Green Wrap

If you came to this post looking for a veggie wrap, let us clarify that this is not about food, though we do make a mean veggie hummus avocado wrap. This is about wrapping paper for all your holiday presents! We're not big on packaging unless it's recycled, so we took this attitude towards wrapping presents. Inspired by a friend's recent birthday pinata and our friends at Confetti Systems, we came up with this easy and fun idea.

All you need are:
- old magazines or catalogs
- tape
- glue (optional)
- scissors
- a fun playlist to get your creative juices going

*Dig up some old magazines or one of the many unsolicited catalogs in your paper recycling pile, and you'll find a lot of colorful holiday spreads. Choose the pages based on the color scheme you want.

*Pull them out from the middle (if there are staples holding them together) so you have larger full sheets to wrap with. Then wrap. The result is usually colorful enough, but if you want the ultra-festive pinata look, move on to the next step...

*Cut remaining sheets into strips. Fold these strips into itself by four or however many that makes it manageable to cut vertically (so you don't have to do the small cuts 50 times per strip).

*Make vertical cuts, unfold the strips and glue/tape onto the wrapped present (it's better to wrap it first before applying the strips). If using tape, conserve and use small pieces to secure just the middles of each side - no need to go all around. Make sure you're applying the tape or glue to the half of the strip that doesn't have vertical cuts.

*Wrap and tape/glue the strips all around until you get to the top, where you can really have some fun with the directions of the strips. You can place them like alternating boxes, or place them all diagonally, in the shape of your gift recipient's first initial, or stand them up.

*Gently brush your finger against the grain of the strip tassels to ruffle them up and give them life, et voila! The most striking and memorable presents your friends and family will ever see. You spent maybe that one hour between work and party, and you got rid of that old magazine pile. High five.

Happy Wrapping!