Every year we save the best shoe, shirt and jewelry boxes from the holidays and recycle them to hold craft supplies, store photos or use as gift boxes for the next giving season. Our stockpiles were getting unruly, as were our drawers full of scrap ribbon and wrapping paper, so we came up with a recycled-wrapping project that can be reused itself. We used the prettiest boxes we had, and many of them needed little more than a ribbon adornment. Good-sized, sturdy boxes with surfaces we didn’t love were covered with scraps of wrapping or kraft paper. Our mom has always kept tags, ribbons, wrapping paper and boxes to be reused the next year, and in keeping with her recycled gift wrap, these boxes can be used again and again. We might keep a few of these on hand for those last-minute gifts that need wrapping in a hurry. See all the details on design*sponge.
Our family loves a gift theme. We have given knitting, crafts, cooking, sewing and even butcher shop-inspired gifts in years past. This year we are excited by the multitude of handcrafted, naturally sourced and locally focused gifts available (many of which come from our hometown of Portland, OR!). “Natural” is a rather broad, all-encompassing term that we use to mean original and small-scale, made with materials often relating to nature and closer to something made by man than by machine. Though we did throw in our favorite nail polish — free of formaldehyde, toluene, DBP or parabens — in a festive, party-perfect red. And for the day after the party? The Beekman Lump of Kohl skin detox treatment bar scented with frankincense and myrrh — fit for a king and just about the best stocking stuffer we could ever imagine. Go to Design*Sponge for all the details!
