Maybe you’re stockpiling sweaters, button-downs or old costumes that aren’t worthy of the donation pile (read: stains, rips and tears), or perhaps you’re trying to disguise a re-gift with exciting packaging. Either way, TODAY has you covered!
TODAY Style contributor Anna De Souza has a few clever hacks can make your gift the most impressive package under the tree.
Plaid on plaid
Plaid and tartan are the "it" pattern of the season and, thankfully, this classic print is also common in our closets. Put that dusty old flannel to good use with a wrapping hack that’s equal parts classic and sweet.
Slideshow 12 photos
Gift wrapping ideas from your closet: Plaid-on-plaid
- Lay a button-down shirt flat and cut across horizontally, starting right under the underarms. Discard the top section.
- Wrap gift by centering on the fabric with buttons facing in. This will give you a crisp, flat look. Don't forget to wrap with triangle corners and tape with fabric tape.
- With your contrast plaid shirt, cut two 2-inch wide strips starting from the bottom toward the shirt’s neckline.
- Fold and hot glue raw edges toward each other to create clean edges for a makeshift ribbon that’ll wrap around your gift.
- Tie ribbon into a bow tie and hot glue to secure together.
Pompom wrap
To re-create this whimsical and rustic package, all you need are a few pompoms from a kid’s sweater, some baker’s twine and a small, dry tree branch.
- Wrap baker’s twine around wrapped gift six to seven times. Secure with tape on back. Weave branch through baker’s twine and hot glue into place.
- Hot glue colorful pompoms onto branch ends to mimic a minimalist holly shrub.
In good spirits
There’s nothing cozier than a bottle of Cabernet covered in soft cable knit! The more ornate the knit’s sleeve design, the more festive your final product will look.
Any color sweater can work: white, gray, purple, green — use whatever you have handy!
- Insert your bottle into the sleeve with the top facing the sleeve's cuff. Fold down the cuff for a charming touch. Next, cut sweater 1/2 inch below the bottle’s bottom.
- Cut another 3-inch section from the same sleeve. This will serve as the flat bottom for your wrapping.
- Put the bottom of the bottle on the newly cut piece, measure and cut around about a 1/2-inch larger than the circumference of your bottle.
- Turn the full sleeve inside out and sew or hot glue the bottom onto the sleeve. Turn it right side out once secure.
- Place the bottle inside your new gift wrap. A monochromatic ribbon tied into a bow finishes this dressed-and-ready-to-be-merry package!
Gold mine
Give new life to that old studded sweatshirt. Those metal grommets offer an upscale decorative element that’ll keep your giftee from shredding your gift wrap to pieces — at least for a few minutes!
Slideshow 5 photos
Gift wrapping ideas from your closet: Decorate with studs
- Remove studs from garment, either manually or with scissors.
- Hot glue studs directly onto wrapping paper. The first row will be staggered from the second. Use a ruler to line up the studs, your eyes are incredibly deceiving and a uniformly straight line is key.
- Finish with a bright wired ribbon.
- Gift with joy!
This story was originally published Dec. 24, 2015.