If you are taking the time to make homemade gifts, why not make them look prettier surrounded in homemade wrapping. Get 16 gift wrapping ideas that won’t break the bank.
I keep a list of articles for inexpensive gift packaging ideas on my computer. I like to have them on hand for birthday and holiday gift giving.
Homemade envelopes are my favorite, and I often make several large size envelopes ahead of time so they are readily available and then I don’t have to scramble and make them when I need to give a gift.
Recently I got together with my daughters and granddaughters, and we made bath salts, sugar scrubs, lotion bars, and facial masks as gifts for the upcoming holiday. We’ll be wrapping these in homemade paper bags and in canning jars with twine.
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Wrapping Ideas without Using a Box
Make your own envelopes
Envelope templates make things so much easier! Try this version from Love to Know.

Photo courtesy of Homespun Seasonal Living
Any large piece of paper can be turned into an envelope. I like to save last year’s calendars and use them for sturdy and colorful gift envelopes. Get a template the calendar envelope template from Homespun Seasonal Living.
Sometimes you need a REALLY huge envelope – Learn how to make large homemade envelopes from Crafting with Joanie.
If you are using plain craft paper for your envelopes, you can fancy it up by adding a colorful liner to the inside. Get instructions from One Good Thing By Jillee.
Make your own paper bags
If you give gifts in paper bags, you know how expensive they can be. Use this tutorial from A Beautiful Mess to make Professional-Looking Gift Bags decorated paper bags with handles.
Looking to fancy up those paper bags? Let Fall For DIY teach you how to add brush lettering to paper bags. Hint: A3 paper is 11.69 x 16.53 inches.
No-Sew Bags
No sewing skills? No problem. Try this No-Sew Tote Bag from KN Walker. It is sealed together with staples. Don’t let that fool you; this bag is sturdy!

picture courtesy of Attainable-Sustainable.net
Low sew alternative (I just made that up. It means straight line sewing only!) This tutorial from Attainable Sustainable will teach you how to make reusable cloth bags. The bags pictured above have been used for storing spices, but any small item would work equally well in there.
Homemade Boxes
I will admit that boxes are my weakness, I can’t get enough of them! Use this online pattern from Miss Printables for blank box templates and look for the words download PDF inside the post. It will take you to a Dropbox folder to download the patterns.
Boxes using standard 12×12 paper from Ribbons and Glue.
Make a square box using recycled cardboard with this template from The Spruce Crafts.
Once you’ve made a box, use this tutorial from Catch My Party to cover a box with themed paper.
Homemade Gift Tags
Using canning jar lids as tags is a creative way to tag a gift to someone that loves to preserve food. Get directions from Homespun Seasonal Living.
Bluprint (one of my favorite online craft class vendors) has a free class to make DIY gift tags from paper. If you are looking for supplies, you can save up to 30% on craft supplies at Bluprint.com, no coupon code needed. Find great deals on the supplies & tools you need for the next project.
Homemade Baskets
Homemade baskets are cream of the crop when it comes to DIY gift packaging. Learn to crochet your own at Make and Do Crew. These are made with Dollar Store twine, so they are incredibly affordable.
Try your hand at these cute coiled crochet baskets from My Poppet.
Homemade Gift Ideas from Rockin W Homestead
Cajun Spice Roasted Chickpeas – Give them a healthy, flavorful snack that they’ll love.
Any of these Handmade Gifts from the Homestead!
DIY Sugar Scrubs for Healthy Vibrant Skin
[…] some of these sugar scrubs that promise to give you a healthy glow and remove calluses. Try these ideas for gift wrapping, […]