For once, you'll actually want to save the gift wrapping this holiday season — thanks to Instagrammer Alli Cherry's (@allitav) innovative wrapping techniques.
In a viral Instagram reel, Cherry shares four creative ways to wrap holiday presents that prevent waste while still giving your loved ones something exciting to open.
In Cherry's first gift-giving hack, the wrapping is part of the present. She encloses an iPhone case in a vintage scarf using a method inspired by Furoshiki wrapping. Furoshiki are Japanese cloths traditionally used to wrap presents and carry personal possessions.
You can use tea towels or any type of fabric big enough to cover the present. Using this technique, your friends and family get a two-in-one gift — the present itself and a new scarf!
Next is Cherry's impressive tapeless technique. The key to this method is to score the paper and fold it gently to create tight corners. Follow along with Cherry's YouTube tutorial, and finish it off by tying twine or ribbon into a bow.
Gifts that don't need to be wrapped — containers like metal tins, gift boxes, and reusable bags — are Cherry's go-to's. In the video, she uses a festive drawstring bag that can be repurposed or reused year after year.
Cherry's last suggestion is to deliver your presents in vintage items giving them a unique, old-school look. She uses a vintage recipe box in the video but says she has also used vintage cookie cutters, ornaments, ribbons, and more as embellishments on her presents.
The U.S. produces roughly 4.6 million pounds of wrapping paper annually, and 2.3 million pounds of it goes to landfills. But these eco-friendly alternatives to traditional paper or plastic wrapping can help you save money and the environment this holiday season.
Instagram users have expressed their enthusiasm for these alternative wrapping ideas and shared even more sustainable options.
One user commented, "This is AMAZING!"
"Love this," another user added. "I use old newspapers and collect people's paper bags from Trader Joe's!"
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