I recently found this book and thought it was perfect for using up stash.  It’s about how to make recyclable wrapping for gifts, whether holiday, birthday, or whatever. So I bought it, and I love it!

Of course, the first thing you need to know is that the cute wrap on the front is very dependent on a cute printed fabric (or paper, I’m not sure)–nothing in the book is as complicated as painting a little face on a package.

My favorite project so far is a gift bag made from a discarded man’s shirt.  This idea was very welcome to me because my stash includes a

large box of discarded clothing to be made into quilts “some day”.  The book has instructions for a simple envelope bag.  I made it with a flat bottom so a wider gift would fit in more smoothly, added a red “hanky” in the pocket, and used the cuff of the shirt to fix the bag so it buttons closed.  My husband swears he wore this shirt last Tuesday and I stole it, but scout’s honor, I didn’t!

The book has lots of ideas about using materials you already have around the house to make unique wrapping for presents.  I “wrapped” a box for a baby shower by gluing on pages from a baby catalog that came in the mail and making a cute paper flower for the top, following instructions from the book.  I took her suggestion to wrap (or cover with glued pictures in this case) just the top of the box.  That way it can be used over again, since opening it doesn’t require any tearing of the wrap–just lift off the lid, like on TV.

Another project in the book is for a drawstring bag with a round bottom.  I made this one to use up a couple of yards of fabric from my stash, since I got “a few” yards of fabric for Christmas!  This is big enough to use to give someone a quilt, so I’ll probably make more of them.

I recommend this book!  It has tons of inspiring ideas for wrapping all sorts of things.  I figure if I get started now, I may never have to use wrapping paper again!  And, of course, it uses up lots of stash 🙂

Here’s another page from the book for you to preview