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Inexpensive Gifts for Kids/Teens/Adults …and SIMPLE GIFT WRAPPING IDEAS!!

This post is sponsored by Family Dollar. However, all opinions are 100% mine.  So thanks for supporting the brands that support this site! :)

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One of my very favorite things about Christmas is watching family and friends open a gift that I know they will really love!  It’s just so fun for me to see their face…..especially the shocked ones.  Haha!  I actually keep lists on my phone of ideas that my kids mention throughout the year and if my husband Steve even remotely mentions something he may want one day, yep, it goes on “the list”!

So when I was invited to team up with Family Dollar to see what I would put together for Kid Gifts, Teen Gifts, and Adult Gifts…..I LOVED the idea!!  I also agreed to come up with gift wrapping ideas that are simple and unique…..and all from supplies found at Family Dollar.

Check out a quick video of some of the gift wrapping ideas (more ideas, plus step-by-step pictures down below):

You guys, I I just love doing this stuff!! :)

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While browsing around Family Dollar, I found SO MANY good deals!  I kept thinking, “I really need to come here for birthday gifts throughout the year”!  Because while they have plenty of name brand and popular toy items, they also have some unique toys/gift sets that are pretty awesome…..but were also very inexpensive!!

Just check out some of these really fun KID GIFT IDEAS that I snagged from the shelf that I can use for the little kids on our list this year!  (Anyone else have kids obsessed with LOL Dolls? My Chloe is a super fan…and these are the cheapest I have found them!)  All of the toys right now are Buy One, Get One 50% OFF (until 12/17/18)….so that’s kind of AWESOME!

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And then for some Teen Gift Ideas (these stinkers can be tricky), there were so many really fun things for them at Family Dollar too.  My oldest Ellie is turning 12 next week and has just started the whole makeup thing (yeah, I know….I can’t believe she’s no longer 5 either!)  But they had some really great makeup kits and I’m pretty positive she’s going to love that nail polish set with the nail dryer and stickers, etc.  Oh, and those wireless headphones down there…..yeah, those would make a great teen gift but they were such a good deal, I maybe sorta bought them for myself. ;)  (Shhhhh, that’s a major rule violation in our house to buy yourself something this time of year. Haha!  But I bought them for Steve to put in my stocking.  I know all the “surprises”!)  Ooooh, and that mini video arcade game is the cutest little retro machine that has 200 games on it…..and I love how unique it is!

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One of my favorite Adult Gift Ideas (or to give as a family gift)…..is to buy a basket and fill it with all sorts of things!  I mean, that basket itself was a steal but then I just stuffed it with that cute plush plaid blanket (they had a variety of colors), a cute holiday candle holder and scented candle, and then a variety of treats!

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No need to wrap it though….because the basket counts as the “gift bag”!  Easy, cute, and DONE!

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However, even though using a basket is a great way to skip wrapping, I also REALLY LOVE wrapping gifts with a little something special added to it.  (For friends, my kids don’t appreciate it as much. Blah.)  Family Dollar has TONS of wrapping paper (and yes, super inexpensive) but they also have a bunch of gift boxes, bags, tags, etc.  But you know I can’t leave well enough alone…..and I have to add a little something here and a little something there!  I don’t know…..it just makes it that much more fun to GIVE!  So, I came up with a few ideas to make the wrapping a little more fun and unique, while using things that I saw there at Family Dollar!

Ornaments are a fun thing to add to presents, because then they can be hung on the tree afterward.  But candy canes are also a fun option too!  I also played around with using 2 wrapping papers together….and loved the contrast (on the left below)!

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And Oliver keeps asking me…..“mommy, what’s inside? Is that for me? Is this a toy? Can I help you open it?  Can I eat the candy cane????”

Ummmm…..no, not yet little buddy!  It’s not quite time yet! ;)

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If gift bags are more your style, Family Dollar had quite a few printed bags that were already darling!  But if you want to make your bags special, why not add a little pop of color and texture to the front!  Those gold hanging ornaments (not glass) might be my favorite! But I also really LOVE that 3D tree down on the right, that I made from scraps of wrapping paper! :)

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Gift bags are a fun way to let kids get creative too.  They can add all sorts of things to the front of bags and personalize their gifts…and then they don’t have to get frustrated with trying to wrap a gift with standard paper.  Chloe asked if she could cut out some snow flakes and glue them to a gift bag…..that would be super cute!!!!

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Oh, and something cool that Family Dollar is doing is they have an App with Smart Coupons that you can “clip” (which saves them) then use them at checkout.  (There are no paper coupons.  They’re all part of the app.)

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***Offers may vary by store and by day.

But they also have this game within the app called SmartSpins.  All you need to do to play is download the Family Dollar app, sign up for Smart Coupons, and then enter your Smart Coupons ID (phone number) at checkout.  After your purchase, you’ll receive a push notification or inbox message in the app saying you have a spin.

Pretty cool concept!  I received an extra coupon for laundry products, which is something else I bought while I was there shopping for gifts.  Bonus!!

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Anyway, I love working with brands here on this blog (and appreciate so much that they help support my site), but I had the best time walking through a couple different Family Dollar stores in my area here in Oklahoma….and then coming up with ideas for gifts and wrapping ideas and then thinking of who I could surprise with these things!  What a fun week I’ve had putting this together!

