Reused wrapping paper wreath

CEBU, Philippines – Now that the 'ber' months have started, thoughts of Christmas have sure begun to fill our minds. We think of Christmas decors and Christmas gifts. Some of us may already have given or received a few gifts already.

And then there's the issue of gifts byproducts. It's only the gifts themselves that matter to their recipients - not all the other things that come with the package. But don't throw out that wrapping paper!

You might have come up with a great way to wrap your gifts in an environmentally friendly manner, but that doesn't mean that the people giving gifts to you did the same. The website www.instructables.com  suggests a way to reuse all that wrapping paper and turn it into a holiday decoration - a wreath. The process is so simple:

1.  Gather your supplies.

. Used gift-wrapping paper, tissue paper works too, and a bow.

.Scissors

. Wire coat hanger, bent into a circle.

2.  Cut strips.

Now smooth out the wrapping paper a bit, and get it into a piece about 9 inches wide, by whatever. Roll the paper up, and cut into strips, about 1 inch wide. It does not have to be precise! Make a lot of these.

3.  Do the twist.

Now, the fun part. Take a strip of paper, put it around the coat hanger, and twist, like a twist tie.

Now, do that many times! Slide them together to make the wreath full, and do it until you don't see the hanger anymore.

4. Ta Dah!

And now that your wreath is full, trim any long pieces, add a bow, (I'm sure you got one on one of those presents) and you're done.

There, you made a free decoration, and you saved some wrapping paper from ending up in the dump. You could even give it to someone as a thank-you gift for all the great presents you got. Or keep it handy for when you realize you forgot to get a present for Aunt Whoever.