What I love about Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries is the happiness of giving gifts. Along with the gifts also comes the wrapping, and I know a lot of people that really hate doing this.

Not me! I would spend a holiday wrapping, because I always figure out a way to deliver a funny good looking gift. Since my friends are always asking me for help when wrapping  presents, I should call myself the goddess of wrapping, you know…

Anyway, if you ever need an idea for wrapping a gift with low effort and also have an unique cover for your present, here’s the article for you!

The Striped Style Paper

You can paint your own paper in minutes and turn a plain white stationary into a designer wrap that would amaze any friend. I usually choose three colors – two that make a contrast and one that is subtle and neutral. As the idea came to me while I was preparing for Christmas, I chose red, green and gold for a start. I love this color palette so much that I actually used it for my logo. Just take a short look above, at those red letters in the header of my blog… Can you spot the resemblance?

You can use watercolors or acrylic, but I opt for the latter one. Acrylics are more flexible and don’t tend to break when dried, as the watercolors do.

You also need a brush or two, a small recipient of water and a napkin or a piece of cloth to clean the brushes. If you want to mix colors, then a plastic painting palette would be useful too.

Use a big brush to wet the paper, so the color would melt one into another and leave nice traces.

Once the paper is wet, trace lines of color with the brush leaving empty spaces to fill with the next color. Repeat the operation with the second color, then with the third one.

Think about the color balance from the start so you could leave enough space for each color. Start with the color you would use the least, so you could add them as you work till you get to the balance you are aiming for.

Let the paper dry, then use it for wrapping. Find a ribbon in one of the colors you used for painting, and tie a simple bow for your wrapped gift.

I love my painted wrapping paper, and the genuine crafted still exquisite look it has. The colors look much better than you see them in the picture above, and they actually breathe the Christmas spirit.

Use the same technique, but different colors…

…and your wrapped gift would look more like this:

The Stamped Style

If three colors are too many for you, then stick to only one. Gold would be a great choice, for example.

You cold stamp some red stars on it later, like you see in the picture below. That’s what I did using the cork stamps that I’ve done by myself. If you want to know how to craft the stamps, read about this project HERE.

The Spotted Style

Use the same materials as for the striped style, but choose brighter colors, for a higher impact. Cover the paper with a thin layer of water, then start painting spots in different colors.

Again, take care about the color balance when choosing the color and also painting the spots. Look for a proper ribbon, and here it is, your lovely colored gift!

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The Hawaiian Style

Or you could opt for a Hawaiian look, and set for a more elaborate design, using watercolors and ink:

It takes more than a minute to do it, actually it might take a few hours depending on your ability to doodle, but believe me that it’s really worth the effort. Let’s see how to get there!

Wet the paper in blocks leaving a couple of millimeters between them, and then color each block in a different color. Don’t mind if they melt into each other here and there, it will be useful for your design.

Use a thin marker or a black ink pen to draw borders for each color, even if the limit is not quite regular.

Once the borders are drawn, put your mind and hand at work and fill these blocks with different doodles.

The final look is awesome. Actually, I loved it so much that I turned it into a nice picture on the wall above my working table even if its primary purpose was different than its final use.

If you love to doodle, but what you saw above is too complicated for you, I recommend an easier option, that you can follow step by step if read THIS ARTICLE.

Did you ever try to paint your own wrapping paper? Don’t be a stranger and share your thoughts and ideas, I’ll be happy to know what you think.

Share this tutorial with your friends! Who knows which one of them will surprise you with a gift wrapped in a lovely personalized paper!

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