By Gail Kavanagh
Christmas wrapping paper comes in so many beautiful designs today, it seems almost a shame to use it for wrapping paper alone when it will only be torn up and thrown away on Christmas morning.
So why not use some of your favorite designs to create beautiful ornaments for your Christmas tree? Then everyone can enjoy the designs as much as you do. Here are instructions for some simple paper ornaments that will brighten up your tree and make good use of the wrapping paper.
Pretty FansCut a section 4 inches high by 8 inches wide from your wrapping paper. Pleat it finely to make a fan. Wrap a small piece of glittery Christmas tape around one end of the pleated paper to hold it closed. Cut a 2 inch length of sparkling Christmas ribbon and fold it to make a loop. Tape the free ends to the taped end of the pleated paper to make a hanging loop. Open out the other end of the pleated paper to form the fan, and paint a thin line of craft glue along the edge. Dip this in glitter powder for extra sparkle.
Paper BaubleTake eight squares of wrapping paper about 3x3 inches, and place them squarely on top of each other, with the design facing up toward you and the reverse side underneath. Fold the bundle of papers down the middle, with the design on the inside, so you have a rectangle that resembles a small book. Cut out a heart shape or circle, starting at the top of the fold and finishing at the bottom. You should now have eight separate hearts or circles with a fold in the middle.
Crease each shape sharply down the fold, making sure the design is on the inside. Lay one of the shapes flat on your workspace, design side down, and put glue or craft paste on one side of the fold only. Take another shape and match half of it to the glued half of the first shape. Make sure that only the reverse sides of the wrapping paper shapes are glued together, with the design on the outside. Fold the other half of the second shape back and glue another shape in place. Continue until all the shapes are used up and you have only the last half and the original half left to glue. Paint a line of craft glue down the center fold and lay on a piece of Christmas ribbon folded to form a loop at the top of the shape. Finally glue the last two white halves together. Your shape should now open out into a bauble. Paint a thin line of craft glue along all the edges and dip in glitter for extra sparkle.
Mini Christmas ParcelsTiny Christmas parcels look delightful on the Christmas tree, but they are also a magnet for children, who are very disappointed to find that the wrapping paper hides only polystyrene cubes. It's more fun to make mini parcels that can be opened to reveal small candies or trinkets like those find in Christmas crackers. You will need small gift boxes like ring boxes to make your mini parcels.
Using a metal pointed craft tool or skewer, drive it through the center of the lid and the bottom of the box to make two small holes. Put tiny candies or trinkets into the box, but make sure you don't fill the boxes. The contents should less than half fill the box. Wrap neatly with paper glued in place, and poke the skewer through the holes in the top and bottom of the box again so you can see the holes. Now take a length of Christmas glitter tie or thin ribbon and poke the tip of the skewer or craft tool into the fabric halfway along the length. Lay the Christmas box on its sides and push the ribbon through the holes in the bottom of the box and out through the top of the lids, using the skewer or craft tool as a guide. Tie a knot in the free ends of the ribbon at the bottom of the box so it won't pull through. Pull out the rest of the ribbon through the hole in the top of the parcel to form a hanging loop.
© Doityourself.com 2006
