There have been so many people I know having a birthday this month, myself included, I thought it’d be fun to share some ideas for wrapping your gifts in the prettiest of packaging!

I think using a mason jar is the most brilliant idea for packaging and it’s a diy gift wrap idea and present in one. Recycle an old jar and fill with flowers then attach a handmade tag with hair pins for the perfect super girly birthday present! You can find this hair pin vase tutorial over at Under the Sycamore Blog.

1.) Wrapping your gifts in fabric versus paper gives it a better chance at being reused. The fabric used to wrap the present can be re-purposed either for a gift for a new recipient or utilized in an upcoming craft project assuming your recipient is a crafty chica. You could also wrap gifts in pretty tea towels and give two gifts in one! (via The Haystack Needle.)

2.) These origami gift boxes are not only beautiful, but handcrafted. Visit Lorajean’s Magazine for a video tutorial on how to make your own.

3.) Adding pinwheels to the top of a package in lieu of a bow makes it both unique and fun. (via Style Me Pretty.)

4.) A different take on gifting a handmade origami box. Switch to matte, recycled papers and found scraps of ribbon and lace for an entirely different look. (via Giver’slog.)

5.) While this fun packaging was created specifically to house a delightful hot chocolate mix, there’s no reason you can use the same concept for other gifts and tuck your presents inside a recycled mason jar. You could then mask the gift inside with doilies and twine. If you’d rather make and gift the cocoa, you can find the diy project for Last Minute Hot Chocolate and heart shaped marshmallows over at oh, hello friend blog.

6.) Put large, inexpensive rolls of butcher paper to good use. Wrap your gifts all the same, then dress them up with colorful yarn you find on clearance or just don’t have a use for anymore. (via STC Craft.)

No wrapping paper on hand or it’s simply not in the budget? Use up your leftover fabric – even unwearable sweaters – and ribbon scraps, even a few found objects you just felt were special enough to hang onto, by incorporating them into diy gift wrap like the packages featured above. Head over to Style Me Pretty for a diy on making a pom pom from fabric scraps and twine like the one featured in the center package.

What are your favorite types of materials to use for gift wrap?