Project: Christmas Tree Decoration

With Christmas not too long away, I thought I should get going with some Christmas projects. Last year I left it far too late, so I wanted to be a bit more organised this year!

This papier-mâché tree was the perfect thing to get into the festive spirit!

I started off painting it white, to create a background for some lovely Christmas decoupage paper from First Edition.

I then tore my decoupage paper into small-ish pieces. I brushed some Mod Podge onto a small area, placed my decoupage paper on top, and added another coat of Mod Podge. I repeated this until I had covered the whole tree, and used scraps to cover up any gaps I had left. Here is the finished article!

I’m pretty happy with how it turned out! I only ended up using 1.5 sheets of the decoupage paper for a 30.5cm tree, so I have plenty left over for other decorations and projects!

How to: Gift Wrapping

Gift wrapping can be a really fun part of gift-giving; especially if you are of a crafty disposition! You can go as creative as you like; add a simple ribbon to finish a present off, or start from scratch and decorate your own paper!
Papercrafter Magazine asked me to answer some readers’ questions about gift-wrapping last year in the lead-up to Christmas:

How can I give my Christmas gift-wrapping the wow factor this year?

Washi tape (or craft tape) is a great way of adding instant wow to any gift-wrapping! It is so easy to use, but very effective, and you can get some beautiful designs like these:

Another favourite of mine is to use Xcut palm punches with gift bags  and tags to create a silhouette effect. You can either leave the punched shape as it is, or add backing paper; glittered cardstock works really well, adding some sparkle to your design. Lining the gift bag with contrasting tissue paper is also a really nice effect.

Die-cut shapes and toppers add great dimension to your wrapping. You can use the die-cut shapes to embellish one present, and the silhouette of the die-cut shapes for another, creating beautiful wrapping, and making sure you waste as little as possible.

I love using kraft brown wrapping paper and bags, how can I embellish them?

Kraft wrapping paper and gift bags are an ideal blank canvas for any gift-wrapping you have. Whether it is for Christmas, birthdays, weddings etc, you really can create some beautiful wrapping that is personal to the occasion you are celebrating.

Stamps and ink are a great way to start; adding instant colour and theme to your wrapping, whilst still remaining simple and elegant. Gold and silver inks give a glamorous touch of sparkle to kraft paper that is really very effective. Red ink also stands out really well, and you can of course colour in your designs using Promarker pens/chalk/pencils.

Contrasting ribbon looks beautiful against kraft paper. Buttons and ric rac, as well as coloured bakers twine are also very effective ways of embellishing your gift-wrapping.

I’ve got loads of presents to wrap but not much time, what tips do you have?

Gift boxes and gift bags are ideal for people who are a little short on time to get everything done. They are so quick and easy to decorate and embellish, minus the hassle of getting tangled up in sticky tape.

Another tip is to decorate a full roll of paper in one go, as opposed to decorating separate pieces for each particular present. Wrapping paper will take a while to dry, so I tend to use my full table and stamp/decorate the whole roll in one go; this saves so much time in the long run!

Don’t worry too much about making sure every present is wrapped with heavily decorated/embellished paper. Mix it up with some more intricate designs, and other presents with a simple (but beautiful!) string of Christmas ribbon wrapped around it. We have some gorgeous velvet ribbon that would look stunning against kraft paper.

Handmade paper that is already decorated is also a quick way of skipping some steps! Secure it in place with ribbon as opposed to tape, and you can then re-use for next year!