Hello Crate Paper fans! It's Tara here to share a little post that I'd like to call "Crate Scraps to Gift Wrap". Now that we are inching ever so closer to the Holidays, it's time once again to start thinking about presents and gift wrap, and what could be better than creating your own handmade gift wrap from all that scrap-paper you've been holding onto?!
I'm going to start off by discussing the topic via a recent gift wrapped box I recently made - housed beneath a pretty, large-sized butterfly that is sure to delight a friend or family member..
My FIVE favorite ideas for handmade gift wrap!
1. Start with a color scheme and choose about 3 or 4 colors. You'll be surprised at how simple gift wrapping becomes when you limit the choices of colors you can use. By sticking to just a few colors, you can organize your supplies accordingly and hopefully, this will save you time! For this particular wrapping, I went with the warth of Fall and balanced it out with snippets of both Grey and Cream.
2. I try to make it a point to reuse as much of my paper scraps as possible. I'll use my paper punches to punch a shape out of every last little piece of scrap paper. Once my punched shape collection has grown, I sew the paper pieces together and create paper garlands that can be used to wrap around gift boxes! (To keep your garlands nice and neat (and untangled), wrap each one on it's own spool!)
3. I love the layered look of gift packages and it's easy when you layer a combination of colors and textures together. To create a layered gift card, I started with a vintage button card and decorated it with a few of Crate's lovely buttons, along with a self-made pretty floral. I then took one of Random's Accent Cut Cards and wrote a little note on the front of it. I partnered the two cards together with a scrap of canvas and a cute petite clip.
4. Use your paper punches or hand-cut shapes to make dimensional embellishments. (You can also use foam pop dots in between the layers of paper to give your embellishment more dimension) I always create one large embellishment for my gift wrap, these will replace the traditional bow on top the gift.
5. Go Neutral! You can never go wrong with Crate's infamous tone on tone pattern papers as wrapping paper for a small gift or instead, opt for ledger paper (as I've noted below). They lend seamlessly to colorful additions to placed on top the gift!
Lastly, FIVE simple must haves for a lovely gift!
1. A Neutral gift wrap paper. I love vintage ledger paper, map paper and flocked wall paper.
2. Handmade paper garlands.
3. Ribbon to tie and hold everything together.
4. Layered gift tags
5. A grand gift topper!
Hope you enjoyed a few of my ideas on creating your very own gift wrap and remember to save those scraps! I'll return next week with an entirely new series of holiday gift wrap images from Crate's Peppermint Collection! Have a lovely weekend! ~ Tara Anderson
This year I want to do a December Daily - I've been in school for the last two years and just didn't have time! And I also want to make some mini albums as gifts for family, and a little something for my close friends... haven't figured that part out yet, though. Thanks for the opportunity! I love this collection :) Posted by: Gwen | September 01, 2011 at 09:18 AM
This year I am going to wrap up 24 books, and we will open one each night at bedtime. I am also going to make more tissue paper balls to hang above the table, and start a tradition of making one new ornament each year with the kids.
Love the new peppermint line! Posted by: Anna | September 02, 2011 at 09:17 AM
I came across a wreath idea for halloween yesterday (made of a bunch of fan flowers) that I a dying to do in pretty xmas papers :) now just trying to cool my heels until it is a touch closer to the winter holidays! Posted by: Andrea Jones | September 01, 2011 at 10:07 AM {Facebook}
Gwen, Anna & Andrea, please forward your info to [email protected] so that your presents will find you in time for them big projects! Congrats once again!
A HUGE thank-you to everyone that left a comment about their soon-to-be-started holiday project idea! We encourage anyone that hasn't already, to seek out inspiration from the comments posted, especially if you're still adding to your "gift list" of homemade creations!! September's a great time to get started on them projects, too! If you've a Peppermint something or other to share, send it to us!