Make your own eco-friendly Christmas wrapping paper
The last posting date is upon us (eek!), we've bought (almost) all our presents and wrapping them up will soon become a priority. But buying reams of paper is expensive, and just think of all those trees - a shocking 50,000 of them each year just for wrapping gifts, according to Friends of the Earth. Here are some suggestions for making last minute, greener wrapping paper of your own, using items you already have at home.
• Use up existing those bits of printer paper you have at home that aren't quite pristine enough for letter-writing purposes. There's a great online template here for making your own personalised paper from the comfort of your desktop, which can then be printed out for use. It uses a fun, online tool called Make a Flake, which will provide hours of fun for bored kids who can't wait for Christmas, whether or not you choose to print their masterpieces.
• Designing your own printed paper from scratch is fun and very easy once you've got your hands on some plain, recycled paper. There's a simple tutorial here with ideas on how to decorate, but it really is up to you whether you want glitter-covered angels or scrawled swearwords all over your personalised paper! Those with kids might also want to try out potato printing: you can make an awesome Christmas-tree shape on a spud that will make the printing process effortless and fun. Have paints, glitter and plenty of sequins handy for finishing touches.
• If you'd still rather buy your wrapping paper, you can donate as you do it, by purchasing it at your local branch of Oxfam whose stores have plenty of fun and traditional designs on sale for charity.
