The holidays are over, you have decided to take the plunge and organize the closets, but you’re not sure what to do with all the leftover wrapping paper. Maybe you have some leftover paper you’re just plain bored with, and don’t want to use again next year. Or maybe you have scraps left that aren’t big enough to wrap anything much bigger than a jewelry box. Or, it’s possible you have a roll of wrap that got damaged just enough to make you wonder what you should do with it. Here are some suggestions for how to recycle, reuse, and repurpose your leftover wrapping paper.
- Make confetti. Use a paper shredder to make your own colorful confetti, and you won’t have to go out and buy some when it’s time for the kid’s birthday parties this year. Shredded wrapping paper confetti also makes a great addition to gift bags and baskets, filling up empty space you don’t need and offer a cushion for delicate items.
- Pad your ornament storage box. Crumple up that leftover paper and use it to line your Christmas ornament storage box. Why deal with Styrofoam “peanuts” that shift and spill out everywhere when you open the box, when you can nest your precious, breakable ornaments in colorful seasonal paper?
- Line drawers and bookshelves. Have a boring bookcase that needs some help? Why not liven up the shelves and backing with some festive wrapping paper? Add a pop of color to your kitchen, desk, or crafting area drawers and shelves, or decorate your kid’s bookshelves with your favorite leftover wrapping paper.
- Make book covers. DIY your kids’ textbooks, liven up a boring journal cover, or put some pizzazz on a plain notebook. Remember when your mom showed you how to use a plain brown shopping bag as a book cover? Using leftover wrapping paper is much more colorful and fun, and because it’s so inexpensive, you can change up those book covers at will, without spending any extra money.
- Dress up some DIY floating shelves. Take old boxes or wooden crates, and create your own 3-D floating shelves lined with leftover wrapping paper. This is a creative way to dress up a kid’s room, laundry room, entryway, or guest room, and coordinate the paper you use to line the boxes with the room décor. Add storage, functionality, and design to any room with this project. Use these shelves for anything from family pictures to art supplies, a pretty flower vase in a guest room, or stacked washcloths in the bathroom.
So don’t toss all that less than perfect paper when you’re organizing after the holidays – repurpose it with one or more of these creative recycling ideas. Martha Stewart would be so proud!
