Howard and I got started on wrapping our Christmas gifts last night. I have been fantasizing about wrapping paper this year. I’ve done sketches. Prowled the internet for ideas. Made multiple trips to Michael’s just to “browse.” In the end I decided on a charming classic = butcher paper + candy cane ribbon + green bows. Two small kinks appeared in my very specific plan and are pictured below:
Two free rolls of wrapping paper we found on the street in late October that Howard was VERY excited about
I’ll admit that I probably should have given the free paper more of a central roll (*pun*) in our wrapping plans, but I got so attached to the butcher-candy-cane-green-bow idea that I just couldn’t let it go.
So, I decided to make monogrammed letters out of the free rolls (like the “A,” above.) In protest, Howard did all of his wrapping with the free paper. He plowed through SIX gifts last night while I tended to just three.
Truth be told, I love him so much that I adore his haphazard wrapping style.
Even in the midst of our various fulfilled and unfulfilled expectations, I think our work so far is purdy 
You aiming to dress up your gifts this year? Share your ideas! Here are some ones I have bumped into in all of my Internet ramblings:
This one is a lot like the one I went with, only I thought the newsprint would make an annoying mess on Christmas morning.
I saw a lot of ideas to use cloth-- cloth that it's either already owned and repurposed or bought at a thrift store. Cute concept, but I wonder if it would turn out looking dumpy?
Music sheets. Bells. I heart wrapping paper themes.
Craft/Butcher paper options are endless. Last year Howard and I used it with yarn and it looked cute. Martha Stewart's version is, of course, beyond cute. Professionally cute, I guess.
More thrifty ideas with craft paper
Still more. See what I mean?!
Note to self: recruit child labor next year
You’re way ahead of me. We haven’t a single gift to wrap over here!
I had some kind of insatiable shopping thing this year. To be honest, I am kind of bummed I am all done.
How pretty! I obsess over present wrapping too. I try to make them different every year, and I’m OCD about them all matching. Ugh. Such unnecessary stress.
So cute! You inspired me to put a bit of thought into my wrapping. I decided on brown paper gift bags, bright green ribbon and tissue, and little twigs with red berries. Plus the tags are these weird corny greeting cards from Trader Joe’s
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10100491937719784&set=a.10100491937714794.2667173.12306412&type=1&theater
I totally admired them on Facebook this morning! Very nice.