Homemade Elephant Stamp and Gift Paper

I eagerly made this homemade elephant stamp for the son of my very good friend but was pretty delayed in delivering it.  So to make amends, I added a little extra surprise on the side - homemade, elephant-stamped gift paper!

I made the gift paper out of mahjong paper - when I finally purchased it!  Amidst the school-time shopping rush, I braved the school supplies section of the bookstore to look for mahjong paper and with hubby's help, happily went home with the heavy pad with 40 sheets of potential gift paper.

Mahjong paper is perfect for making homemade gift paper as it's sold flat (not folded) so if you want to stamp an image away, you could just go at it, line of sight undeterred!  Plus, when it's used as gift paper, you don't have to worry about the visible creases.  Also, compared to kraft paper, it has a more ideal width at 33"x 33" and has a better shade of brown.   A bit of a downside though (which I don't mind actually) is that all sheets are sealed with padding adhesive on all sides (hubby says it's because after a game of mahjong, the topmost sheet is meant to be torn off).  I used a cutter to separate the first sheet of paper from the rest of the pad.

Here's a shot of the homemade elephant-stamped gift paper.

So cute, isn't it?!

I found it so nice that I hesitated to give it away for a moment!  Hahaha!  Shhhh...

I can't wait to make more homemade gift paper with the 39 remaining mahjong sheets! ; )  I'll definitely post the finished products when I get the time! = )

Painting with Marbles

Today's art activity was really fun! 

We painted with marbles!!!  Painted with what?!?!  MARBLES!!! = )

We did this a couple of times at the preschool where I used to teach.  Painting with marbles evolved from 'painting with rocks.'  Painting with rocks was a bit more difficult as the rocks tumbled about awkwardly, almost always missing the paint streaks on the paper so we ended up experimenting with painting with marbles.  The results were amazing!

So since we had marbles (as I posted on Cereal Box Marble Run), we tried the activity this afternoon! The girls picked out the paper and the different paint colors, and we watched how the artwork turned out when the marbles rolled over the paint streaks.

The end result: nine (9) mini Jackson Pollocks!

Here are the materials we used:

Tubes of paint
Marbles
Plastic tray that could fit 8.5x11" paper
8.5x11" paper

First, we put the paper into the plastic tray then we applied the paint streaks.  For the sample, I used the primary colors.

 

And the girls rolled the marbles about in the tray.

Our first finished product.

Really neat, huh?!

Here are the rest...the girls took turns choosing paper and paint, and tilting the tray from side to side.

Blue and silver paint.

Purple and gold.

Gold and silver on speckled black paper.

Blue, orange and gold on speckled black paper.

Light blue and gold on speckled black paper.

Trying out as many colors.

Trying out as many colors on purple paper.

After all nine works of art, the marbles were thick with paint.  Since we used acrylic, I washed them off right away with soap and water.  The paint came off quickly with a little bit of scrubbing.

These works of art make great gift-wrapping paper!

Or when framed, a nice, homemade Father's Day gift to brighten up daddy's office wall!

So, mommies, try and make little Jackson Pollocks out of your little ones with this simple yet really fun painting activity! = ) 

Table Napkins as Gift Wrappers

Through the years, I have accumulated these cute table napkins - three of which I bought, the rest are treats from family from their trips abroad. That's how much a sucker I am for paper!   I saved them for the purpose of using them as gift wrappers.  

The yellow flowery one (top left) is a supermarket find.

Second and fifth table napkins (from Left) are from the US.  Small, red polka dots is a purchase from 8 years ago!

The bottom three (from L to R) are from Ikea, Crate and Barrel and Hallmark.

So, yes, when I see cute table napkins, I don't think "Party!"  I think "Hey, gift wrap potential!"

I gathered these six itty bitty items to showcase the potential of these pretty table napkins. 

With just an added touch of a pretty ribbon, table napkins make for pretty gift wrappers, don't you think? 

And maybe next time, when you see the humble table napkins at the supermarket, you would give them a better chance at life and use them as pretty gift wrap for a special someone's gift! = )

Pretty Gift Paper

I wonder who among you from Manila can relate to this post.

Over the past couple of years, I have found it difficult to find pretty store-bought gift paper. ( Of course, DIY wrapping paper tops my list!).  The ones I often come across have overwhelmingly loud prints in tacky fonts that shout “Especially for you” or “For your birthday!”  (Things that make you go “hmmm.”)

Gone are the black and white Tickles wrappers that I loved as a high-schooler in the 90’s.  

So when there are no other alternatives, I just opt to buy plain old cartolina or felt paper and spruce up the gift with a pretty ribbon and gift tag.

And when I stumble upon pretty gift paper, I get reeeeeeeally excited and grab some right away.

Here are some pretty gift wrappers I’ve scored over the years.  I indicated where I got them if you’re wondering where to find the perfect wrappers to prettify your gifts.

1.       Elephant-print gift wrapper.  I found this in a Greenbelt 3 shop in Makati.   (I cannot remember the name of the shop but it was on the ground floor near Firma). 

2.       Lili and Nana gift wrappers from Fully Booked in Rockwell Power Plant Mall, Makati.

3.       Wrap Shop gift wrap with pearly sheen from the Wrap Shop also in Rockwell Power Plant Mall.

4.       Printcafe wrappers from Printcafe in Festival Mall, Alabang.  They also have cute notebooks and stationery in these prints.  My co-teachers introduced me to this shop when they gave me these lovely papers for my birthday (they know what makes me happy!).

5.       Copper, brown and bronze paper from my fave local market district in Manila – Divisoria (not for the faint-hearted or squeamish!  Haha!).  Divisoria has these holes-in-the-wall that carry tons of gift paper.  They usually sell them for a minimum order of 25 sheets per print at a very low cost.  Most below Php10.00.

6.       Pinstriped gift wrappers also from Divisoria.  What I love about this wrapper is its versatility.  It alternates white and transparent strips so you can first wrap a box in any color of tissue or Japanese Paper, then wrap it again with this pinstriped wrapper and you get a gift in alternating stripes in white and the color of your choice.  

Other pretty gift wrapper sources that I rely on are Rinadesign shops by Rina Albert-Llamas (thank God she also designs wrapping paper)...

And some of the Fiesta Greetings gift wrappers (available at Office Warehouse and some Books for Less stores). 

What about you?  Where do you get pretty gift paper?  I'm really curious. =)

Thanks for dropping by!  Happy, happy Easter, everyone!