DIY Wrapping Paper for Christmas

Today we are going to learn how to make Christmas wrapping paper that is unique to the maker and an extra little present to the recipient of your gift. This DIY wrapping paper starts with newspaper (a great alternative wrapping paper on a budget) as its foundation and then we add a little paint for DIY wrapping paper designs. This custom wrapping paper is so much fun to make. You can use it to simple wrap up your presents or form it into bags or pouches.

Here is a fun tutorial from diyjoy.com on how to make a gift bag from wrapping paper.

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Loving all of these Christmas crafts? Then this eBook of Christmas card ideas is perfect for you and your kids to make this holiday season! Click to learn more.

Save these DIY wrapping paper ideas for later. Pin to your favorite Pinterest board…

SUPPLIES FROM THE BAG

• Newspaper
• Pipe cleaners
• Paper plates
• Scissors
• Paints (colors of your choice)
• Q-tips
• Pompoms
• Clothespin
• Tape
• White yarn

It is true that we could be making this same homemade Christmas wrapping paper from rolls of brown or white paper, but we are sticking to what we already have in our bag. This is what we do for every craft here at “In the Bag Kids’ Crafts”. It is like a capsule wardrobe that we keep mixing and matching to come up with new outfits (outfits=craft ideas). By sticking to this list (which you can find here), we keep things simple and make it actually do-able for you to craft with your family, even when life is hectic. Just fill your bag, and you are ready to craft along to the hundreds of creations that you will find here.

Looking for something that you don’t see here? Drop us a line, and we will get our imaginations working overtime to help you make memories with your kids. You can find us at hello@inthebagkidscrafts.com

Step 1: Make the Homemade Stamps

• Get out your pipe cleaners and bend them into some Christmas shapes. You may need to cut them down into smaller pieces.
• Flatten your homemade stamps so that all surfaces will touch the paper.
• Give your stamps a handle by twisting on half a pipe cleaner.

*For little ones, you can help them or skip this step all together. Some alternatives to using stamps are making dots with pompoms, q-tips or fingertips. See the examples below.

You can shape a pipe cleaner into anything that you can think of really. Keeping it simple is best for stamping. Check out this video for making snowflake stamps (which we also used in making a beautiful Christmas card.)

Step 2: DIY Wrapping Paper Ideas

This step is rather self-explanatory. Choose a piece of newspaper that has limited pictures, mostly just print (and do not, for the love of God, choose the obituaries. No one wants a gift wrapped in death). I find that the classifieds or the business section often work best. If you want more color you can also opt for the comics, which will give your gifts a whole different look.

Lay the newspaper out and squeeze some of the paints that you have chosen for your DIY wrapping paper onto a paper plate. If you are stamping with a larger stamp, like the snowflakes above, you will want to put just one color on a plate so that you can fully cover the stamp and have room to test it without getting other colors on the custom stamp.

Stamp your handmade gift wrap with the pattern and design you have decided upon.

Now let’s take a look at some wrapping paper design ideas…

To make this custom wrapping paper, make a couple of pipe cleaner stamps in the shape of ornaments. A simple circle will work just fine. Use it to make the outlines of some ornaments on your newspaper. Then go back with a q-tip and add more detail. I finished it by using a small pompom to make white dots around the painted ornaments.

This DIY wrapping paper is the easiest there is. Simply squeeze a variety of colors on a paper plate and then use pompoms and q-tips to create a random polka dot pattern.

To create this homemade wrapping paper first create a pipe cleaner stamp in the shape of a holly leaf. Then stamp them using green paint in clusters of 2 or 3 leaves. Use a q-tip to make a line in the middle of each leaf. Now squeeze out a little red paint and make the berries for each section of holly leaves using your index finger or thumb. As a finishing touch, add some white and red dots around in the open areas.

This DIY wrapping paper idea only requires white paint. Make 2 snowflake stamps from pipe cleaners in different sizes. Stamp a pattern on the newspaper and add some dots with a q-tip to finish it off. See the video above for instructions on how to make the snowflake stamps.

Step 3: Wrap Up the Present

Wrapping presents with newspaper is easy. Now that your personalised wrapping paper is all set and ready to go…paint dried thoroughly, it is time to wrap the gifts. You will treat this newspaper just like any wrapping paper. Cut it down to the size that you need and keep the additional for another gift if there is anything left. Once your Christmas gift is wrapped, add some special details, like white yarn or a few pompoms. Each gift will be a unique little work of art.

Save these homemade wrapping paper ideas for later. Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board…