanket.  I have a stuffed-animal binkie-holder as a "bow" with some extra ribbon added for decoration.  (I got this ribbon for $2.97 for 50 yards at Costco.)

Here's what the "bottom" of the gift looked like:


Just like in my other post, I used safety pins to hold the gift together.  I prefer using diaper pins, but I'm out of them...and have yet to find any on sale or clearance.

So...yes.  I do really do this in real life.  Have you tried it yet?  What other creative gift wrapping ideas do you have?

I can't tell you the number of times I've cringed when I go to purchase wrapping paper or a gift bag. I don't like paying for things that are just going to be thrown away. Even if I did spend "just" $1 for that bag or roll of wrapping paper.   In addition to that $1 for the bag or wrapping paper, you have to buy tissue paper, ribbons, or bows.  Suddenly, that $1 is no longer just a dollar...and ALL of it has been spent on trash...items that will likely be thrown away after use and have no long-term or residual value.

This won't necessarily save you huge sums of money...at least not at first.  Once you've determined that you're going to live this way, then you can watch for items on clearance and buy them in advance of an event instead of at the last minute.  What this WILL do, is allow you to quit wasting your money on useless trash.  It will transform your gift-giving into something new and original...and completely useful to the person receiving the gift!

There are several completely use-able ideas for "wrapping" gifts:

• A Blanket: Whether you're giving a baby-shower gift or a gift to a young child, a blanket is a fantastic, original way to wrap your gift.  "Tie" it together with a cloth-diaper pin, a snappi, or a reusable ribbon.  These receiving blankets are $1.67 each including shipping. I recently used this idea for a baby shower gift.  I'll show you two different options for how to apply the "blanket" wrapping paper.  Each has its own unique, fun look.

• Blanket "Wrapping" Style One ('Cause I'm creative with names that way.  Don't judge.  At least I didn't name my kids "Kid 1, 2, & 3"...or Dweezel. I expended all of my creative energy naming my children. But I digress.)  This is the easiest way to wrap.  You put the gift in the blanket and pull the ends of the blanket up.  

That's a matching brown ponytail holder holding it in the center.
(FYI: You can get ponytail holders for FREE this week at Walgreens!) 

I simply added a real-ribbon bow to "pretty" this one up!
• Blanket "Wrapping" Style Two (I know.  Again with my brilliance at naming things.):

• A Towel: If you're giving a gift to an older boy or girl, a towel is a GREAT idea!  Every child likes to have their "own" towel.  Why not use it to wrap their gift? (After summer is a FANTASTIC time to find big swim towels on clearance!)  Again, a cloth-diaper pin is great for securing the wrapping.
• A basket:  You can find some really cute baskets (scroll down to the bottom of the page) at your local Dollar Tree.

• A cloth bag: There are so many options out there with cloth bags!  For under $1 after shipping, you can get unprinted bags in many different colors.  These reusable cloth bags are perfect for gifts and are incredibly affordable!  If you're extra creative, you can add the recipient's name or another fun design on the bag.  And who doesn't want a re-usable cloth bag these days!    But how do you get that "tissue paper" look?         

• A blanket or two or pre-fold cloth diapers (which make great burp cloths) all make really nice "tissue paper" for filling the top of a bag.  They're not necessary, but really add a nice, fun touch!