how your child can make wrapping paper in 3 easy steps

handmade eco-friendly wrapping paper

A few months ago I found these stamps while digging through the craft section at the thrift store. One of my daughter’s favorite things to do is stamp — anything and everything!

handmade eco-friendly wrapping paper

She already makes birthday cards for her friends by hand, and I thought it would be fun to have her make wrapping paper for the gifts, too. Fabric gift bags are great, but sometimes kids just need to rip paper.

I usually use kraft paper for this, but a paper bag works just as well.

Materials
kraft paper or paper bags
rubber stamps
washable ink stamp pads

Step 1
If using kraft paper off the roll, tape it to the table first so your child has a flat surface on which to stamp. If using a paper bag, cut it flat and use a low heat iron to smooth out the wrinkles. (They won’t disappear, but will flatten out.)

Step 2
Roll up your child’s sleeves. We’ve had elbows in the stamp pad many times, which is why washable ink is a good idea.

handmade eco-friendly wrapping paper

Step 3
Wrap the gift! If your child wants to help with this step, hold the paper and let her apply small pieces of tape.

Bonus!
Have your child stamp the envelope to match the paper.

handmade eco-friendly wrapping paper

recycle: If you missed my post with the frightening statistics about wrapping paper, you should really check it out. I’m happy to say this is one resolution that I’ve had no problem keeping! (Price for the stamps: $4.)

coffee sleeve of the month: lucky shamrock

felted wool coffee sleeve

It seems like I can’t stop making felted wool coffee sleeves, so I’ve decided to start a feature cozy of the month!

March is all about St. Patrick’s Day and basketball. I don’t know much about hoops, but I used to be quite the little Irish Dancer. My Girl Scout troop had to learn an ethnic dance and we picked The Walls of Limerick. I remember that we performed on the stage at Golden Ring Mall.* A few of my friends and I stuck with it until high school. We competed, performed at Irish festivals and even walked in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. So in honor of my “Irish” background, this month is all about green!

Two sleeves are available in my etsy store.

*Sadly, Golding Ring Mall has since been leveled and replaced with big box stores.

more felted wool coffee sleeves

I am overwhelmed at the response to my coffee sleeves on etsy. They are selling like hot cakes! I listed my last one yesterday. All of the others have sold out and I just finished up a custom order for three. I’ll be making more this weekend. I’m glad I went out and stocked up on sweaters last weekend. Thank you to everyone who has purchased one!

coffee sleeves

felted wool sweater coffee sleeves

I think I have officially made use of all of the sweater parts I recycle into felted wool accessories. Here’s my latest, made from the leftover cuffs of my sweater sleeve scarves. More photos in my shop. I have a few more I’ll be posting over the next few days. These were fun, small projects to do after finishing up M’s blanket. I also have one more project idea up my sleeve (ha, ha) that uses the neck ribbing of the sweater. Stay tuned!

felted coffee sleeves