The holidays are fast approaching and we’re all starting the anxious frenzy of shopping for the perfect gifts. Whether you’re thrifty, crafty, going green or just tend to procrastinate, handmade bows and wrapping paper may be just thing for you. Personally, I come from the school of brown paper packages tied up with string so I like to keep my presents simple and avoid store bought gift bags. The beauty of the projects below is you probably have all of the materials needed and if not, you can find them all at your local office supply or general store.
Handmade Paper Bows: Instead of buying a bag of horrible plastic ribbon bows in those awful colors, make your own using just about any kind of paper you’ve got around the house. I used a scrap of leftover wrapping paper but anything from a map to a page from a magazine would work!
TOOLS OF THE TRADE: decorative paper, scissors, ruler, stapler, double sided tape.
*tip: When using double sided tape for crafting I recommend buying double sided carpet tape at your local hardware store. It’s much stronger, comes in a wider roll and is much less expensive for the quantity of tape. You don’t want the super thick stuff, just the thinnest tape they carry. It will really stick so lay it down carefully.
DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut nine pieces of paper into 3/4″ strips. You’ll want them to break down into the following:
3 strips - 9″ long 3 strips - 8″ long 2 strips - 7″ long 1 strip – 3″ long
2. Twist each strip into the form shown below, stapling (or double sticking) the ends at the center. For the 3″ strip, simply shape it into a circle and staple or tape it closed.
3. Starting with the three longest twists, layer them evenly, securing each with a piece of tape in the cente
4. Then add the three 8″ twists, and so on. Finally, secure the small circle into the center with tape. Add a piece of tape to the bottom of the bow and you’re done!
Handmade Wrapping Paper: As I mentioned earlier, I love wrapping gifts with brown craft paper. You can buy large rolls of it at office supply stores for very little, it’s strong and most importantly, a lovely shade of brown. Sometimes I just keep it plain but if you want to take it up a notch, here’s an idea. Using a simple rubber stamp and a white ink pad you can take the paper from utilitarian to super cute. Some variations on this would be drawing with a white pencil, painting a design with white acrylic paint or making your own potato stamp!
TOOLS OF THE TRADE: craft paper (or any paper you want really), rubber stamp, white ink pad
DIRECTIONS: I find keeping the pattern even makes it look cleaner but you can stamp all over if it makes you happy! Weight down the corners of the paper so you have a nice flat area to stamp evenly. Let it dry, wrap your gift, stick on the bow and you’re all set!
Happy Wrapping!
