by Grace Hester of Grace Hester Designs

With the approaching holiday season, I am starting to think of ways to make it an extra special handmade holiday for my daughters this year.  We make holiday cards every year so I thought this year, we could extend the handmade aspect to the gift wrap too!  So I sent out a challenge to a few bloggers whose creativity in finding and offering simple but beautiful solutions have made their blogs must-reads on my feed reader.

First up, The Challenge:

The bloggers were challenged to come up with kid-friendly gift wrapping ideas.  In this challenge, “kid-friendly” can either mean something that kids will be able to make or that kids will have fun unwrapping.  As if that was not enough (I KNEW the caliber of these blogger’s work so I had to kick things up a notch), I added an extra criteria – that the materials used should be fairly common things already available in their respective homes, preferably scraps and leftover items.

I guess as the challenge-issuer, I should go first.  My daughter and I sponge-stamped Christmas tree patterns on kraft paper, to create our very own gift wrap paper.  Instead of using ribbon, I made a small pennant banner to wrap around the box.  At the end of the banner, I attached a small envelope with two removable hooks so that the child can hang up their pennant banner after unwrapping their gift!
For more photos and how-to, as well as for free printable files to create the pennant banners, visit my blog, Tales of the Multi-Tasking Mom . . . Named Grace Hester

Anna Liesemeyer, a graphic and jewelry designer, and Etsy seller at In Honor Of :
“If you have any old wallpaper samples, they actually make great gift wrap!  You can also head to a local interior design store and ask if they have any wallpaper books they are getting rid of.   To add an extra personal touch to their holiday gift, and to involve your kids in the gift-wrapping activity, have them trace the insides of their favorite cookie cutters on the back of the paper or embellish the front side. Coloring in and around designs with red, silver, or gold is a fun way to turn standard wallpaper into personalized Christmas wrap.”
For more photos and how-to, visit Anna’s blog, In Honor of Design

Joy Charde, artist and Etsy seller at TheArtofJoy:
“We are a big fan of doodling in my house!  One of my little guy’s favorite things to do is to “draw”.  He will literally sit forever and just draw and draw… My challenge – I have all these wonderful drawings with not enough room on my fridge to display them all.  So I thought this would be a great way to reuse his artwork – by converting them into gift wrap!”
For more photos and how-to, visit Joy’s blog, Creative Mamma

Jodi Kahn, author of Simply Sublime Gifts: High-Style, Low-Sew Projects to Make in a Snap
“ This yummy candy wrapping paper is so easy to make (and is sugar and fat free!)  You can make it yourself using a home scanner, or at a copy store, such as Staples (the do-it-yourself color copies at Staples start at just 59 cents.)  Simply place candies such as Swedish Fish, Lifesavers, or Peppermints, directly on the glass of the scanner or copier.  Place a couple sheets of paper over the candies, overlapping each other and covering all the edges. (Since the candies don’t lie completely flat, this helps the light from getting in when you close the lid.)  Then print away! Tape a couple printed sheets together if you’re wrapping a large package (or print on 11” x 17” paper at the copy store.) Use the left over candies to embellish homemade tags like the one featured above.”
For more photos and tag how-tos, visit Jodi’s blog, Simply Sublime

Grace Hester is a full-time working mom who transforms into a prints and paper goods designer during her free time.  She enjoys designing for the modern family and you can find these designs on etsy and reach her directly on twitter and facebook.