Make Your Own Unique Wrapping Paper for a Special Gift

Want to make something with your own hands for that special person? Lack any kind of artistic talent? Not sure you can tackle anything that involves power tools? Got some poster paint or cheap craft paint and paper of some kind laying around? Then this is the perfect project for you!!

This piece of wrapping paper is easy, cheap and relatively quick to make. It is unique and will jazz up any gift you decide to give whether it be wrapped around a bunch of flowers or carefully folded over a box with a diamond ring. It is sure to catch a persons eye and make your gift extra special. What is better is that it is so easy you can even get the kids to do it just to keep the little blighters busy during the holidays.

Supplies

Paint - at least some primary colours and white if you want to make pastel colours.

A paintbrush of any kind - even an old makeup brush would do.

Paper - any kind, big as you can. I used an A3 piece here but old wrapping paper makes an excellent start and is big enough to cover most things.

Stencils and mark making implements. Be creative here, matchboxes, rubber stamps, the flat end of a pencil, an old credit card, anything with holes in it, a cardboard roll with string wrapped around it, make your own stencils by folding paper and cutting bits out like making paper snowflakes when you were in kindergarten. Anything you can find can be used to make marks or stencils.

Pens or pencils - Again, any kind. I used a white paint marker and gold and black permanent markers. You can use a liquid paper pen, ball point pens, coloured pencils, whatever you have.

Step 1: Grab Your Paper and Paint and Get Some Colour Down

As you can see I have used an old piece of A3 paper that lay paint covered stencils on during another project. No problem there just a head start on this project.

Squirt some paint out on a palette or even right on your paper and spread it around with the brush, no need to be worried about technique here, just get some colour down over the whole page. What ever colour or colours you like. I used yellow, magenta and orange in blobs about the page.

Step 2: Start Making Marks

I used a bright green and a dark blue and red along with the previous colours. I mixed the red and blue to make a purplish colour. I used stencils (I have a lot as I make them myself but you can use anything with an interesting shape or make your own stencils from paper). I sometimes let the stencils dry in between, sometimes I don't, depends on if I want clear marks or paint mixing as I go. Keep layering stencils and marks until you are happy with what you see then let it dry fully.

Step 3: Grab Your Pens and Start to Doodle

Doodling, you can do this while you watch TV. If you worry about what to doodle then just trace patterns you can see in the paper like I have here (I'm not much of a doodler myself). Just make sure that your paint is dry first, nothing will gum up a pen faster than wet paint and they never recover, trust me. Experience...

Step 4: Get a Bit More Paint and Add More Marks

You might look at your paper after doodling, like I did, and think 'I like it but it needs a little something'. Now its time to grab some paint in a colour you like and add a bit more if you want too. I added some circles in a contrasting teal colour using an old milk bottle lid.

Step 5: Let It Dry and Admire Your Work

It is beautiful, it is unique and you made it yourself with your own hands. You are awesome!

Use it to wrap that special gift or take it to your Mum's house and stick it to the fridge and be proud of how amazing your art work is! I know your Mum will be pleased as punch :)