That post-gift-unwrapping slump: when the living room is scattered with the chaos-confetti of festive papers, cardboard boxes, bits of ribbon...
Before the big plastic bag comes out and everything gets piled in and put out on the curb.
Picking bits of sparkly paper and packing material out of the carpet and couch-corners for months after.
While there's something nostalgic about that ritual, we've all learned that there are down-sides to this tradition.
What if you could unwrap your presents, but also make the wrapping part of your gift - something personalized that can be used over and over again, and not end up in a landfill after 4.5 seconds of gleeful unpacking?
For the last few years, I've been using tea towels as gift wrap, and there are so many things I love about this solution:
- Every present looks different: no more wrapping everything in the same print!
- Nothing to throw away: these tea towel prints keep their brilliant colors even after years of regular use
- They can be used all year long, and there's a design to fit every personality
While there are any number of thoughtful gifts that can be wrapped in tea towels, I recommend bringing a bit of seasonal cheer by gifting a tasty beverage!
These tea towels can beautifully wrap a bottle of wine for a quick, yet still personalized hosting gift (for all those dinners and parties you'll be invited to this season)...
Or if you need an affordable, fun, DELICIOUS DIY project for a whole lot of gifts (think teachers, coworkers, family + friend group gatherings...) then I highly recommend creating these DIY Hot Chocolate kits.
I put together over 20 of these for our family and friends last year, and it was such a fun way to give everyone a personalized present while also buying in bulk!
Here's how I did it:
Spoonflower tea towels: they run some great sales during the month of November, and I usually put together my shopping cart in advance, then wait for their newsletter to announce a sale before I hit "buy". You can keep up with their sales by joining their newsletter here. I also keep my network updated when there are major sales, so you can join my newsletter if you want to hear about the tea towel sale this year.
Hot Chocolate Mix (recipe here, and more details below): I bought the ingredients in bulk, bought jars in bulk, and made the mix all at once. If you're tight on time and happy to expand your budget a bit, you can also buy ready-made hot chocolate mix and then add it to the jars with the printable tag to give it that DIY aesthetic.
I made homemade block-printed holiday cards: this is a super fun, cozy project that doesn't require many materials (let me know if you want a tutorial someday!) - but you can also create low-cost, personal holiday cards by pulling out the paints and create splashes on paper, or setting your kids to work drawing as many festive things as they can think of - then trim them into card sizes from there.
I reduced the amount of powdered sugar (my Asian and European friends don't have the same sweet tooth level as my American recipes usually call for), and instead of powdered cow's milk I used a mix of powdered coconut and almond milks to make it dairy free and extra creamy. I would recommend noting on the gift tag (linked below) which milk you use, just in case any of your recipients have a lactose or nut allergy you don't know about.
And here are my downloadable, printable gift tags: feel free to use them for your own gifts this year - I'd love to see what you create!
I've just added tons of new artwork to my Spoonflower shop: you can shop tea towels or check out my fabric, wallpaper, and home goods designs
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