Christmas is coming: DIY Gift Wrapping

 How to make your own wrapping paper:

This year I wanted to avoid tacky Christmas paper and do something a little more economical and enviro friendly. So I experimented with some potato stamps on brown paper today.

If you have already wrapped all of your Christmas presents... then I commend you for being super organised and winning at life. If not... and you are looking for something crafty to get you in the Christmas spirit, then please follow on:

Step 1.
Listen to "Santa baby" (or James Brown) to help get you in the mood:

Step 2: What you will need
Potatoes
Brown paper
Paint (I used only white, but you can use other colours)
Twine
Cutting/carving tools of your choice: knife, skewer, apple corer, lino cutting tools
Sponge
Twine
Scissors
Sticky Tape


Step 3:
Draw some designs in a note book.
Then experiment with your designs by stamping them onto a scrap piece of paper to see what works.
Try carving into the potato or cutting out shapes.
In the end I found it easiest to cut out simple shapes rather than carving intricate designs.



Step 4:
Coat your sponge with paint and dab onto the potato stamp. Carefully place it on the brown paper (it's harder to print on the shiny side of the paper). Leave the stamp to sit for a moment and then careful lift it off. They can be very slippery. Start stamping your pattern!


I found it much easier to break down my designs into multiple simple shaped stamps. For the ferns I used a single thin line of potato and then one leaf shape repeated.
To create a Christmas tree I just used a simple triangle and rectangle. You could do something really intricate by cutting multiple triangles in different sizes and a small circle for all of the baubles.


Step 5:
Once your paper has dried, start wrapping your gifts! Finish off with some pretty twine. You could add a sprig of rosemary as a final touch. (Mine died...due to lack of care)