Holiday by Design
Here are some common holiday tasks and some creative ways to make them fun, meaningful, enviromental and affordable.
Gift Wrap 
Are you one of those people that keeps all of the gift bags and bows you receive? If you're like me, you even keep the tissue paper, even though it's often torn and wrinkled. Here's a creative way to restore it. You'll need six sheets, three for the bottom and three on top. Shave some wax from crayons in between and iron to melt the wax (you may want to use a press cloth to avoid burning the delicate paper). TIP - use candle wax the same way! This is a great way to use up broken crayons and excess wax that has pooled in the candle holder. Also use this method to make tree ornaments. I found a great site with more info,
check it out!
Gift TagsDo you keep the holiday cards you receive every year? If so, cut them down the scoreline and reuse the cover as a gift tag. Tape it on a gift or hole punch the corner to hang from unwrapped gifts.
Gift BagsIf you're going to purchase a gift bag, make it a fabric one. These will last longer than the paper variety. Check out these unique
Traveling Gift Bags.
Stuffing
Wrapping gifts with newspaper is not a new idea (but it is a great one!), but how about using pieces of newspaper to stuff in your gift bags in lieu of tissue paper? Caveat: newspaper is a bit messy, so protect the gift if it's not packaged (this is a good way to use up those old plastic shopping bags!).
