Most of us understand the appeal of pretty ribbon near the holidays, but stocking up on ribbon can have its downsides. Unless you find it on clearance, ribbon can be pretty expensive and the holiday ones don’t have a lot of yardage, making it necessary to buy lots and lots of ribbon to make a present feel special.

This DIY helps save money and gives a personal touch. It’s perfect for the reader in your life, but its elegant simplicity makes it great for everyone on your list.

All you need is:

• an old book (I used an old dictionary that’s falling apart, but you can use any book–try the clearance bin outside used bookstores or visit a thrift shop)
• craft glue
• raffia or twine (I like the raffia because it’s thin and that makes it easy to adhere the small shapes onto)
• punches (You can find punches at the craft store– I find that they’re almost always 40% off, but you can use a coupon if they’re not on sale. If you don’t want to invest in punches, try cutting easier shapes by hand like triangles, squares, or hearts)

Measure out the length of raffia you need (or you can do the whole spool and wrap it back up). Decide if you want a single or double strand when you wrap the present.

Use the punches to punch out a bunch of shapes. Cut more than you think you’ll need as you’ll have to use two for each part of the garland. I chose to do mine in an alternating pattern, but you can make any pattern you want and cut your shapes accordingly. If you only have one punch, you can create more visual interest by varying the spacing between shapes.

Glue the two circles (or other fancy shapes) together, sandwiching the raffia between them, leaving about three or four inches near the end so you can tie it. I found that only one shape needed the glue as long as the glue was spread along the edges with some in the middle.

Repeat this process until the entire garland is complete.

Wrap your present! You can’t really make a bow at the top like you can with regular ribbon, so it’s better to tie on a tag (I’ll be linking my calligraphy tags on Etsy later in the week) or a trinket and call it a day.

Don’t want to let your garland out of your sight? Use it to decorate your tree or your house for the holidays. A pretty garland is always useful to have around, and it makes a present that much more special.

What’s your favorite way to decorate for the holidays?