My Wrapping Paper Artwork

A few weeks ago when I had purchased this amazing wrapping paper from The Container Store I had said that I planned to use it for artwork rather than to wrap gifts in. This paper is made of recycled cotton and was too beautiful to resist.

I wanted to do something festive for the holidays with it. I decided on a trio so I purchased three 8x24 canvas boards from Joann's that happened to be on sale.

I found some ornament images online and printed those out after having enlarged them to a good size.

images via here, here and Google

Alongwith the new wrapping paper and tissue paper I also pulled out some silver and gold paper I already owned.

 First I laid out the paper on the canvas and realized the creases were apparent across the center and would not look good so I proceeded to crush the paper more.

Then I sprayed the canvas and laid it upside down on the tissue paper.

And evened out the paper before the glue dried.

I made cuts on the top sides and folded over.

 Then glued with Loctite glue.

It was a little loose at the back.

I gave this time to dry.

Next, I decided to reinforce the paper by stapling it to the board so I used a staple gun.

I traced out the ornament images I had printed onto tracing paper and then onto the back of tissue and wrapping once I had determined which image I wanted in which paper.

Time to cut...

And move the ornaments around until I was happy with the mix, the layout and the look of each board making sure to have silver and gold on each.

I first used basic Elmer's School Glue to glue the ornaments on.

That red spot on the paper was there when I opened the packaging.

I did the silver star in two layers.

I used a hole punch to punch a hole in the top of this ornament.

Then came time for Mod Podge, of course. For those reading this in countries where this product is not available, this is an all-in-one glue, sealer and finish used for decoupage.

I decided to add some ribbon to the ornaments to complete the pictures and had some old ribbon in my stash of gift wrapping - some silver and some gold.

But as you can see, there was overlap with the ribbon and the ornaments. I had thought I would be ok with that but I was not happy...the ornaments are the stars.

So I cut another round of ornaments in the same paper and did another layer of Mod Podge over the first ones.

To give a sense of a framed look to the artwork I decided to glue some hemp I had around the sides of the boards multiple times until they were covered.

 

And now, here they stand on my family room floor until I have the time to hang them.

I had two small problems - the metallic ribbon did not adhere in a few spots. I guess it adds dimension. Also, I pulled a little too hard on the paper during my final (third) layer of Mod Podge on the third board therefore it has a deeper crinkle to it on the left of the star. I only realized this once it had started to dry and it was too late to spread it out. One has to be a little more careful when using delicate (in this case, tissue) paper. I love how this turned out, though. I have toyed with the idea of just glueing a bow of metallic string to a couple of the ornaments but I might leave that for next time. I did not get to the red wrapping paper but do have an idea for something for the next Christmas season.

You might think I have a lot of time on my hands but truly, I do not. Arts and crafts such as this one are done while I wait for my kids to get off the bus (starting an hour or a half before) and then subsequently after dinner. But these are also easy and really do not take much time once you have some vision.

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Please Note: I have not been compensated in any way for this post. The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely mine and are based on my experience with the products mentioned.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

Easy Tree-Shaped Napkin Rings

I wanted to share with you a way to add an additional festive element to your entertaining this season. My color scheme for the dinner table is shades of silver with touches of gold. I did not have enough napkin rings for thirty people (when I was planning this particular event) so I decided to make my own.

I came across this simple craft for tree-shaped napkin rings my Martha Stewart.

I bought shimmering gold scrapbook from Joann's and also had to pick up some silver ones as they did not have enough gold in stock. My kids love getting involved in the fun projects and my youngest had some free time on occasion to help me out with this. This was easy although it required some cut of thick paper. 

I proceeded to print out the tree template from here and traced it onto the back of the craft paper (I did silver and gold equally). And then we cut out the template.

I traced the outline onto tracing paper, then flipped it over and went over the tracing again onto the back of the scrapbook paper I wanted to use.

Then we cut it out.

I used pewter colored paper napkins.

I worked on putting everything together in a large tray. I folded each napkin over a set of flatware so they were held down in a pocket-like holder.

Then I rolled them.

And lastly, held everything together with the napkin rings - gold and silver.

I lined a couple of platters with silver paper doilies.

These pictures are just to give you the idea. I arranged them better on the day.

This idea was much appreciated on this particular evening. My own recommendation, if you do try this, is to use paper that is not too thick as that will make for quicker and easier cutting.

One could make these in any shape depending on the occasion. All one needs is the basic outline of an item - an ornament, a leaf, a balloon, for example. These could also be further adorned with beads or trinkets or something else decorative.

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If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa