A bit of Christmas Creativity
Hello everybody!
If you follow me on Instagram, you have probably seen that I have a tonne of old wrapping papers which I save each year when celebrating Christmas. I even asked my followers if they did the same of if they thought I was mad… and believe it or not, the results of the poll were 50%-50%.
So, here’s my little secret… I don’t just keep nice wrapping papers for the sake of it… I actually use them! And I invite you to come along and have a bit of fun with me
How I came up with this project
A few years ago, I realised it was a shame so many lovely wrapping papers were only used once before being thrown away. And I wondered… could they be reused in some way?
Of course, there is the obvious… if you don’t completely tear the paper apart, you can reuse it to wrap another gift. But can you do something more interesting with it?
Yes, I could make something out of it! Greeting cards, for example.
The activity
So today, I invite you to use some of your wrapping papers (either from gifts that have been opened or from leftovers) to create lovely greeting cards!
I love doing that before celebrating to get in the Christmas mood, but I also enjoy making it last a bit longer. Isn’t it nice to give a new life to the papers which were wrapping the lovely gifts you received? And, think about it! you’ll have some Christmas cards ready for next year!
Materials and process
You only need a few things to get you started:
scissors (smaller ones are good for details)
glue (I use a stick, but you can use any)
Thick paper or cardboard, either one sided or folded.
Envelopes are optional
Wrapping paper leftovers
Take a piece of thick paper. It will serve as the basis for your card. You can fold it in half if you like.
Choose some bits of wrapping paper, cut them out and stick them on the card. If you have an envelope, you can add a bit of personalisation to it too!
And that’s it. As you can see, it’s really easy, but the possibilities are endless.
You have children around? Why not let them take part?
A few tips and ideas
You can make nice cards easily but just choosing a piece of nice paper and sticking it on the card.
Another simple way to do it is to stick a big piece in the middle of the card and then cover part of it with stripes in another type of paper.
If you want to go for something a little more complicated, why not cut out elements of the wrapping paper. Maybe there are little characters which could be placed in a landscape, or maybe you could make your own baubles or Christmas tree out of a nice paper.
In general, try and think about the type of papers you have. I like mixing thickly decorated ones with simple, monochromatic ones to have more contrast. Here, for example, I used plain red and plain green paper for the main shapes before adding details.
It is also quite a good idea to place everything on the card before gluing things on it; that way, you can change your mind as many times as you like.
Other ideas
Cards are only one of many items you can decorate with wrapping paper. This year, I decided to make some name tags as well, which was great fun.
Do you have any other ideas?
Don’t forget to share!
And that’s it for today!
Save your wrapping papers after (delicately) opening your presents and give them a new life. If you do this activity, feel free to share photos on social media using the hashtag #creatingwithlara. I’d love to see what you make!
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you for being around and enjoy the time with your friends and families.
Take care and see you next year!
