Just a really quick, simple Christmas gift wrapping tip for you all tonight – I can’t even claim it’s original, since I saw the idea on Pinterest a few months ago, but it stayed with me as something cute, and really rather useful!

Here’s a cheap, quick, attractive, and recycled way to wrap small gifts this holiday season, using only things you already have – the cardboard centre of a toilet roll (or kitchen towel roll, or the centre of a roll of wrapping paper), some small scraps of wrapping paper, and some ribbon, raffia, or twine.  Yep, a toilet roll centre.  Nothing but the best here at the Country Skills Blog!

Start by wrapping the cardboard roll in a piece of wrapping paper – I had some gold tissue paper lying around, so I used that.  Tuck in the ends.  Now flatten the tube.

This is the cute bit.  Simply fold the ends towards the centre to form a small curved box.  You’ll need to form the fold along a bit of a curve.  It’s worth playing with an unwrapped tube first, just to get a sense of the shape you’re after.  Hell, it’s something to do instead of the sudoku while you’re sitting on the throne!

And here’s your completed box.  Just tuck whatever special little gift you’re wrapping inside, perhaps folded into an extra piece of tissue paper, and tie it up in a bow with some ribbon, raffia, twine or even knitting yarn!  Gift boxes can be so expensive – this one looks a million dollars, is a great solution to the ‘fiddly little package’ problem, and costs nothing!

I was going to show you a bigger one made from a section of wrapping paper tube, but Dave thought better of the idea.  He says you all seem like smart people and he’s sure you can work it out for yourselves!

Now I’ve got a little confession to make – last night, while I was writing up the hazel and twine Christmas star decorations, I took my eye off the advent candle and we got a bit ahead of ourselves – all of today’s candle burned and half of tomorrow’s!  Oops!  It looks a bit sad tonight!

I’m trying to write a post a day during Advent, so, please come along with me while I try to Blog Advent – the Country Skills Way – and forgive me if I don’t quite manage it!

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