Festive Homemade Holiday Wrapping Paper

Looking for a way to keep the kids busy, or get them involved with a non-commercial holiday activity? With these fun holiday wrapping paper projects, the kids (or this would be a fun activity for a group of adults as well) can express their creativity and you’ll have original, functional gift wrap to show for it! 

For all of these projects you can use brown craft paper or white butcher or shelf paper. You will need to cut the paper into large sections to work with in order to make it more manageable. Set aside a large enough space to work where you can paint/stamp the paper and an area where the paper can dry.

Apple Wrapping Paper

You’ll need: paper, red acrylic paint or craft paint, apples, a knife, a black permanent marker or Sharpie.

Cut the apple in half vertically - each half can be used. Pour the paint into a shallow pan or a disposable pie plate. Dip an apple half in the paint and scrape off extra. Stamp apple prints onto the paper in whatever design you like. After the paint has a chance to dry, go back and draw little black seeds in the center of each print and a narrow stem at the top.

Potato Stamp Wrapping Paper

You’ll need: paper, variety of acrylic paint or craft paint, or ink stamp pads, a knife or exact-o knife, potatoes.

It is helpful to draw some ideas for stamps on a piece of paper before carving them into the potatoes. Unless you’re very talented, simple shapes work best when cut into the potato. Some ideas are a heart, star, smiley face, flower, sun, tree, or leaf. Cut a potato in half - each half will make a stamp. Carefully carve a shape onto the flat cut area of the potato. You might want to trace it lightly with a pencil or the point of the knife before actually carving out the shape. Holding onto the rounded skin-covered part of the potato, dip it in the paint or ink and stamp onto paper. Create your own design using several different stamps or by repeating one image. Let paper dry.