Sweet DIY Gift Wrap

With Thanksgiving behind us (Barely behind us...I'm still in a bit of a tryptophan stupor!), it's time to start thinking about the holidays ahead.  A few weeks ago, I was asked by one of my favorite craft and design loving gals, Grace Hester, to come up with some gift wrap ideas that kids would like, and if possible...that kids (and moms!) could easily make at home.  Well, you know me.  I love a craft challenge, especially if it involves coming up with an idea that looks like it took a lot of effort but is actually super easy to pull off. I turned to candy for my inspiration:

Not only is this candy wrapping paper super easy, it's also sugar and fat free! You can make it yourself using a home scanner or at a copy store such as Staples (the do-it-yourself color copies start at just 59 cents.)  Simply place candies such as Swedish Fish, Lifesavers, or peppermints, directly on the glass of the scanner or copier.  Place a couple of sheets of paper over the candies, overlapping each other and covering all edges.  (Since the candies don't lay flat, this helps the light from coming in when you close the lid.)  Then print away! (You may need to play around with the exposure and color settings to get the best results.) Tape a couple of printed sheets together if you're wrapping a large package or print on 11 x 17" paper at the copy store.

 

Use the leftover candies to make gift tags:

To make the tags, I dummied up the text in a word document.  For the "JOY" tag, I used a fun circus font called Romantiques that I downloaded for free.  For the "Ho Ho Ho" tag, I used a font called Onyx.  I ran off a few samples of the text on scrap paper first to make sure I got the size and colors right.  Then I taped a blank white gift tag directly over the printed text (using a few loops of tape on the back of the tag to hold it in place) and ran the tag, taped onto the paper, through my printer.  (That way, the text will print in exactly the right place.)  I glued on the candies and used baker's twine for the string.  

For more creative gift wrap ideas, check out Anna at In Honor of Design, and Joy at Creative Mama who also took on the challenge.   And thanks to Grace who got us all together, and who will be offering more inspiration over at Oh My! Handmade Goodness.

 

Comments

[Marisa]

I love this idea! Maybe I *should* go buy a scanner...

[grace hester designs]

Loved this ideas and when I read it, I thought, "So clever!" :o) Thanks for participating in the challenge and I hope to have a chance to work with you again in the future.

Cheers,
Grace

[all women stalk]

These are the cutest wraps I have ever seen! Amazing idea and creativity! And the best thing of all, they all look pretty simple to make. That is what I always look for when searching wraps, it must be easy yet very unique. With its uniqueness and simplicity, this will be the perfect wraps for your gifts this coming Yuletide season.

[all women stalk]

This is a sweet thing to do when wrapping our gifts for the Holidays. Aside from it is personalized, I like the idea of bringing out the imaginative skills within us. One of the best part in giving gifts is to wrap it on our own. Thanks a lot for the great tip. Even my kids can do it on their own but with our supervision.