7 Fast and Furious Gift Wrap Ideas for Last-Minute Elves

Every year, you tell yourself you'll start early...and every year, you wind up in the same last-minute lurch. The good news is that nobody needs to know -- and with ideas like these, no one will.

Related: 22 Gift-Wrapping Ideas for Turning Any Gift Into Something Spectacular

Recycled Gift Wrap

Have scraps of wrapping paper left over from other gifts? Don't toss it. Instead, run it through a shredder (cut to size first, if needed) and use it for lining gift boxes or bags.


Potato-Chip Bag Gift Wrap

You can give a new life to empty potato-chip bags and dress up your gifts in them with this quick idea. Cut open a potato-chip bag along its seam to reveal the shiny white or silver inside of the bag. Flatten the bag, wash it with soap and water, and air dry. Then wrap your present and adorn it with ribbons and homemade cards.




Use Decorative Tape

Forget ribbon: This decorative tape gets the job done just fine. Made in Japan using traditional washi paper, the 50-foot rolls come in two widths and 125 cheerful colors and graphic patterns that transform any solid wrapping paper into something special.

You can buy rolls of Happy Tape individually or in a themed set, and combine them to create vibrant and charming color combinations.

Related: 65 Quick and Easy Holiday Decorating Ideas from Martha Stewart


Make Bows from Leftover Paper

You can make gifts look elegant without fancy ribbons or costly trimmings by simply using extra bits of paper.

The following instructions are for the box dimensions shown: 6-by-4 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch.

Materials
6-by-4 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch box
Two 24-by-1-inch strips of paper (or, if paper isn't long enough, cut two 12-by-1-inch strips)
Two 17-by-1-inch strips of paper
Two 13 1/2-by-1-inch strips of paper
Two 10 1/2-by-1-inch strips of paper
Two 6-by-1-inch strips of paper
Two 3-by-1-inch strips of paper
Scissors
Tape

1. Wrap each package in the traditional way. Using the same paper, construct "bows" for the tops, which cascade down the sides of the box. Each piece of paper is applied using a 1 1/2 to 2-inch tape roll -- a piece of tape secured to itself at both ends. (Double-sided tape can be used, but tape rolls give the best results.)

2. Tape the ends of each strip together to form a circle. Pinch the top and bottom of each circle, except the smallest circle, together to form two loops. (If using 12-inch strips, form each into one loop. Tape together at ends to form one large piece with two loops.)

3. Tape one of the two largest pieces on center of the box top; the loops should cascade down the sides of the box. Place second large piece over the first so they crisscross.

4. Repeat with remaining pieces, building bow with the longest pieces on bottom, the shortest on top. Place the last circle in the center of bow.

DIY Gift Wrap

Create your own wrapping paper by making impressions on a large sheet of paper with a square rubber stamp. For a uniform pattern, stamp the sheet of paper repeatedly with the same stamp, leaving a small space between each impression. Or, stamp just the center of a piece of wrapping paper. A stamp rolling pin also makes an attractive pattern. Here, we applied several different colors to a sheet of white paper to create a muted design.



Stamped Shopping Bag Gift Wrap

Repurpose shopping bags into festive gift wrap. Cut an open paper shopping bag along one fold and scissor out the bottom of the bag. Wrap your gift in the paper. Dip one end of a wine cork into ink or a dark fruit juice and begin stamping patterns.





Kids' Artwork Gift Wrap

Let the kids join in on the gift-wrapping fun by using their drawings as inexpensive and delightful homemade gift wrap. Have kids doodle on Kraft paper, calendar pages, shopping bags, magazine pages, and phone book pages.

More from Martha Stewart:
15 Kitchen Shortcuts That Will Change the Way You Cook
19 Tips for Perfect Laundry Every Time
47 Ways to Maximize Space in Your Kitchen
20 Super-Efficient, Super-Effective Ways to Clean All the Things

Learn tricks for wrapping gifts that are extra-large -- or extra-small.