This year I'm replacing the fancy holiday gift wrap with newsprint. A few weeks ago, I found a whole bolt of 1/4 inch black elastic at Goodwill for $1.99, which turned out to be a fabulous replacement for ribbon. Not only is this holiday recycling at its best, I absolutely love the simple monochrome look.
I bought my brother some gift-wrap for Christmas.
I took it to the gift wrap department and told them to wrap it,
but in a different print so he would know when to stop unwrapping.
― Steven Wright
Great idea. And I love Steven Wright. Did you know he once worked at a fire hydrant factory. He couldn't park anywhere near the place.
ReplyDeleteI used to use the funny pages
ReplyDeletewhen I was young and broke
I guess I was a recycler and didn't even know it
pretty photo Tess
Did you select specific pages for specific gifts? Just curious...as always. You have such a wonderful eye for composition of photographs, and I do love the look!
ReplyDeletesome greeting card company will probably pick up this pattern for themselves.
ReplyDeleteand some dumb shmuck will probably buy it!
great look - yer a jeanyus!
They look beautiful...great idea.
ReplyDeleteLooks nice but doesn't the newspaper print get your hands dirty?
ReplyDeleteI love this idea and Carolina's thought is brilliant!
ReplyDeleteThis looks amazing! Such a great idea!
ReplyDeletealways nice to remember the three rs - especially at this time of year - reduce, reuse, recycle!!!!
ReplyDeleteand here i always thought it was
'what's black and white and read all over?' = the answer willow's holiday presents!
newspaper has always been one of my prized wrapping papers but i always stockpile the comic sections for the job - your take is simply elegant!!!!
Dr. L, I chose certain pages for certain recipients...
ReplyDeleteYes, that's good-looking newsprint! From superior newspapers, I presume? Ours are greyish, and cover everything in black.
ReplyDeleteLove this idea and I have to say that your newsprint is quite white! Nice contrast though. I have used the comics before and need to get back into that.
ReplyDeleteSomewhere in this great land a whole village is missing the elastic needed to fix their loose underpants. Love it!
ReplyDeleteMillie xx
Hmmm... "What's black and white and red all over?" How about a Nun falling down the stairs.
ReplyDeleteUsing the newspaper is a fantastic idea! Smart, eco-friendly, and cheaper! Good one...
YES!!! I'm stealing this idea!
ReplyDeleteI've used newspaper for wraps too and also i once had a huge roll of brown butcher paper which I used for wrapping paper for years, rubber stamping on it sometimes.
ReplyDeleteMillie's response just cracked me up. It is beautiful, but what about the black ink rubbing off? Probably worse when wrapping a ton of gifts as opposed to unwrapping just one.
ReplyDeleteHaha...yeah, not any more than what you might get on your hands from reading a newspaper. My hands did get a little inky from wrapping...but I did wrap all of them...
ReplyDeleteTess
ReplyDeleteA great saving, looks beautiful and the recipient can dispose of easily
very elegant!
ReplyDeleteSo long as you washed up before eating your honey crisp, no harm :-) Thanks for answering my question...I thought you probably selected sections based on recipient...really lovely, but now I have that image of a whole village with droopy drawers dancing in my head...
ReplyDeleteYeah, remember, it takes a village...giggle...
ReplyDeleteLove the look! I sometimes pick up Korean newspapers when I visit the Asian food store and use them as wrapping.
ReplyDeleteI love it -- both your wrapping, the elastic and the poem. It would sure look cute with red ribbon, too.
ReplyDeleteThat would have been a good idea for me (had I thought of it). The gift wrap paper I used this year was SO THIN, it kept tearing, and literally falls apart.
ReplyDeleteIs nothing sacred?
Great idea, Tess. I also like Steven Wright, particularly the story of how he inadvertently inserted his car key into his front door, and started his house up.
ReplyDeleteThe would fit right in with Wiener Werkstätte.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful poem.
So will you save the black elastic to reuse next year? At what point should we decide something has been recycled enough and finally let it go "ashes to ashes, dust to dust"?
ReplyDeleteGreat idea. It is always my go to when I have nothing else around... in the end it ends up looking a lot more personal:)
ReplyDeleteR.J., yeah, I'm saving the elastic...I'm sure it will show up on gifts for many years to come...it'll take a long time to lose its elasticity only used once a year...
ReplyDeleteCoolio - very Tim Burtonesque. Love Steven Wright. Saw him perform here in NY once, and he almost caused me to laugh my duodenum out in the aisle. I literally fell out of my seat at one point. Good times, good times.
ReplyDelete"There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot." S.W.
It looks very cool- what a great idea.
ReplyDeleteTres Chic! This is such a great idea! And I like that you selected *certain pages* for *certain people*!
ReplyDeleteWe have unusually cold weather for N. Cal.....and when I wear TWO PAIRS of wooly socks....I always think of you!
May you and yours have a wonderful Christmas! May 2012 bring health and joy.
Love,
♥ Robin ♥
I'm just stopping by different type of blogs and thought id say hello folks. So greetings from an Amish community in Pennsylvania, and wishing everyone a merry Christmas and a healthy and happy new year. Richard from Amish Stories
ReplyDeleteStephen Wright is one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteI either use my pressed/folded stack of used X-mas wrap (have too much of it from the years when we had numerous gift exchanges), or in the past have supplemented that with the funnies.
I like your idea much better. I subscribe to two newspapers and it would be a nice use of the paper and a tie to what many consider "in the past" but I hope we do not lose! Love your "ribbon" idea. Your packages look so classy!
Whenever we play pass the parcel at family Christmas parties and the circulating prize is wrapped in old newspapers I always get so involved in reading the old newspapers that I get shouted out for not passing the parcel. But, I am sure the same would happen to you.
ReplyDeleteIt's my birthday! Stop by my blog and join the party! 8-)
ReplyDeleteMarcheline, Happy Birthday! I'm coming! Save me some cake!
ReplyDeletewhat a wonderful idea....I never tire of reading your creative, witty posts...I too am a "thrifty shopper"...but we don't have the vast resources here in Canada...as you all seem to have in the US...
ReplyDeletegood hunting!!
Yes, it looks clean and sharp....you always have such wonderful ideas Tess! :-)
ReplyDeleteTess -- interesting -- my parents were products of the depression years. One of their left over depression practices was to wrap the presents, left by "Santa" under out tree, with newspaper. You brought back those lovely memories to me as I read your post -- thanks -- barbara
ReplyDeleteI love this look! I've had theme wrapping for years. One year was simply those brown paper packages tied up with string, another was polka dots. This year it was "getting rid of all the Christmas wrap I've had for years" but next year...newspaper and black string? Hmm...
ReplyDeleteThat is lovely, I wish I had seen that before I wrapped all mine yesterday! Ah well, I´ll remember this beautiful, genious idea for next year!
ReplyDeleteThis is actually brilliant!! I totally love your idea. :)
ReplyDeleteDear Tess: You have exquisite taste; the packages look divine! Getting in the mood for Merry! :)
ReplyDeleteLooks fantastic! And that quote ... love him.
ReplyDeleteNot only practical and environmentally correct but also extremely beautiful in your hands!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant!
ReplyDeleteI really like this idea, but sadly I read it too late for this year. What are the chances I'll remember it by 12/12? :o)
ReplyDelete