Wrap It Up: DIY Wrapping Paper

I have a very specific vision when it comes to color schemes, especially at Christmas. My tree is a mix of Magenta, Silver, White/Pearl, with a dash of black velvet and rhinestones. We recently moved into a new home in April and as the holidays came closer I realized that my living room had to be re-painted in order to accommodate my Christmas decor (True Story) Bye Bye burgundy, hello magenta!

I have come to find out in lieu of using only silver paper which is easy to find I have a hard time acquiring corresponding wrapping paper. The prints and tones that are cohesive seem to be difficult to find and when I do they are so expensive. So I took on the task of creating said wrapping paper on my own.

I also love to include my kids in as much as I can when it comes to creating. Life is so busy and moves so fast that each moment I get to spend with them is really my ultimate goal (and subsequent reward).  My five year old daughter Kaleigh was thrilled to be my paper princess and help me paint our custom wrapping paper.

It took only a few hours and it was a lot of fun.

What You Need:

*Rolls of brown packing paper (buy from the dollar store as it seems to be a little thinner than the 3M brand and easier for wrapping). (Cost $2)

*Acrylic paints in a variety of shades and tones that are cohesive with your color pallette. I used metallic pink, pearl, matte purple, magenta, metallic silver acrylic paint and spray paint. Also brushes (I had on hand) and a small craft roller (Approx Cost: $10)

*Creativity

How We Made It: 

We decided on 4 designs/prints (3 pictured below). 

We painted and left the paper outside to dry. Acrylics are fast drying, especially outside.  

Once dry you can start wrapping. I got ribbon and tulle to use for bows and I printed off black and white photographs to use in place of traditional "tags".  I placed the image of the person who belonged to the gift on the front and in some cases signed who is was from. If I had an image of the two people together (from/to) I included that photo.

These are the first 3 gifts I wrapped with my custom paper. I have a lot of paper to come from the two large rolls we painted. I want to ensure that everyone in the family receives a custom wrapped gift Christmas Day! It is a great conversation piece and your gift recipients will be delighted with the thought and effort you put into their gifts AND how you WRAPPED IT UP!

How do you WRAP IT UP?  

Share your traditions and/or ideas in the comments below!