What a great idea for gift wrapping, Susie! I love all your totems and your dining room too. Isn't it fun to be able to say where you got everything from and how much it cost? You appear to have a houseful of wonderful 2nd hand treasures. Thanks for sharing, Hose! he-he Calamity_j, your totems are very unusual. I like that little "king mouse!" And what in the dickens were the pieces from in the other totem? I'm dying to find out!

Your idea is great. I use one of those large plastic Rubbermaid containers for the rolls of gift wrap and I have room in my pantry. But a few years ago I finally realized that I just buy way too many rolls especially after Christmas when they're on sale. I like to wrap my presents and put them under the tree as part of the holiday decorations. So now I only buy solid color wrap and then decorate the packages with ribbons, ornaments and other little holiday decorations. I think it's a prettier look than the odd assortment of leftover paper that I always had. So now I've extended that principle to all my wrap- birthdays, anniversaries, weddings etc. I use an appropriate solid color and then get my thrills by using ornamental ribbons, silk flowers, ornate bows and other decorative items on the boxes.

I enjoyed the ideas. I give my kids,nieces & nephews money every year but like to make it fun. Can you tell me how the person baked the $$ in the bread idea? I am always looking for new ideas. Here are some I have used. The first year I orderd little snowmen ornaments from oriental trade catalogue. They were wooden and opened up and I hid the money in them, bought a cheap gift and wrapped the gift and used the ornament as a decoration to the gift wrapped box. I had to watch because they did not care about the ornament and threw them aside. I have one daughter in law who I have decided can smell $$$ and usually figures it out. In the past I have orderd plastic puzzle boxes but it is expensive. Also they did not have patience and hit the box with a hammer to get to their loot. I have used an old book and glued pages in back section together. Cut out a section dug like a hole and put money in. If you ever saw a hide-a- book, it is along that line. I also purchased the chineese take out boxes and filled them with fortune cookies. A special fortune cookie had $$$ in it. I have a pattern to make fabric fortune cookies(easy & Cheap) So I put the $$ in the fabric cookie you could use real ones but they break easy. Another take on this is to change the fortune to you will receive $$ in your future and wait to give it to them later in the day or in another time. I have used cd boxes nesting boxes picture frames, and balloons. I used stockings that I made for them and put $$ in it ,a double gift. Here was a favorite I ordered money machines-they were a small box with money printed all over and said money machine and a slit in the box and a tab that said pull. You taped the money together with removable tape roll it and put it in the box attache dto the tab & they pull the tab and money continues to come out. You could make them your self with any box or even use a kleenex box, cover it with play money write money machine yourself and do like above. They really liked this one. They assume by now it will be money every year. This year we bought a new house and have not sold the old one yet so they knew we were really tight on money and have heard that all year long so... I used a roll of indiviually wrapped toilet paper. Separated the roll 1/2 way in using a table knife and my fingers and folded the money and stuck it down in there. the card board roll inside bends but I straightned it back out fluffed the edges of TP. Put it back in its wrapper. I made up a poem about times are tough and we don't have much money so we wanted to get them something useful but funny. It went on about something that would last and they would remember how much we loved them all year through.(You are on your own there or e-mail me and I will send it). I have to admit this one really stumped them becasue at first they are looking around shaking the roll,turning it upside down and then got this look on their faces like I think they mean it and started thanking us for the gift and changing the subject real fast. I have to admit I had a funny look on my face and could not make eye contact. I can't lie very well. A few minutes went on and guess who figured it out?(money smeller girl)She was searching for it under the table so we would not see her just in case they weren't getting $$ I have anohter idea but some of my family live in differnt states sometimes thay are home and sometimes we ship gifts. I want to plan a scavenger hunt and wrap clue #1 then hide the clues #2 #3 #4 each wrapped of course until they find the final gift. I give them all the same amount so it won't matter what one they find or pick up. We also celebrate different days so that will help but will take some planning. 2009 I am going to use glycerine soap. I am going to the local craft store and buy supplies to make my own bars of soap around the money. I saw this idea in a catalogue but it was expensive and you did not get a guarantee on how much money was in them. I may make different shapes for different interests or not. I have 11 months to worry about that. I am always looking for new ideas so keep them coming. becca elf

Thanks for all the great ideas...I used the can trick and after about 5 minutes of our boys trying to figure out how to open it (and thinking their mom had totally lost it wrapping up a can of green beans) they gave up and went to the can opener...I have an opener that cuts the top off at the rim so it was easy to superglue it back on... I also used the fan trick too...The look on my son's face was priceless as that cash started flowing down...I hope my DH got a picture of it! My DS gave his GF an I-Touch and I wrapped it in about 10 boxes before she got to it...I took her picture everytime she opened a new box!! She was soo thrilled and had a great time opening it! Ya'll are the bestest...thanks for some great ideas!