Easy ideas for gift wrapping — creative and quick!

Leave your print on the holidays

For a truly one-of-a-kind gift wrapping paper, just let your kids’ fingers — and toes — do the walking. Using plain white or tan (kraft) shipping paper and some non-toxic paint, you can create a lovely wrapping paper that friends and family members, especially grandparents, will love. Kids not only can help with this project, but they become the most essential part of it!

Start by placing newspapers on the ground to pick up any stray paint. Then unroll and lay a large section of your kraft paper in the middle (if you can’t find this type of paper, just use the plain white inside of regular wrapping paper). Sit your child down with his or her bare feet sticking out, then put enough non-toxic craft paint on the feet to cover them completely. Place your child on the paper and have him or her walk around on it, and in seconds you have your own custom design! You also can have your child create a design just using his or her hands. For a more fun design, wipe the paint off the feet and/or hands, put on a different color, and then start the process again. Let the paint dry completely and soon your wrapping paper is ready to use! View the video tutorial below to see the entire process.

• Select a paper that will be sturdy enough to handle your child walking of pressing on it without it tearing up easily.
• If you end up using the reverse (plain) side of regular wrapping paper, when the person opens the gift they will get the “bonus” pattern!
• Go easy on the paint, as a little will go a long way. It’s best to have to reapply the paint a few times than to have too much paint at once and have gobs of it on the paper, which will be messier and take longer to dry.
• Do this project the day before you plan to wrap your presents (or at least several hours before) to make sure the paint has dried completely.
• Wash your child’s hands and feet thoroughly when the project is done.
• The smaller the child, the more prints you will get on the paper.
• If your pet tolerates it, this could be a fun project to do with it, too. You might even incorporate pet paws on to the same paper as your kids’ prints (do the kid prints one day and the pet days the next, waiting for those to fully dry, too).