It wasn’t an uncommon site – back in the day – for the moms in our lives to lock themselves in a back bedroom one December afternoon. I thought it was some sort of magic, how they went in and came out a few hours later rather refreshed (6 hours of peace and quiet will do that to a woman) with piles and piles of beautifully wrapped presents and about a dozen empty paper rolls.

All of that coloured fancy paper, ribbon and bows made my eyes pop out of my head. But, even though I L-O-V-E-D the sight of pretty paper and sparkles, I always felt a bit cheated that mom got to be the magic paper elf.

I wanted in on the gig.

Not that I had some sort of need to wrap. I wanted to wrap the presents I’d picked out for the family myself. They weren’t really from ME if mom wrapped them.

Years later, after learning that 95% of all commercial wrapping paper ISN’T RECYCLABLE (I was stunned), it occurred to me that I could once again put my childhood hangups to good use.:) – homemade wrapping paper

Homemade wrapping paper is a fun, easy way to repurpose old art work from the classroom, create fantastic, personal pieces that are sure to please the grandparents (that wrapping paper will get saved forever) and give your kiddos a chance to get in on the present preparation with that personal touch to make the holidays even more special.

It’s also a totally fun, simple way to turn a rainy (or chilly as is currently the case) afternoon into some festive good times.

Here’s what you need:

- Newsprint (you an get broadsheets from PJ’s on 14th and Cliffe) or free rolls from The Echo. You can also use old newspapers or printer paper for smaller gifts. If you are thinking eco, remember that construction paper isn’t recyclable.
- Paints, stamps, markers, stencils or anything your kids love to use to make art. Check out this recipe for Homemade Finger Paints and examples of Waldorf inspired Wet Watercolour Painting

Directions:

1. Do a bit of prep work and make sure you have a big space for paper decorating, lots of paper and all of the tools ready to go.

2. Make sure you have wall space or a place to hang all of the wet art BEFORE you get started. Trying to figure that one out as the first few pieces come off the drawing board is really overwhelming.

3. Let the kids get into the paper creation in any way they want to. Some older children may want to write poetry or try calligraphy, stencils are great for fine motor skill development. The little ones are best suited for some wild painting.

4. Let the wet artwork dry overnight and, as a final touch, have them sign their pieces and help decide what gifts get wrapped in their creations.

With the addition of some Handmade gift tags, a fun bottle-cap Christmas tree or a Toilet paper roll penguin, this homemade wrapping paper makes for a great way to get everyone involved and get your creative vibe on too!

Happy homemade holidays!!!