Okay, you managed to get a last minute birthday gift even though funds were tight, but now you need to wrap it. You spent all your money on the gift, and you don’t have any leftover gift bags or birthday paper. What are you going to do?
Well, if you have some leftover Christmas wrapping paper, you can turn it inside out for a nice, bright white gift package. Add a colorful bow or string of ribbon if you have some. This is also the best reason for buying holiday paper that is a bit more generic in style. If you purchase plain red, green, gold, or silver, or you purchase a design such as stripes or checks instead of holiday themes, you can always use the wrapping paper for other occasions.
Another gift-wrapping option is newspaper. We’ve all heard of this one, but you might be surprised how much better it will look if you make a matching bow. Just make loops from strips of newspaper and staple them together end to end, rotating in a circle and layering them on top of each other, until you have a nice, full bow. Brown paper bags can also be cut along the seams and laid out flat to use as gift wrap.
One more idea is using plastic cling wrap. Of course, the recipient will be able to see the gift, but it makes a neat looking package. On the other hand, if you have a sheet of tissue paper, it might not be enough to wrap a gift on it’s own, but it might work just right inside a sheet of plastic wrap. Lay plastic wrap flat, lay tissue paper on top, and place the gift in the center. Draw the corners together above the gift, twist, and tie with ribbon.