• For your graphic design/typography lover pals: check out this tutorial on ManMade. After vowing to give handmade gifts to his friends & family, wrapping them in mass-produced wrapping paper didn't seem right. ManMade created a "cool option that's clean, masculine, and maintains the typographic look of newsprint" using brown craft paper and pages from secondhand books. It's cheap, resourceful, and eliminates the need for gift tags! ManMade also generously includes downloadable templates with different fonts.
• For your art school/Andy Warhol loving friends: Because I'm Addicted and StyleHive collaborated to make this cool, geometric wrapping paper. With easy instructions, clear photos, and a video, making custom wrapping paper never looked so easy. You'll need to hit up the art store to purchase supplies, but the customized rubber stamp you create can be used over and over. This DIY is a great way to get your creative juices flowing and make Andy Warhol proud.
• For your foodie pals: Remember making stamps out of potatoes at camp and in art class? Those trusty stamps appear again here on ManMade. An easy way to repurpose those carbohydrates living in your kitchen, simply cut a potato or sweet potato in half and draw out your desired pattern. Keeping it simple, carve out the pattern, brush on a thin layer of paint, and stamp on plain craft paper. Repeat to complete your artistic vision and let dry. Voila! Be sure to remind your foodie friend that a sweet potato helped in creating the wrapping paper on their gift!
Whatever your friend or family's tastes may be, each of these tutorials offer great tips on making your wrapping paper stand out from the crowd. Now go have fun and create a visual present outside of the present!
MORE GIFT WRAP POSTS ON APARTMENT THERAPY
• Holiday Wrapping Paper Favorites
• Wrap It Up: Last Minute Gift Wrapping Ideas
• 6 Alternatives To Wrapping Paper
Images: 1-2 Manmade, 3-4 Because I'm Addicted & StyleHive, 5-7 ManMade
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Wow - laborific.
My friends should feel lucky when I actually take the time to wrap their presents, rather than sticking them in a bag.
I was just thinking the same thing! I usually wrap presents in the car before I go to someone's house.
I love that! I think the wrapping is just as important as the gift because if it's wrapped beautifully, you feel that much more special when opening it. My pet peeve is when people send gifts from websites directly to me so they're unwrapped.. it's so impersonal like they felt obligated to buy me something so they just go online and ship me something at random. I almost feel bad about it like I'm forcing them to think about me..
digitalteacup I AGREE! Wrapping the gifts is the most fun! I try to think of some original theme or color combination every year.
I love wrapping - almost as much as I love assembling IKEA purchases.
Beautiful wrapping ideas!
I love wrapping too! I always keep a roll of craft paper in stock because I love making my own paper.
This year, to spice up my boring, store-bought paper, I'm wrapping with yarn instead of ribbon. I'm a knitter and have lots of scrap yarn lying around that's perfect for tying up packages. It gives a real homey and cozy look. I've even made a few pom-poms to take the place of those wretched stick-on bows. If you have extra yarn lying about, I highly recommend trying this on a few boxes.
Well I love wrapping too, but I find the DIY part a little painful. So I always brought the UNICEF wrapping paper and only do the label tags by myself.
This year, I used some pictures I could fit in my album photo to create the label tags.
I hate wrapping becuase i worked as a gift wrapper at the mall for 8 years in a row. It got old. That being said I don't buy wrapping paper now, really just to save money. Instead I flip Trader Joes and Whole Foods paper bags inside out, cut off the handles, and use that as my gift wrap paper. It really only works with smaller gifts though. For larger ones I use old maps from work.
Great idea, but maybe DON'T use a book page that has text about death camps :/ Nothing says "holiday cheer" more than catching a glimpse of words like "brutality" and "high death rate" on the top of your gift.