gingerbread house wrapping

There is nothing that I love more than simple ideas that can be executed on a budget! One of my favorite holiday tricks is to simply use a roll of brown paper, a white pen and a little creativity to make unique wrapping paper.

Brown paper can typically be found at the hardware store or home improvement store- a roll will coast around $5. There are all kinds of white pens out there by lately I am loving the Uni-Ball Signo Gel Pen.

Start by wrapping your presents with brown.

Then get creative adding simple, decorative and whimsical house drawings!

The result is pretty little packages that have the look and feel of gingerbread houses.

Looking for more holiday wrapping inspiration?

1. stitched gift wrap  2. gingerbread present toppers  3. puff paint wrapping  4. wrapping with nature  5.marbleized wrapping  6. holiday wrapping with paper bags  7. using beads in your gift wrapping  8. using book pages in our wrapping 9. black and white wrapping paper 10. gift wrap from the hardware store 11. wood grain wrapping paper 12. ways to recycle your wrapping paper

wood grain wrapping paper

I love creating handmade wrapping paper and this year I wanted to create some natural wrapping inspired by the outdoors. I decided to carve a large stamp that I could use to create the look of a wood grain.

My favorite supplies for making handmade stamps are craft foam and a wood burning tool. The wood burning tool will actually burn into the surface of the craft foam. It is a fast and easy way to carve stamps that can be used on a variety of surfaces. 

I carved a wood grain inspired pattern into the surface.

NOTE: carving blocks, scratch foam, wood blocks, gelli plate will all work for this project. You pretty much just need a technique that will transfer an impression of your pattern to your paper.

Next, I inked up my stamp and repeated the design on butcher paper and brown paper.

I just love how simple and pretty this pattern is! 

Looking for more wrapping ideas?

1. stitched gift wrap  2. gingerbread present toppers  3. puff paint wrapping  4. wrapping with nature  5.marbleized wrapping  6. holiday wrapping with paper bags  7. using beads in your gift wrapping  8. using book pages in our wrapping 9. black and white wrapping paper 10. gift wrap from the hardware store

black and white wrapping paper

As I have mentioned in the past, I never buy wrapping paper- in fact, it has been over 15 years since I purchased a roll of wrapping paper from the store! Instead, it has become a holiday tradition for me to make my own and over the years I have come up with all kinds of really fun, easy and FAST ways to create one of a kind wrapping. While black and white is not the first color combo you think of at the holidays, it is a really graphic and dynamic scheme especially for wrapping.

I always keep a couple of rolls of butcher paper on hand (especially during the holidays). You can find my favorite black butcher paper HERE it has a nice glossy finish that looks like traditional wrapping paper. 

Anything white will work on the surface- acrylic paint, paint pens, correction pens, 3-D paint, etc.

If you have the time filling the surface with pattern is a beautiful way to create artistic wrapping paper. I like to use a paint pen and simply draw all over the surface filling all of the space.

If you don't have lots of time using paint and simple marks or even stamping is a fast and effective way to fill the surface.

The result is really BOLD, dynamic and one of a kind wrapping that is certain to add a handmade touch to any gift!

check out more wrapping inspiration!

1. stitched gift wrap  2. gingerbread present toppers  3. puff paint wrapping  4. wrapping with nature  5. marbleized wrapping  6. holiday wrapping with paper bags  7. using beads in your gift wrapping  8. using book pages in our wrapping

easy ways to use 3-d paint in your wrapping

I am obsessed with using  Scribbles 3-d paint (puff paint) in all kinds of ways (see HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE) and I've found that its great to use to create fast, easy and creative holiday wrapping!

stitched gift wrap

So here is the deal- I don't think I have purchased wrapping paper in years (this is probably not a surprise)! I would never, EVER buy any kind of gift wrap when I can make my own so I am always looking for new ways to wrap holiday gifts. Since sewing has become such a big part of my creative life, I have been experimenting will all kinds of ways to create unique wrapping with stitched surfaces.

Here are some really easy ways to use stitching in your gift wrapping!

A piece of recycled paper bag makes for a great surface to stitch stripes.

Remember all those ideas for crafting with book pages that I posted a couple weeks ago? Well you can also sew on recycled book pages. Stitch a few pages together and stitch all over the surface to create texture.

Create a matching card by layering book pages and paper and sewing them together with a zig zag stitch.

Use fabric (just white muslin) and free motion stitch all over the surface- I created lots of loopy lines. I did not use any interfacing (typically used for stability under the fabric when free motion sewing) because I wanted the fabric to pucker for added texture.

Try stitching on felt- it is colorful and super affordable.

Stitching can also be incorporated into gift tags.

You can purchase a package of tags at office supply stores and transform them into something unique!

Stitch simple doodles on the surface

or even a simple image.

How about filling the surface with a stitched pattern?

You can even stitch fabric to the top of the tag

or create layers with fabric scraps.

Use scraps fabric or painted canvas and cut out simple shapes to create a unique tag.

Use felt and stitching to create leaves that can be added to the surface of a tag.

Take it a step farther and create cards full of stitching by layering scraps of fabric stitched to the surface of a paper card.

Use free motion stitching and write out a simple greeting.

Create cards with lots and LOTS of layers of stitched fabric with a stitched word.