Last week I found myself walking through Target with the wedding registry for some friends and ended up picking these funky everyday dishes.

rag.4

Of course I spaced gift wrap until I got home. Actually that doesn’t really surprise me because buying bags and tissue paper is one of my biggest pet peeves.

Total waste of money.

I dug through my wrapping stash at home and picked this plain white craft paper over the SpongeBob SquarePants birthday variety.

rag.6

Then I dug through the Bat Scrap organizer for some scrap ribbon and came up with nothing long enough that would match.

Nada. Zilch.

That is until I remembered the four massive bins of old shirts still waiting to be recycled, upcycled or stash-busted.

rag.7

  No problem.

I cut a couple of 1” strips with a rotary cutter to wrap around the box of plates …

rag.5

… and some 1/4” strips that pulled nice and tight to make them nice and thin like string or yarn.

That weird shaped stack of bowls got a simple confetti colored tie …

rag.2

… while the box got a quick wrap and easy knots around the corners.

rag.9

Easy. Fast. Done.

So give rag ribbon a try.

I bet you could pull together a quick shabby-chic wrap for your next party using fabric you already have on hand AND in colors that match the gift inside.

Because us women care about stuff like that.

rag.3

Happy wrapping and stash-bustifying!

Linking up to:

Skip To My LouCraft-O-ManiacC.R.A.F.T., The DIY ShowOff *  Stories of AtoZ, Tip JunkieSugar BeeToday’s Creative BlogSassy SitesMy Uncommon Slice of Suburbia * Someday CraftsLil LunaWe Are That FamilyBlue Cricket DesignsThe Thrifty Home, * House of Hepworths, *Remodelaholic FridayTidy MomWhipperberryKojo DesignsChic On A Shoestring, Momma’s Kinda Crafty, *Tatertots & Jello,  Be Different Act NormalFunky Junk Interiors * I Heart NaptimeUnder The Table and Dreaming

Author

10 Comments

  1. tomiannie

    Love it! If those were in a stack of presents for me, I'd totally go for them first! 🙂 — Tomi

  2. What a fantastic idea… I might stop tossing our unwearable shirts:) They might be unwearable but surely they aren't unusable!

  3. atnumber29

    I'm gonna be scouring cchrity shops for bright t shirts! thank you! (I think I want to try crochet or kitting it!!!)

  4. InMyOwnStyle

    Love this!!!! I pinned it and added it to my DIY Daily page.

    Love ideas like this.
    My best- Diane

  5. Rachel Hill

    Nike, that's just awesome! I love it and I'm not crafty at all, but I totally think I could do this! I love you great step by step instructions and pictures on everything. I was wondering, I know it's probably obvious to many, but what's a rotary cutter? Can I just use plain old scissors? Not sure how to picture what that looks like. Thanks! -Rachel

  6. Mary-Sweetwater Style

    Now I have ANOTHER thing to look for at Goodwill! Pretty t-shirts! Thanks for the great idea! Nice tutorial too!

  7. Nike@ChooseToThrive

    @Rachel Hill,
    A rotary cutter is simply a round blade attached to a handle that can cut through fabric very quickly. {http://tinyurl.com/rotarycutterpicture}. They're used a lot in quilting and sewing projects and are great for making long, straight cuts. But yes, regular scissors work just fine.

  8. Nike, you are amazing. I don't know how you do all of this with six kids. Uh-May-Zing. I love reading this blog.

  9. Amazing upcycle. I love t-shirt yarn! I would love for you to share this project on my Inspiration Board {link party}. I know my readers would really enjoy it.
    http://carolynshomework.blogspot.com/2011/09/inspiration-board-link-party-14.html
    Hope to see you there.
    carolyn | homework