If you run out of excelsior (or whatever that shredded stuff is called) for a gift basket you're putting together and don't want to make a trip to the store to buy more, try this. If a rustic or "shabby chic" look will work and you have a paper shredder, a pair of scissors, and some brown paper grocery bags, you're all set.
Using your scissors, cut off any printing (store logo, etc.) and glued seams from the bag(s) and discard. Then run pieces of the rest of the bag(s) through your shredder. If you're using a strip-cut shredder as opposed to a cross-cut shredder and want a more finely shredded excelsior, you may have to use your scissors a little. I have one of the old strip-cut shredders and did have to use my scissors after shredding to get the look I wanted, but it was still faster than making a trip all the way to the store. (And cheaper too!) Don't forget to NOT run any of the bags' glued seams through your shredder; the glue is bad for the blades!
I keep 2 separate bags by my shredder for shredding gift wrap. Then I use the shreddings whenever I need shreddings for gift bags. I use one bag for Christmas paper and another for pastels.
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