Making our own wrapping paper has been an annual event in my family for as long as I can remember. It's a beautiful and fun way to personalize our gifts to each other and add some variety under the tree. Mama-la-la would haul down the roll of butcher paper as my sister and I brainstormed and sketched designs to painstakingly carve into potato stamps - simple silhouettes of trees, stars, and bells.
The designs got more intricate each year, eventually including a striped candy cane, skis & boots, mittens, a scarf, and even a 2-piece stamp of a present wrapped with a bow.
Mama-la-la gets high-class with it, breaking out her stenciling skills. Personally, I stick with the classic potato stamps.
Tools:
-big potatoes
-sharp little knife
-paint and trays
-big paper
Tips:
-Draw your design with a pencil before carving it out with the knife.
-Cut a handle into the back. I learned from experience that this is a BIG help when it comes to stamping.
-Cover the stamp with paint, trim any high spots.
-PRACTICE on an extra sheet of paper. Potato + paint = slippery = smudgy prints
My 2009 Collection:
3 comments:
Just came across your blog browsing through blogger. I love the idea of making you own paper w/ stamps! Thanks.
Here's my blog if you ever need reading :-) http://jwmisadventures.blogspot.com
besides potato printing, cat foot printing is also fun (use a mellow cat tho)
J - glad you found me! I will check out your blog, thanks!
K - Haha, maybe I'll try getting Roger involved next year. He's a pretty mellow dog...
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