Elevate your gift-giving game and create stunning DIY Christmas gift wrapping that is sure to wow everybody!
I’m going to show you the creative ways I used to wrap my gifts. Some of these are super simple and others require a little more creative input.
So choose how much effort you would like to put into your gift wrapping. Consider supplies you already have around the house because it’s always good to use what you already have.
Even if you don’t have everything I did, I know these ideas will get your crafty sparks flying!
If you like these ideas, I know you’ll love my post with 38 unique Christmas gift wrap ideas.
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Table of Contents
DIY Christmas Wrapping Paper Basics
Finding supplies you have lying around the house is a great way to get started with this craft.
To give you some inspiration, I’ll go through the embellishments, fabrics, and papers that I used below.
But first, here are a couple of things to keep in mind:
You should decide on a theme/color palette first. Usually selecting just a color palette is the best option. This will allow more flexibility. You can however also choose a theme such as vintage or animals etc.
To wrap the gifts, I used simple plain white paper and brown/kraft paper. I had a big pad of large white paper sheets, it wasn’t even actual wrapping paper. I have also used a roll of kid’s art paper before too.
Now when it comes to selecting patterns and colors, keep that color palette or theme in mind. Although I have used Christmas gift wrap, you absolutely don’t need to use an actual Christmas pattern.
Given I had some scraps of the previous year’s Christmas gift wrap, I decided to work from those.
I personally like to balance traditional Christmas patterns with organic/leafy patterns in the same colors. You can absolutely mix your patterns too!
Tip #1: Mix Patterns
A couple of tips for mixing patterns are:
- Keep the colors the same
- Combine a small pattern with a large pattern
- Mix organic patterns (floral or flowing) with geometric patterns (stripes, hexagonal etc)
- Mix simple geometrics (spots, diagonal lines etc)
- Add texture (more below!)
Tip #2: Add Texture
Don’t forget to use texture! Texture can also be used to bring in other patterns.
Opposites work well together. The smooth gloss of the paper matches nicely with the rough twine. Or a metallic wrap with a soft velvet ribbon.
Tip #3: Layer, Layer, Layer
When you approach your gift wrapping one layer at a time, it’s far less overwhelming. For example, you could add layers similar to this:
- Your first layer of paper;
- A band of fabric;
- Wrap some twine around the fabric;
- Finish with a tag
Tip #4: Add Neutral Colors
Pick your basic colors and draw them out. Given I used kraft paper, I liked to add twine and burlap trim. I also used white embellishments to coordinate too.
Depending on the look you are going for, you can bring in metallics like gold or silver.
Selecting Supplies for Your Christmas Gift Wrap
Okay, here is the list of supplies that I used. As I mentioned, be sure to look for any supplies you already have. Scraps are especially useful for some fun wrapping ideas.
- Brown paper
- White paper
- Fabric Scraps
- Gift Wrap Scraps
- Twine
- Various Ribbon/Ribbon Scraps
- Burlap Mesh Trim
- Paper Doilies
- Rubber Stamps
- Rubber Alphabet Stamps
- Foam Stamps
- Foam Alphabet Stamps
- Ink Pads
- Craft Paint
- Glitter Glue
- Gemstones
- Buttons
- Decorative Star Pegs
- Bells
- Gel/Paint Pens or Markers
- Craft Glue
- Paper Punch
This does look like quite an exhaustive list. You absolutely do not need to use all of these!
Having said that, there are many other supplies you could use for some creative DIY Christmas wrapping paper… scrapbooking paper scraps; vinyl, balloons and so much more. Let your imagination run wild!
DIY Christmas Gift Wrapping with Bands
Some of my gifts were wrapped using one, or multiple band wrappers. I cut the Christmas themed paper and then layered it multiple times with twine.
For other gifts, I used a burlap mesh trim. Then I wrapped a floral fabric band followed by several wraps of twine. For some added depth and color, I tied some cute red owl ribbon around the twine.
For this particular gift, I also used paint and letter rubber stamps to stamp the recipient’s name.
My absolute favorite way to decorate my Christmas gifts was to make these cute paper doily flowers! Or perhaps they’re more like snowflakes?! After attaching them, I finished the flower off by gluing a gemstone to the middle.
Hand Stamped Christmas Gift Wrap
Another way to make the plain brown paper interesting is to stamp your own pattern. I had a white ink pad and some Christmas rubber stamps that I purchased years ago but never used.
I was able to stamp a repetitive pattern over the kraft paper as it was porous enough. However, when I was stamping the white paper, I had to use craft paint as the ink wouldn’t have stayed or been as vibrant.
I rolled out a decent amount of paper and then stamped the Christmas trees. Once I’d done that, I dabbed a red dot on the star using some glitter glue.
In the image below you’ll also see that I stamped some kraft wrapping with stars. For this, I used foam stamps and red paint. I intentionally didn’t repaint the stamp each time as I wanted some of the stars to be more faint.
Adding Names to Your Gifts
I have touched on adding the names a little already. When it came to including the recipient’s name on the gift, I used a variety of ways.
My favorite was definitely stamping their names on. I had a set of large foam alphabet stamps that I used. For smaller gifts I was able to use a set of small rubber alphabet stamps. I always used paint for these.
As you’ll see in the stamped star wrapping above, I stamped the name ‘Kim’ however it didn’t really stand out against the patterned paper. I then traced around it with a white paint pen.
I also included a ‘from’ name on each gift. For most of these, I hand-wrote it with a marker or colored fine-tip pen.
Some gifts also had a tag that I made using some paper punches, or cutting out with scissors. I then either wrote a name on the tag or stamped a little Christmas picture.
Additional Toppers & Embellishments
In addition to making some doily flowers (there’s another small one above!), I also made one from the patterned Christmas paper.
You’ll see this in the hand-stamped star paper above. I liked that it added a colorful pattern to a fairly plain gift. Did you notice that I actually mixed patterns for that one?!
Aside from various ribbons, ric rac and twine, I also stamped a Christmas image or two to some gifts. I used little gold bells and craft pegs with stars.
Above is how I decorated the tree. I loved that fun colorful theme. It didn’t really coordinate with the wrapping I made but I didn’t care haha.
And below I’ve included a picture of my absolute favorite Christmas decoration – a pink glitter poinsettia. It’s over 10 years old now and still my favorite. There’s always been pink in my Christmas tree because I always need to have this decoration!
How Do You Wrap?
You can take these ideas and apply them to any gift wrapping, not just as Christmas gift wrap. They work in the exact same way.
I’d love to know if you have some different ideas for supplies and materials that you can use for some fun DIY Christmas wrapping paper ideas? Comment below to let me know!
Other Resources You May Like:
FREE PRINTABLE: Farmhouse Christmas Printable Gift Tags
FREE PRINTABLE: Christmas Gift Exchange Game
ARTICLE: How to Wrap a Wine Bottle with Fabric
ARTICLE: How to Draw Cute Christmas Characters on Gift Boxes
FROM MY SHOP: Christmas Party Decor, Game & Activity Printables
