The return of the holidays implies pulling out the wrapping paper again — or running out to purchase more. This year, style editor Sarah Hartill chose she wanted a much more handcrafted look. With a wood-block stamp, a roll of kraft paper, a few hours and a little help from her kids, she made her own original wrapping paper. Here’s how:
Materials & Tools
Small wood block
Jute twine
Rubber bands
Roll of kraft paper
Sponge stamp pads
Step 1. get a small wood block or other durable base for your stamp. Then, choose your stamp ink colors. Sarah picked a rich, festive red and snowy white, but you can also use tried-and-true red and green or add some sparkle with metallic ink. For better ink transfer, choose a stamp pad with a sponge soaked in ink rather than a cloth.
Step 2. wrap the wood block in jute twine or rubber bands, leaving a bit of space between each strand or band and being careful not to overlap the jute or rubber (If one part of the stamp is too raised, only that section will make an impression). Twine makes a stamp with a looser pattern; rubber bands will give you cleaner lines and a much more solid color.
Step 3. unroll several feet of kraft paper on a large table. working roughly in a straight line, stamp the paper. If you don’t mind a little fading, reapply ink after a few stamps. If you want a stronger pattern, reapply after each stamp. let dry for 20 to 30 minutes, then unroll much more paper and continue stamping until the roll is covered. wrap your gifts, tie with jewel-toned ribbon and stash under the tree.
Kraft paper, twine, stamp pads, DeSerres; ribbon, Mokuba; wall color, Creamy White (W-D-710), Behr.
Get much more diy & home improvement ideas in our guide.