Wrap it Up!

Amanda recently posted about our families Christmas countdown with 24 books here. She tells how we made homemade gift wrap to wrap these books up. As my children were young we had so many family traditions and they are remembered fondly. With a new generation beginning I figure, why not start over with the tradition. It's the perfect activity to do on family night so here I go... featuring our recent fun of making gift wrap with a 2 1/2 yr. old.
Here's a pic of our supplies...

We use potatoes as stamps. In this pic we are using a miniature cookie cutter to make the shape, but we also free-handed trees and stars. I use a pencil to "engrave" the shape into the potato and a small paring knife to trim around it. Dab the potato on a paper towel when done cutting to remove excess juices.

Dip in a thin layer of paint and gently press onto your surface (we recycle grocery sacks and also use small lunch-sized sacks). Brown craft paper or butcher paper works well too. Look how easy this is for little hands. The bigger end of the potato are easy for Miss H to handle.

Here is some of the finished product. Lunch sacks and a wrapped gift.

I have actually wrapped the gift with the brown paper and then painted the whole gift if I wanted a particular pattern on the gift box.
The brown grocery sacks are very sturdy. I have been know to use them year after year to wrap new gifts. I have cut out the design and made gift tags. Folding them into small envelopes and sewing up the edges makes a cute way to give gift cards. The possibilities of recycling them keep coming to me and I am sure they will come to you as well.
Happy Christmas crafting.
~jan
I have linked to some fabulous parties.