Wrapping Paper DIY

Written and Created by PaperCraftCentral Susan

Are you out of wrapping paper? Or do you wish you had some that coordinated with your gift?

You can make some at home! And by the way, some wrappings don't need tape or glue or embellishments....

"A hug is the perfect gift; one size fits all, and nobody minds if you exchange it."

~Anonymous

Do you want to personalise your gift or to use decorative elements that suit your occasion?Maybe you would also like to get more from the craft supplies you already have.

If you have some rubber or acrylic stamps, why not make your own gift wrap? It can make your gift much more meaningful too as you can customise it to suit the taste of your recipient and show them that you have spent time creating a gift just for them.

I often take the time to decorate my gifts with my stamps and inks and usually, my efforts are rewarded with heartfelt thanks!

You just cannot put a price on this type of reaction to your tender loving care.

How to Make Wrapping Paper

Here's What You Will Need:

First gather some supplies. I usually choose something like this list:

• Some plain brown paper, such as the type you might use for covering book, or the packing paper from a Stampin' Up! order, or some plain tissue or paper
• Stamps and inks
• Scissors, tape, ribbon and a gift of course

Here's What To Do:

Step by step, you can make your gift wrap like this:

• Cut a length of brown, tissue, or scrap paper to the size you need for your gift
• Stamp images all over it, making sure some of the images go over the edges of the paper to add a more 'professional' and completed designer look
  
• In this example, I used three different stamped images and three colours of ink, and you can adjust yours to suit your occasion and your gift recipient too, of course.

There are so many ways you could decorate your own gifts.

I have shown you a very simple method, but you could get very creative with gel pens, glitter, paint, paint daubers, stencils, or anything else you want to use as decorative elements.

Paint or ink a smooth background, let it dry, then stamp on top of it with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.

Stampin' Up! usually has some decorative masks available like these Frosted Forest Decorative Masks. You could use something like this for a special occasion like Christmas!

See how far your creativity can take you!

Do you know what I think are some of the best stamps? It is when you ask your children to make colourful hand prints of their own hands in paint! Grandparents, aunts and uncles can love this sort of personalised touch from children.

Look around for interesting ties too, like shoe laces or belts or fishing line or thin, nylon rope that you already have in the house.Would this make a good tie for your present? I can just imagine a fisherman getting a gift tied up with fishing line and decorated with stamped images of fish!

Try using stickers or printed photos, punched shapes or cut outs from old cards to use as decorations on your base paper.

You could also experiment with different colours and textures as a base. Use tissue for a soft, feminine look, for example, or try linen writing paper or even make your own from recycled love letters.

There are dies for your Die Cut and Embossing Machine like the bow die (retired) below, that allow you to make lovely paper embellishments for your gifts too.

Have fun making your very own hand stamped gift wrap!

If you liked this idea, you might like to consider how you can use recyclable materials in your crafts, or make your own gift box.