Frugal Japanese-Inspired, Eco-Friendly Christmas Gift Wrap & More “Cheap but Chic” Christmas Ideas (video)
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on December 3, 2009
Stretch your Christmas budget during this economic recession by cutting back on what you spend on Christmas wrap. While you may have a closet full of the half-off wrapping paper you bought last year on December 26, this idea is adaptable all year ’round.
I love visiting Shiho’s Green Studio blog every few weeks for her thrifty craft ideas. Shiho Masuda is an accomplished artist/designer and blogger who is featured this month in Asiance magazine, which supports Asian culture and the Asian women’s community in America.
Shiho demonstrates her Japanese-inspired, ecology-friendly Christmas wrap ideas in the video below.
Frugal Japanese-Inspired, Eco-Friendly Christmas Candy Gift Wrap
Also, check out Shiho’s “no fresh flowers allowed” solution when she recently designed a fall wedding ceremony that was held at Belvedere Castle in New York’s Central Park. She writes on her blog that she chose to use “silk flower arrangements using yellow/orange Gerbera daisies, accented with satin and organza ribbons, and paper butterflies.” Frugal-minded ideas for those planning a party or wedding who want to (or MUST) keep expenses down.
Fresh flowers, while lovely, are notoriously expensive and last just a few days. For my own wedding many moons ago, I scooped up on clearance-sale deals on boxed silk red roses following Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. I found some for 90 percent off! The roses, mixed with a few other white silk flowers and some recycled lace and satin ribbons, were used to create my bouquet, my bridesmaid’s bouquets, the wedding cake topper, and random reception decorations. I bought about 12 boxes with a dozen red roses in each over the span of several months, stored them in my hope chest and a closet until the actual wedding, and spent maybe $100 total. Most people at the wedding had NO idea they weren’t real roses. And, to this day, I still have my beautiful wedding bouquet (my mother-in-law made a simpler, cheaper version of it for me to toss to the single women, so that I could have the original bouquet as a keepsake… another good, thrift-minded idea). Something to consider if you’re planning a wedding in the near future and you’re on a shoestring budget.
But, back to Christmas! More “cheap, but chic” Christmas ideas are at the Frugal Café main site:
- How to create inexpensive origami and kirigami Christmas ornaments (video demo of Shiho’s is featured with the others): Budget Crafts: Origami & Kirigami Christmas Ornaments
- Another frugal Christmas wrap article and video: The Rap on Wrap: Get Creative, Get Thrifty with DIY Wrapping Paper from Recycled Materials
- Gorgeous, cheap, and really easy to make for a party: Make Inexpensive Floating Apple Votives, à la Martha Stewart
- Crafts of Christmas Past… Ripped from the Glossy Pages of Old Magazines — Directory:
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- 12 Drummers Drumming: Gift Box Drums… Appeared in Martha Stewart Living, December 1999 / January 2000
- Decorating: Displaying Christmas Cards… Appeared in Martha Stewart Living, December 1998 / January 1999
- Easy, Elegant, & Cheap: Yum – Holiday Centerpiece of the Month… Appeared in Every Day with Rachael Ray, December 2006 / January 2007
- Holiday Organizer and Inspiration Book… Appeared in Martha Stewart Living, December 1998 / January 1999
- Christmas Baking-Pan Wall Sconces… Appeared in Martha Stewart Living, December 1999 / January 2000
- Frugal, but Elegant Winter Still Life: Arrangement of the Month – Pine Arrangement… Appeared in Martha Stewart Living, December 1999 / January 2000
- Recycle & Reuse Holiday Cards
- Christmas gift ideas for children to make and give to Grandma, with the added bonus of using up some of the Legos strewn through the house: Chic ‘n Cheap: Unique Kitchen Crafts Made with Legos
- DIY Fashion: ThreadBanger | Video Demo: How to Crochet a Hat
- DIY Fashion & Recycling: ThreadBanger | Video Demo: How to Crochet Flower Appliqués with Old Yarn & Making Recycled Sleeping Bags
- DIY Recycling & Fashion: ThreadBanger | Video Demo: Recycling/Repurposing Plastic Bags & Making Shopping Tote Bags from Old Clothes
- DIY Fashion: HowCast & eVillage | Video Demos: Several Tie-Dye Techniques, How to Tie-Dye a T-Shirt
- Older kids can make these for friends or relatives for Christmas: DIY Recycled Fashion: ThreadBanger | Video Demo: Back-2-Skool Special: Frugal DIY Ideas for Making Your Own School Backpacks, Book Bags, Laptop Covers, Pencil Cases, Book Covers, & Messenger Bags
- Second Time Around: Smart Ways to Reuse & Recycle Things around the House (video)
- Cheap & Thoughtful Christmas Ideas, from HappyBird’s Crafting Haven
A few more excellent, frugal Christmas ideas at HappyBird’s Crafting Haven:
Frugal and Thoughtful Christmas Gift Ideas for Seniors
Frozen Cookie Dough Gift for Christmas
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Thanks so much for the lovely video! That extra tag with the peppermints really does give it a bonus kick! I’m going to have to try this, though drawing stripes on everything might get tedious. Still it’s worth it to save money this Christmas.
I loved this video, too… Shiho is very talented working with a shoestring budget. With so many people strapped financially these days, this kind of low-cost style is inspiring.
Great idea! Thank you
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Fantastik.
Fantastic!
Good Post