My reusable Built wine bottle carrier‘s always gotten me compliments — while saving those rather useless little brown paper bags grocery store baggers like to put bottles in. But I just watched a video that now makes my reusable wine bag seem rather shabby.

Why buy a specific bag to carry wine bottles when furoshiki — a simple square piece of pretty cloth — can do the same thing more stylishly? Furoshiki’s a type of Japanese wrapping cloth that’s used to transport things — whether it’s wine bottles or a bowling ball.

Watch the how-to video below to see just how versatile a simple piece of silk cloth can be!

With the holiday season coming up, Furoshiki can be used as a gorgeous, reusable gift wrap too — something my wine bag won’t do as well. Planning on giving green books or a box of fair trade chocolates this season? Here’s another video from RecycleNow that shows how to stylishly giftwrap both of those using Furoshiki:

If you’re more of a hands-on instruction person, the Santa Monica Museum of Art’s put together a Furoshiki Food Drive and Art Workshop — and the class supports a good cause too!

Simply drop off food or personal care supplies at the museum at Bergamot Station G1, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica, between Mon., Nov. 16 – Nov. 21 (check the food drive list below to see what items are needed) — and you’ll get a free voucher for a Furoshiki Thanksgiving Bundles workshop with Jay Lizo on Sun., Nov. 22, from 2 pm – 5 pm.

You’ll also get a raffle entry for a 4-pack of tickets to KOOZA by Cirque du Soleil at the Santa Monica Pier — and a free Cirque du Soleil clown nose. The goods you donate will benefit the Ocean Park Community Center, which provides housing and services on the Westside to low-income and homeless communities.

Don’t have anything to donate? Then pay $10 to get into the furoshiki workshop — or become a SMMoA member to attend free.

Top photo by kirainet; bottom images via SMMoA

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