homemade wrapping paper

i was needing to wrap up some gifts for work and wanted a special touch- so i decided to make some homemade wrapping paper to use along with my tags and charms.

i had a roll of vintage player piano paper and used that as my substrate. i wanted something that was a continuous roll so i could paint a large area and then, cut into strips to use on my packages.

the lighter blue color is actually paint, and the other colors added were a spray ink. some of the ink i sprayed directly onto the paper, and others i used a stencil. i also was not concerned about going all the way to the edge of the paper. if you look close to the right hand side you will note the words for the song. i did not want to paint over that- i wanted to be sure and save that edge so the person receiving the gift could see it and i thought the neutral color of the paper was a nice contrast against the colors.

the longer runs in the paper made it slightly more fragile to work with and did require me to use extra washi tape when attaching to my packages; but, i figured that was part of its' charm. i finished the wrapping up by adding one of my homemade tags and charms to each package.

each gift was similar yet different and made just for my employees.

i loved the way the whole packaging came together for these gifts.

hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

birthday wishes

yesterday was my husband's birthday and no one (in this household anyway....) can have a birthday without a homemade card. or more a postcard- i used circle scraps, and i had used the diamond stencil and laid it onto another paper, and allowed to dry. using the book paper is somewhat flimsy- so, i glued it onto a piece of black cardstock for support and then, sewed the whole thing...love sewing circles and the little zig-zag off the page. top off with a stamp (mixed media essentials found at Paperbag Studio), and some washi tape.

 and what present doesn't want homemade wrapping paper?!....well, this one did! so, i painted up some newspaper with acrylic paint, stencils and again- some stamping. birthday done!

homemade wrapping paper

homemade wrapping paper, a photo by alteredstatesstudio on Flickr.

my daughter needed something to be wrapped- i said, "no problem!" and went to my studio space and whipped this up. i used a half sheet of newspaper, acrylic paint, and inks, a few little strips of polka dot washi tape and a little tag, and poof! wrapped present!....she then said, "i didn't know you were gonna go all out!" i can't help that i saw the opportunity and had a moment to do something with it....