Today’s theme is Holiday Classics, for those who are looking for an updated take on traditional holiday wrapping.

RIBBON: Ribbon doesn’t have to be expensive. Be resourceful – search thrift stores, use handles from old shopping bags, reuse old ribbon.  I found the below classic holiday ribbon at a thrift store – all 4 rolls for under $1.  Two of the gifts below were wrapped with the classic ribbon, while the ribbon used on the small gift comes from the handles of one of my favorite store’s shopping bags.

ORNAMENTS: Holiday ornaments, new and old, turn a plain package into a quintessential Christmas package.  Using a classic cardboard Santa ornament and some ribbon I adorned one of my gifts, while I decided to go with a chic satin-face ribbon and a red ball ornament for another gift.  For the smallest gift, I was thinking a full-sized ornament would detract from the overall package, so I used a miniature red bell to top of the package.  The red and white stripped material under the bell is actually a paper straw, which I flattened and then wrapped around the package, securing to the back side with a piece of tape.

PAPER: Some holiday paper can be too good to pass up. When the paper is truly stunning, packages shine when covered with just the wrapping paper itself.  And sometimes it can be so beautiful that the receiver of the gift may have the urge to keep it wrapped under their tree forever.  Well, lucky for the person you’re gifting – they can preserve the paper, and you can still use it for your gift!  Using mod podge and a brush, apply a coat of glue to the backside of your paper and wrap around a mason jar – using your hands to firmly apply pressure to the paper.  Apply a thin coat of mod podge to the front side of the paper once it’s set in place on the jar.  Let dry overnight, place your gift inside the jar, and you’re ready to go!  Recommend some uses for the jar to your receiver – placing a tea light or battery-operated candle inside adds a warm festive touch, while flowers will look beautiful in what can also serve as a holiday vase.  Hung with twine, these jars also look great illuminated in trees.  Be creative and inspire your receiver to do the same!

GREENERY: Greenery, while it doesn’t stay fresh forever, can be a beautiful and classic touch to your gifts.  For this set I placed a small piece of fresh greenery and secured it to one gift with some washi tape, while I used a larger piece of the greenery for the larger gift.  For the larger greenery piece I  added little red bells to give the appearance of holly berries, along with some ribbon to hold the bells and the greenery in place.  But, unfortunately these gifts can’t be wrapped too far in advance due to the life of the greenery.  So, if you’re wrapping in advance, use fake foliage.  I happened to have an old wreath that had been falling apart, so I selected some pieces of the wreath and positioned them on the gifts.  I also added in a larger pine cone which I accessorized with mini white berries from the wreath.

Well, that’s the last of my DIY gift wrap posts.  I’ll include a round-up tomorrow with links.  Hope you were able to find some inspiration and get your gift on!