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Phone Book Wrapping Paper for Gifts

Merriment :: Phone Book Wrapping Paper for Gifts

AT&T delivered piles of telephone books to my neighborhood a couple of weeks ago. Not needing ours but cringing at tossing the stack into the trash I decided to find some crafty uses for them. So I wrapped my sister Karin’s birthday gifts with birthday-themed yellow pages.

Supplies:

  • Telephone book (preferably yellow pages)
  • Tape
  • Scissors
  • Ribbonor bow for garnish

Merriment :: Phone Book Wrapping Paper for Gifts

Flip through the phone book to find a suitable topic. For Karin’s birthday I chose ‘Bakery,’ ‘Balloons,’ ‘Gifts,’ ‘Flowers,’ and ‘Cake.’ Run one side of your scissors down the spine or tear out to remove the page. For smaller boxes like the jewelry box above you can just cut to size and wrap. Add a ribbon, bow or other garnish; I used a fuschia, sheer, shiny metallic ribbon that picked up the pink in the Sweet Cakes logo.

Merriment :: Phone Book Wrapping Paper for Gifts

For larger boxes, tape pages together from the backside to create one large sheet, then wrap. For my sister’s larger box I used 12 pages.

I like this idea because it’s simple, whimsical and green for the reduce-reuse-recycle minded. Here are some occasions and suggested phone book themes to try:

Birthday = Balloons, Bakery, Cake, Candy, Liquor
Bachelorette/Bachelor Party = Bars, Liquor, Entertainment, Escorts, Limousine
Baby = Child, Schools, Diaper Service, Nannies, Furniture – Children’s, Clowns
New Home = Moving, Painting
Engagement or Wedding Shower = Bridal, Diamonds, Jewelry, Wedding, Banquet, Bakers, Caterers

Other fun topics for the right recipient: Travel, Aquariums, Body Piercings, Bowling, Costumes, Golf, Tattooing, Pawnbrokers. Let me know what you come up with!

Mary @ Parenthood

Friday 25th of December 2009

Great idea! I had also recently tripped over this video for making a secret book compartment (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8W58xK5zFg) but was iffy on the idea of ruining a perfectly good book even for a cute project. Your idea got me thinking that a telephone book might do too...

Thanks!

Stephanie

Wednesday 23rd of December 2009

This is SUCH a good idea. Brilliant, actually. Now, I won't just toss the phone books in the garbage when they arrive on our doorstep!

The real question, however, is *why* do they show up on everyone's doorsteps in the first place? Such a waste of time and trees, IMO. ;)

Gail Siefker Hayes

Friday 19th of December 2008

Kathy - great site. Glad your mom shared the link. And i just have to say that we've wrapped many a gift in Sunday comics. No theme there, but it is very colorful...and available!

Phone book love?

Friday 2nd of May 2008

Well the phone book companies aren't going to be too happy about this...but I have to admit that these kinds of things are going to happen and frankly you've done a good job on this...

Merriment :: Kathy Beymer

Sunday 20th of April 2008

Thanks, guys!! Glad you like this one...