I decided to utilise a piece from my fabric stash and, following in the footsteps of others, use fabric in place of gift wrapping paper. The Japanese have a name for the use of fabric for wrapping, not just gifts, but for transporting items. Below are images of the step by step process of using this process, which is called Furoshiki. (Yes, everyone knows how to wrap a present, but the fabric is so gorgeous, I couldn't resist putting images up on my blog!)

The fabric hasn't been hemmed, just folded and ironed, so it can be used for anything the gift recipient wishes to use it for! That is what I call recycling!

I whipped up an ottoman cover this evening, with some fabric a friend in London gave me. The ottoman is part of a revamp of the study. The study styling has to incorporate a Tunisian rug, Japanese and Chinese artwork, and the colour red will tie it together. Stay tuned to see how it turns out...