Anyway, if you’d like to see how I put these bags together or how I assembled some of the gifts, let me show you the details below!!! :)

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First up—the 3D Tree Gift Bag.  Decide on your gift bag size and then cut out a basic triangle shape from paper that fits on the front of the your bag in the dimensions you want.  Then cut 5 squares of wrapping paper that matches your gift bag.  You’ll also need a small square out of some coordinating paper for the trunk.

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Fold your tree template in half and then fold each of your 5 square pieces in half as well.  Trace your tree onto the folded edge of the folded square…and then cut it out.

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Repeat with all 5 square pieces until you have 5 triangles.

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Now, place one of your triangles in front of you and add either hot glue or rubber cement to half of the back side of the folded triangle.  (I’ve tried both glues and they work great.  Rubber cement makes the paper a little less wrinkly and the hot glue makes the tree a little stiffer.  White glue would work too…but would take some time to dry.  It’s up to you!

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Grab another of your folded triangles and place on the top of the first one, matching up the tips.  Press to adhere the glue.

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Then add glue to the second half of the triangle….

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…and then press flat.

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Repeat with the remaining triangles and line them up as evenly as possible as you’re gluing.

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To get a nice clean edge, trim along the bottom and side of your group of triangles.

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Open up your tree and face it downward, so that the back side is facing you.  Add hot glue to this side and glue it down to the front of your gift bag.

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Press flat and smooth out any bumps.

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Cut a small rectangle out of some coordinating paper and glue to the bottom of the tree for a trunk.

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And that’s it!

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Next up—the Christmas Ornament Gift Bag!  Select a gift bag, some coordinating (non-breakable) mini light ornaments, and a piece of very thin crafting wire.

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Measure and make evenly spaced bends in your wire where each of your ornaments will go, to help keep them spaced evenly.

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Then, slide one of your ornaments onto the wire and twist until locked in place.

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Continue sliding each of the ornaments on and twisting them in place, one at a time.  You’ll have to bend them all in the same direction too.

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Poke a small hole along the side of the bag near the front (about 1/3 of the way down the bag) with something sharp.  Do the same thing at the other side.

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Place the ends of your wire through the hole and then tape the end of the wire down to the inside of the bag.

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Then fold the wire over and place another piece of tape down.

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Then, for good measure, fold the wire one more time and tape it down again.  (Bending the wire and then taping will keep it from pulling out.)

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Repeat with the other end of the wire and tape it in place.

Then smooth out the wire along the front of the bag so that your little ornament lights are hanging evenly.

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And that’s it!

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And finally—the Large Bow Gift Bag (which is the very easiest of all).   And that’s because the bows are pre-made and sparkly!

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All you do is poke a small hole into the front of the bag…

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…and then slide the wire on the back of the bow, through the small hole you made.

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Pull the wire tight through the hole and then pull each end out in different directions.  Tape in place.

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Now, onto the wrapping paper ideas!  For both styles, I wrapped my boxes in paper, just like normal.

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For the Ornament Gift Wrapping Idea, I added some sparkly burplap ribbon on top of the buffalo check wrapping paper.  But I tied the ribbon into a knot instead of a bow and trimmed off the ends at an angle.

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Then I opened the knot back up, slid the ornament loop onto the ribbon, and then tied the ribbon back in place. That’s it.  Pretty easy….but a cute way to fancy up your gift!!!

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Now for the 2-Tone Gift Wrapping Idea…..I wrapped the box with the base paper, just like normal.  Then I cut a long strip of a contrasting wrapping paper that was twice as wide as I wanted the strip to be when finished.  Then I placed the strip face down and folded each side in towards the middle, pressed flat, and then taped in place.

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Then I placed the strip around the box…

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Taped down one end and then folded under the raw edge of the other end……

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…and then taped it in place!

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Then I grabbed some red burlap ribbon and tied it around the middle of the box and tied the first half of a knot…

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….then slid 2 candy canes in there before finishing off the second half of the knot.

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And that’s it!  Unique wrapped gifts that only take a minute or two longer….but are just so cute!!

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Now, for the Gift Basket Idea!  While looking for things to add to your basket, get one item that’s a bit bulky to help offset the smaller items.  And try finding things that fit a theme.

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Place your biggest item in first.

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To help the smaller items to be seen, crumple up pieces of tissue paper and stuff them into the bottom of the basket.

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Then start arranging your items into the basket, placing your largest items in the back…..

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….and then continuing to add items in height order, with the shortest at the front.  This way, you can see all of the items from the front, for a more appealing presentation!  And that’s it….your gift basket is complete.

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So many fun ways to dress up your gifts……and everything was found at Family Dollar!

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I hope that was helpful and maybe inspired you to try something new!

Enjoy!

-Ashley

 

Ashley Johnston

Administrator at Make It & Love It
Ashley Johnston is a professional DIY costume maker, sewist, crafter, and owner of Make It & Love It. She is a mom of 5 and a wife to a very patient (with the craft clutter) husband. In case you’re wondering, she always chooses crafting/sewing/designing over mopping/dusting/wiping base boards……but bathrooms/laundry/full bellies are always attended to. Whew!

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Hi, I'm Ashley

Hi, I’m Ashley—the DIY-enthusiast behind this crazy blog!

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