Create Your Own Wrapping Paper: 3 Techniques

Nana and Papa are having a great time visiting with the grandchildren (and their parents!) this week.  Since I had actual kids to work with, I decided we needed to do a craft together. The two older kids and I had a grand time making our own wrapping paper.

Here's what we started with:

• Spray bottles (these from the dollar store didn't work that well. You might want to try some that can give you a finer spray and that won't break in use)
• Foam stickers
• Sponge shapes
• Shaped post-it notes
• Acrylic paint
• Shaped cutouts
• Stamps
• Plain wrapping paper or brown craft paper

I got these stamps  at the Dollar Store.  They came with finger paint. Fun, but took a long time to dry.
First we tried those stamps.

We started using more than one color on each stamp and came up with some pretty designs.

Next we used the acrylic paint and sponges.

For our third variety, we used the foam stickers, the post-it-notes, and the cut outs. We used an repositional glue stick on the back of the cutouts so that we could remove the cutouts better when we were finished. If I had been at home, I would have run the cutouts through my Xyron machine and applied temporary adhesive.

Next I poured about half a bottle of paint and some water (about at 2:1 ratio) into the spray bottle and shook it up. We sprayed the paper. Once the paint dried, we removed our shapes. This version didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. I also got paint all over Jordan's driveway. Next time, I will try it on a more absorbent paper such as brown craft paper and I will protect my surface!. I think it will be very cute.





Here are some of our finished products.

And here they are in use:

We had lots of fun making the paper-- and that's why we craft, right?

Fancy Wrapped Gifts

I'm guilty of wrapping presents rather plainly. Thank goodness for my friend Anne teaching me a better way. I give you: Fancy Wrapped Gifts!

Only a few details can transform a plain present into a gorgeous gift!

The wrapping paper is very pretty, but doesn't say a little girl's birthday. What it needed: ribbon and flowers!



A brooch adds bling to any gift and can be used over and over!

This gift is my favorite! A large feather was added as well as fabric pearl trim. Both are reusable!

Got any scrapbook embellishments laying around? Stick one on!

I have another friend who only buys white wrapping paper and dresses it up for any occasion with ribbon, bows and other embellishments.

More ideas of items to dress up gifts:

Jewels

Lace

Two types of ribbon on the same gift

Twine

Vintage keys

Miniature birds or another animals

Buttons

A flower hair bow (doubles as a gift!)

Fabric trims

Polymer clay shapes or gift tags

Beads or charms

Do you have any more fancy wrapping ideas? We'd love to hear them!

A few more ornaments and gift wrap idea

Here are three more ornaments that we have made over the years. They span the decades of the girls growing up as you will see.

From a looong time ago... this little ornament works for the under 10 crowd.

Remove the topper and then paint a small clear glass ornament with a clear glitter paint. When that dries, dot it with red and green acrylic paint. Easy!

From not so, so long ago

You will need a 2" clear glass ball, Mod Podge, tissue paper, glitter gold tinsel trimmed wire, and glitter

Remove the topper and put some of the gold tinsel inside the ball. You can add glitter, too. Then Mod Podge a few pieces of tissue paper on the outside of the ball. Don't cover the entire ball-- leave some clear spots, too. Sprinkle lightly with glitter before it dries. After it dries, replace the topper and twist some of the wire around the top.

Finally from just a few years ago, these were the favors at Brooke's December wedding.

One more craft for the kids. I don't have a picture, but it won't be hard to imagine it. We used to have big rolls of white paper leftover from my husband's work. One year at Christmans, the girls made stamps from potatos. (Cut a potato in half and then carve a design such as a bell, star, holly leaf, etc.) Then they dipped the stamp into red or green paint and stamped away. You can add GLITTER!!! to make it more festive. 

ENJOY!