If you find yourself out of wrapping paper, need an activity for your kids, or just want to get crafy with your wrapping this year, here are a couple simple and cost-friendly ideas.
More: The Ultimate White Elephant Gift Guide – All Under $25
DIY Watercolor Gift Tags
These simple watercolor tags are perfect if you want to add a more personal touch or color to your gifts this year … or you’ve found yourself out of wrapping supplies and dread a return trip to the store.
You can use this technique to easily make several to/from tags for yourself or to use as gifts or to decorate blank postcards or notecards.
Materials and tools:
- Watercolor paints
- Card stock or watercolor paper (60-pound or heavier)
- 2- by 3-inch business card
- Scissors
- Pencil or permanent marker
- To create the tags, trace a 2- by 3-inch business card onto your paper in rows using a pencil or permanent marker. Add watercolor paint (I used light aqua), to cover about a third of each tag, making the shape freeform and letting the edges fade.Add a second color if you want.
- Carefully cut inside the lines to create the tags.
DIY Potato Stamp Gift Wrap
Many of us have done this DIY project as a school or youth-group activity. But there’s no reason it can’t also be a fabulous activity to do with family members or even by yourself.
Materials and tools:
- Potato
- Blank wrapping paper
- Knife
- Paint (tempera or acrylic)
- Split the potato in two with a knife
- Carefully carve out a shape. Create your own or use cookie cutters to form your shape, then carve away the background. (Adults should help children with carving.) Make the cut deep enough to keep the edges of the potato base from picking up extra paint.
- Add paint to the potato design and stamp a pattern of your choice. Reapply paint after every two stamps.
Tip: Dry all the cut edges of the potato with a napkin prior to adding paint. This will help keep the paint from getting too thin from any added moisture and will also help prevent the potato from slipping.
Happy holidays!
Article written by Corynne Pless, Houzz
United States
Canada