Hand Painted Christmas Wrapping Paper

Hey there! Have you ever painted your own wrapping paper?! This was a first for me and I really enjoyed it.  It was like creating a large scale abstract work of art!

Materials:

white craft paper roll ( I used Elmer's banner paper from walmart)

acrylic craft paints

paint brush

rubber stamps

ink

Abstract Paint Method: 

If you like to get crazy with acrylic craft paints, then this method is for you!  

1. Select 3-4 colors of paint and decide on a theme- your shapes can be abstract but still be loosely based off of real life.  I went floral, but you could also do circles, squares, trees, ..... anything.  That's the beauty of abstract art! 
2. Create shapes using one color at a time and evenly space over the surface of your paper.  I like to start with the larger shapes first and work down so that the smallest shapes are painted on last.  Since this is like a large scale painting- you can put your whole body into the painting motions.  It's so much fun!
3. Let dry.  This may take some time if you have thick globs of paint, but it's well worth the wait.  Once it's dry, wrap your presents in it, or roll it up and save it for later!

Stamping Method:

This method is for those who may not be ready to dive into full on abstract painting.  You can't go wrong with stamps!

1. Select 3-4 colors of ink and 3-4 different stamps to work with.  
2. Lay down your largest shapes randomly over the surface of your paper.  I was frugal with my ink and stamped several flowers from one inking, leaving some dark flowers and some faded ones. It gives it some nice contrast.
3. Stamp in smaller shapes to evenly cover the entire surface.  If you need a little extra detail, you can make dots with a sharpie!
4. Let dry and use!

How do you like to wrap your gifts?  I like to add home-made christmas tags and attach them with baker's twine.  Check out my DIY Christmas Gift Tags Tutorial for ideas on making your own tags.

Click the pin button in the corner of this image to save this idea for later!