DIY patterned paper to wrap small gifts

How often have you bought a little gift and run short of gift envelopes, or gift wrap paper? Or fretted over gift wrapping papers that get more pricey than the gifts themselves?

The truth is, a world of ideas exist to wrap gifts creatively. You can use paper bags, brown sheets, used envelopes, just about any paper that will allow you to put some paint on it. I pulled out some construction papers of A4 size from my stash and scoured objects around home. This project is fun to do and brings about the convenience of you getting to store it away in your desk. Try it on larger sheets and roll them for future use, or spend an hour ahead of an upcoming event and quick-make your wrapping sheets.

Some of the materials I used for this project, or kept handy:

-- gold finger fryums or tube crispies

-- used end or leftover roll of clear tape

-- lid of an old ointment tube

-- tissue roll cardboard from used toilet tissue

-- bubble wrap sheet

-- used sauce dip container

-- a pair of scissors

-- wool

-- construction paper - light colours (plain sheet)

-- acrylic paints - three colours including gold

-- paint brush

For the first paper, spread the paper out, take the tissue roll and some wool, knot the wool around one and of the tissue roll tube, roll it around the tube randomly.

Towards the end, knot it again.

Dab some paint on these threads using a paint brush.

Place this on one end of the plain sheet and gently roll on it.

Roll on till the end of the sheet. Dab some more paint with the paint brush on the rolled thread, and move to the second half.

Once you are done with the whole sheet, keep aside to let it dry.

Pick another sheet. 

Use the leftover end of a clear tape, which is usually made of either thick cardboard or plastic. 

Pour some paint into a container, dab the piece on it, and start stamping. Stamp random circles, or an imagined design. Spread the design out evenly.

Allow the sheet to dry.

I picked up the gold finger fryums for the next sheet, with some gold paint.

With the frym, there is a possibility of an air bubble forming when you dab it by pressing into the container with paint. You can get over the problem, by blowing a little air into the tiny tube.

Continue for the rest of the sheet.

You can stick to stamping the fryums into rows. But there is no need of fretting over precision with distance between each stamped spot.

After they dried, I simply tucked these papers away between other office files. I made them for gift wrapping of small gifts. But you can always use them to wrap little notebooks, decorate a file, Or simply frame them as art. You can also use them to wrap gift cards, make envelopes and so on.

It is a project your kids will love on a leisurely afternoon.

You do not have to spend fortunes on gift wrapping paper. And little things like your toilet tissue roll, bottle caps and the likes can be kept for such projects.

For permission to re-use, write to: radicreative@gmail.com

Pictures courtesy: Radhika M B