Eco-Friendly gift wrap

After finishing a Christmas morning with a 3 year old, I was amazed at the amount of trash that was generated during the gift opening process - several garbage bags of gift wrap and toy packages. I like that some retailers such as Amazon are working to reduce the toy packaging.

In honor of Earth Day, I want to discuss some alternatives to traditional gift wrap that more eco-friendly.

• Eco friendly gift wrap
• Gift bags -keep the ones that you receive with gifts and reuse them. The dollor stores have a great selection.
• Newspaper - sports, finance or comics depending on your recipient.
• Maps - have some extra maps from a recent trip?
• Make the 'wrap' part of the gift. I once gave a cooking magazine subscription wrapped in a kitchen towel purchased off a registry for a bridal shower. I wrapped the magazine in the towel and tied the ends with ribbons.
• Create a gift basket either using a traditional basket (which can be reused for decor or storage). My favorites places to find baskest include Cost Plus World Market, Michaels craft stores, and HomeGoods.
• Be creative with your 'basket' - items such as a flower pot, serving bowl, cookie plate, stock pot, or colander work great for themed gifts.
• Give your item in a reusable grocery bag - there is such a huge selection of bags available so you can find one to match your gift recipients personality. And everyone can always use an extra bag.
• Gift tags - reuse holiday cards from a previous year. Cut the images out with some fun shaped scrapbooking scissors, punch a hole and tie onto your gift.

We'd love to hear your ideas for eco-friendly gift wrap!