Wrap it up on a budget

I like to splash on Christmas gifts, but I often resent spending money on all the wrapping paraphernalia. It seems such a waste of money and resources, most of them ending up in the recycling bins the next day after Christmas. If anything, I prefer buying the gift bags as they are sturdy enough to be recycled, and tend to get a bargain after the holiday season is over, when you can get nice gift wrapping things for pennies. Even better, when you can make your own gift wrapping, tags and decorations.
If you like the look of my poinsettia decoration, here is how you can make the same.

You will need
a few pieces of fabric (I urge you to go to your local furniture shop and ask for the free discontinued sample books)
2 Tulip 3d paints
1 Christmassy ribbon (the one I used was from a 99p Shop, it was a pack of 5 ribbons)
1 Velcro stick on

Using the 3d paints, draw the outline of your poinsettia flower, one slightly bigger than the other. Let them dry completely it might take a few hours, if you use the Glitter variety. To speed up the process, place your fabric on the radiator (painted side up, you don't want it glued to the radiator).

Once the paint is dry, cut out the flower shapes (cut close to the painted lines). Sew two flower shapes together using a red thread (just a few tiny stitches in the middle will do). Add a few golden dots of paint in the middle of the flower (optional). Let it dry. Attach the Velcro stick on to the back of the flower.

Wrap up the gift (in my case it was two boxes of Green & Black's chocolate) in a fabric sample, tie it with the ribbon. Add the Velcro stick on to the ribbon in the middle of the box, and attach the poinsettia.

Easy, colourful and not pricey. The flower can be recycled for the future gifts by the recipient (that is, if they like it).
And that's my crafting tip no.2 for the Velcro challenge.
If you liked this post, you might like the crafting tip no.1, which you can find here.