Choice Wrapping
For the Ledford family of Center Township, wrapping is a family affair.
“We've probably been making wrapping paper every Christmas for the past seven or eight years,” said Jen Ledford, who shares the activity with her husband, Dan, and their children Abbi, 13; Rachel, 11; and Noelle, 8.
The family uses printing press end rolls given to them by a friend from a school supply company. They decorate the paper using homemade stencils and stamps as well as a few store-bought ones. Tempera paint is their medium of choice.
“The girls have always loved to paint, so this was a way to paint a lot. The paper looks different every time we make it,” Ledford said.
As a homeschool mom, Ledford enjoys coming up with art projects that are fun, but also practical. The project also counts toward the children's school art requirements.
Even though stenciled paper might consist of a repeating pattern, Ledford said an overly structured look is not necessary.
“We often go over the paper when the majority of the painting is done and add swirls, lines, or dots to the empty space between the stencils,” she said.
She cautions those trying the craft to not try for perfection, but just enjoy time together as a family.
“My husband, who thinks he has little artistic ability, even likes to take part. It allows everyone to create and enjoy being together. Put on some music and have fun,” she added.
Ledford said the fun extends to some family members, who have come to expect the custom wrapping.
“Our family knows we make the paper, so they expect at least one gift to be wrapped in it. My grandmothers would often save the paper and my mom even framed a piece of it and hung it in the room the kids stay in at Grandma and Grandpa's house,” Ledford said.
Even though homemade wrapping paper is a Christmas tradition for the Ledfords, the family also makes paper for other occasions, so triangle stamps become party hats, squares and rectangles turn into presents.
“It is great to have some stored up so it's ready for the next big event,” Ledford said.
Jill Eudaly, 45, of Forward Township has a gift for taking recycling to a higher level. She even finds new ways to wrap gifts utilizing used and otherwise discarded items like soup cans.“I think soup cans can be used for many things. Once the label is off, the metallic finish and sleek line of the can is attractive,” said Eudaly, who has put them to use for birthday gifts of bouquets and plants.“I'm using a soup can this year to hold a Christmas gift. I tied a ribbon around the can and added pine and berries,” she said.Eudaly also has found a new way to recycle the news by painting sheets of newspaper with watered down acrylic craft paint.“I use a sponge brush to apply the paint. For (a) holiday gift box with redwing black birds, I used a red paint over newspaper. The bird on a branch is a block print done with black ink,” she said.Snowflakes were added using rubber stamps. Glitter and a glossy acrylic spray sealer were used to finish the front panel. “Then I sewed the panel on top of other sheets of painted newspaper,” she explained.Eudaly has had great success with all sorts of newspaper projects.“After the newspaper is painted and has dried it can be ironed flat with a hot iron. Make sure when you iron the paper that the painted side is facing down,” she said.
This aids in easy and flat storage for the paper.“Newspapers (also) can be sewn like fabric,” Eudaly said.She sews newspaper frequently, even more so than fabric. Sewing enables the size of the gift wrap to be made big enough for a larger package.She wrapped one gift with paper painted with a wash of gold metallic and tan paint. Using a rubber stamp, she stamped Happy Holidays in red ink. Between the rows she glued ribbon.Using unconventional objects for packaging and wrapping can make an ordinary gift seem unique and special, she said.“I wrapped a Champagne bottle in black tulle left over from a Halloween costume. A white ribbon was used to tie the tulle in place,” Eudaly said.Her blog, Recycled Daze, can be found at www.Jeudaly.blogspot.com.
