Thank you Lisa! I was not sure if it was safe to place under mulch and soil, and the people in a big box nursery did not know either. Allright then, time to continue operation "grass away". Happy gardening! ~Natalie

I order bags from OmniPak. Order online. You can get all sizes and thickness of bags from them. I ordered 1,000 each of 2 sizes. I got the 1.5 mil. Next I may get 2 mil, but they will be thick. The 1.5 is pretty nice. You order twist ties seperately. I forgot so I got some at another place.

I used to use those! However, I had trouble with mold. They're fun to construct, though!

I agree that beautifully presented gifts do not have to cost much. My favorite DIY touches come from my garden... a sprig of rosemary or clipping of boxwood tied with twine on plain craft paper. I also have a hearty lavender bush, and I love to clip from it because the leaves still have a light scent even in winter. My favorite paper is an ivory craft paper. (It's not all paper-bag brown anymore). Some green garden twine... cheap. And various dried florals. I work with dried florals so always have extras, but you can go outside and snip anything from your garden. Greeting cards have become ridiculously expensive for what they are, IMO. Instead, I use a lot of dried florals for greeting cards, too. Plain white or ivory stock cards from the craft store work just fine. I know an amateur photographer who prints his favorite landscape shots and flower close-ups, attaches them to the front of plain card stock, and uses them for thank-you's, birthdays, invites, etc. The handwritten message on the inside is what makes it so special. I'm wrapping a few special gifts today... I'll try to remember to take a photo.