How much wrapping paper gets thrown away every Christmas? Well apparently 227,000 miles of wrapping paper is thrown in the bin every year! I am a sucker for a well-wrapped gift, I really get a kick out of choosing nice patterned wrapping paper, colour schemes and bows. This year I have been raiding the local charity shops for gifts and I came across some old silk scarves. This is where the art of Furoshiki comes in.
Furoshiki are traditional Japanese wrapping cloths that can be made of many different types of fabrics such as silk, cotton or canvas. The cloth must be square but can be any size. So basically, any type of cloth will work as long as it is square.
How to wrap a Furoshiki:
Place your object in the centre of the fabric square.
Take two opposite corners of the square and tie them into a knot in the centre; if the ends are long you can tuck them in.
Next take the other two opposite corners and knot them just above the first knot. Viola, you're done! No need for tape plus it looks pretty and can be reused for future gift wrapping or even as a hair wrap.
Re-use old paper
Honestly, I keep old wrapping supplies and reuse them – gift bags, ribbons and bows can all be reused. When we were children we used to reuse our old Christmas cards as gift tags.
Recycled paper
There are plenty of recycled wrapping paper choices, I chose some lovely celestial style patterned paper last Christmas. This type of wrapping paper can be recycled with your usual home recycling. You can also go for brown paper and stamp your own print on it.
Embellishments
I do love a bow, I have saved bows for many years and reuse them. If you want to keep things natural you can add a sprig of fir or pine, some herbs or lavender, a stick of cinnamon or a dried orange slice tied on with some twine.
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