I have a confession, I hoard gift wrap. When I see a pretty print, I can’t walk away. I probably have 50 rolls at home (I find them at HomeGoods, Marshalls and TJ Maxx), so you better believe I have found awesome uses for them beyond wrapping gifts.
- Keeping surfaces safe from little artists– when we are doing an art project that is messy, I love either covering the table with wrapping paper or putting it on the ground to catch any spills. I also like changing it up with a fun print for a pop of color and change of decor. Big bonus: toss the mess into the recycling bin once done!
- Photo Background– whether you are a blogger looking for some fun backgrounds for your posts or if you are throwing a birthday party and want to set up a photo booth with a popping backdrop, gift wrap is your answer. Here are some examples:
- Wall-papering furniture– if you want to add some color to a piece of furniture (armoire, bookcase or shadow box) without the commitment of painting or real wall paper, use wrapping paper! It’s so easy to do and when you are over it you just pull it off!
- Decor– whether you want to use it as a mat for a frame or use it as the picture in the frame, this is a great option to play with some patterns and print. I had a huge stack of photo booth prints that I wanted to frame. I used a huge fame from Ikea and covered it with back and white striped wrapping paper and the. Added the pictures. It’s a fun addition to the playroom.
- Party Table covering– I’ve used black or Kraft paper gift wrap as a runner at a dinner table and written on it with chalk marker. It’s much more inexpensive than buying a chalk “runner” and works just as well in my opinion. Also, if you are using smaller tables for a party, you can cover them with paper and incorporate it into your party decor. Check out the tables I covered for a Valentine’s Day cookie decorating party. Again, a bonus was peeling off the paper that was covered in frosting and sprinkles for an easy cleanup.
Also, one I did not include in the five uses above, is wrapping flowers. If you are taking flowers to a friend, give the boring clear cellophane a boot and use one of your fun prints. Tie it off with some raffia ribbon and you are set!
I feel a organizing gift wrap post coming on with my 50 rolls! Ha!
With love,
Shahla
Christine says
So cute! Where do you get your wrapping paper from? I love the black and white stripes.
shahla says
Thanks so much, Christine! I get them all from HomeGoods/Marshalls/TJ Maxx. I literally leave with a roll each time, haha!!
Laura says
I love this! I never would have thought to use wrapping paper in these five ways. Thank you for sharing!
shahla says
Perfect! Thanks for stopping by, Laura! xo
Dominique Garcia says
These are such wonderful ideas! I don’t know why I haven’t thought of these before! I have been looking for something as a nice backdrop for blog pick. Now I know exactly what to use. Thanks so much for sharing Shahla!
shahla says
Yay! Thanks so much for stopping by, Dominique!!
Deena Simair says
Brilliant…I have never even thought of using wrapping paper as picture backgrounds or table covers or any of these, really. Love this!
shahla says
Thanks so much, Deena!!
Amanda says
Light bulb moment! :Love the ideas. Why didn’t I think of that?!
shahla says
Haha! Thanks Amanda!
Jennifer says
Great ideas! This makes me feel less guilty about buying wrapping paper, because now I have some new uses for it!!
shahla says
Haha, you are a girl after my own heart, Jennifer!!! Thanks!!
Annie says
I especially love the photo backdrop and the flower wrapping ideas! So much fun, I never would have thought of these!
shahla says
Thank you for stopping by, Annie!
ASHLEY says
Such neat ideas!! I love the photo backdrop – definitely using that one!
shahla says
Thanks Ashley!!
Kim says
I was just thinking I need to cover my kids’ art table because of all the stickers and marker mess. What a great idea to use the wrapping paper. I also love the photo background idea. Too cute!
shahla says
We have stuck on stickers on our tables too haha! Thanks so much, Kim!!
Amanda says
Hat great ideas!! I never would have thought about using it as a backdrop for photos, but such a clever idea! Thanks for sharing!!
shahla says
Thanks so much, Amanda! XO
Lauren says
Such cute ideas – and super cute paper! I never have wrapping paper anymore (except x-mas) because y kids get so many darn gift bags I have a huge collection! Your post makes me want to run out and buy ALL the cute paper!!
shahla says
Haha!! Thanks Lauren! XO
jehava says
What great ideas! Especially with blogging and taking pictures! Thanks!
shahla says
Thanks so much for reading!!
Erin Ruoff says
I love ALL of these ideas!! Now I want wrapping paper! (We use newspaper or kraft paper so I never have any in the house…)
shahla says
Haha!! Thanks for reading! xo
haylee says
LOVE ALL OF THESE IDEAS!
shahla says
Yay! Thanks so much!
Stephanie Cox says
Such genius ideas!! I love using it as backdrop! I just may have to get that a try this holiday.
shahla says
Great! Thanks so much for reading!
Samantha Kuzyk says
OMG you are so creative! loooooove these ideas! definitly going to use them! Thank you!
shahla says
Yay!! Glad you like them!! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Rachel Catherine says
I LOVE the idea of using it as a table cover for art areas and photo backgrounds. I had never thought about that before! Thanks for sharing.
shahla says
Awesome! Thanks for reading!
Keala says
I hoard gift wrap from tjmaxx too! They always have the cutest ones. I used a couple rolls as table coverings too for my sons birthday. Made clean up so easy! I hadn’t thought to use it for photo backdrops tho. Seems like such a duh! Thanks for the ideas!!
shahla says
Haha glad I am not alone!! They really do!! Thank you for reading! xo
Lauren says
Love these ideas! I always swoon over pretty prints but never buy them. Maybe I will now!
shahla says
Thanks Lauren!! Haha glad I may have brought you over to wrapping paper dark side! XO
val says
LOVE this list! I’ll be pinning for later. Where is your favorite place to get cute wrapping paper that isn’t super expensive?
shahla says
Thanks Val! HomeGoods, Marshalls, TJMaxx…I literally cannot step into one of these stores without buying wrapping paper haha!
JeeYoung says
You are my pinterest goals. For real, so many cute ideas!
shahla says
You are always the nicest! XO Thanks for reading
Angela Kim says
Wow I love these ideas! Now I have a reason and inspiration to hoard wrapping paper too! Definitely going to try some of these tips. Thank you!
shahla says
Yay! Cheers to all my wrapping paper hoarders!! hehe!! Thanks for reading, Angela!
Sheila says
Love the photo background idea and the flower wrap! I love Marshalls for wrapping paper! It’s too cute to pass up, haha.
shahla says
Thanks for reading, Sheila! I can’t either!! haha!
Aimee @ mamacentric says
You are SO creative!! I love all of these ideas, and honestly had not ever even considered using wrapping paper like this. My favorite is using it as a photo backdrop — genius!
shahla says
You are the kindest! Thank you!! I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment, Aimee!!