Erin Fox
Lots of brown paper and some artistic flair can create fabulous wrapping!
There is no prettier picture than dozens of wrapped presents sitting under the Christmas tree. It looks just like a scene from a Christmas card when each present has different patterned paper. Good quality wrapping paper can be expensive and if you want different paper for each gift, you could end up spending more money on paper than you do on presents. Less is more so with lots of brown paper and some artistic flair you can create some prize deserving wrapped presents!
Place your gifts inside old cardboard boxes; this makes wrapping easier and this way your family will never guess what youíve got them! You can also use old maps or photo copy some music manuscripts to wrap your presents in also. Lay out a sheet of brown paper, large enough to wrap a present in, and stamp tiny stars or snowflakes all over. For a quicker method, use spray paint and a stencil.
Wrapping
To wrap the perfect Christmas present you will need: a roll of brown paper, ribbon, raffia, string, tinsel, foliage such as holly, ivy and mistletoe (if you can find some), pine cones, dried fruits such as oranges and apples, buttons, miniature baubles, scissors and sticky tape.
To dry out the fruits, arrange the slices in a single layer on a piece of muslin on a wire rack. Leave to dry in a very low oven preheated to 49 degrees for one hour. Increase heat to 60 degrees and leave for another 3 to 6 hours. Alternatively you can string the fruits up above the fireplace over an open fire until they completely dry out.
Gift tags
Donít stop at DIY wrapping paper; dress up brown paper luggage tags to make beautiful gift tags. Use card to cut and make your own gift tags, any shape or size. Cut out stars, Christmas trees, baubles and anything else you can think of. Cover with some glue, sprinkle over glitter and leave to dry. Draw the shape you want on some card. Cut out and punch a hole near the top and then thread some string through. Write names on the gift tags and attach them to the presents.
Have a competition at home for the most creatively wrapped present. The prizes can be the first chocolate bauble off the tree or the privilege of lighting the next candle on the family Advent wreath.
