When I was a little girl, I remember giving and receiving many gifts wrapped in the “funny” papers. Cute comic strips like “Ziggy”, “Peanuts”, and “Garfield” were some of my favorites. Not only was it economical, it was an added treat to be able to read my wrapping after I opened a gift!
I decided to try to elevate newspaper gift-wrap for Somerset Life magazine’s latest challenge.
First, I colored it:
*Shallow pan
*Little bit of water to cover the bottom
*Wilton icing colors (blue, pink, green, yellow)
I mixed each color separately, mixing a 1/4 tsp. of icing color into the water. Then I lay the newspaper in the tray and let it soak up the color like a sponge.ย Then I tore it up into manageable strips and let it dry.ย That’s it! (sorry I have no photos of this process, but I did it late at night)
I took some of the pink strips and wound them in tight circles to creat roses. I also took some of the blue and played around with it until it looked like a lily. I arranged the flowers and glued them onto a piece of cardboard, adding in some leaves here and there.
Next came the fun part. Glimmer Mist! ooh how I this stuff!!! My absolute favorite is “Sugar Plum Fairy”. I coated the whole package in shimmery plum, and then added some chunky crystal disco glitter to some of the leaves and petal tips.
I also added a shipping tag covered in newspaper and sprayed it as well. I found the phrase “Escape to a royal fantasy world” while I was perusing the paper. It sounded so lovely and mysterious…what could be in a box with a message like that?
Last but not least, I found a vintage costume clip earring that had the very same colors as the package! I love the contrast between the grunginess of the newspaper and the sparkle of the jewels.
I also created a smaller package using the same technique, only I made the roses very tiny for this one.ย I mounted this arrangement onto a piece of burlap garland, which I thought looked a lot better, but it was too late to go back and change the first one.
I hope this inspires you to give your old newspapers new life before they get thrown into the recycle bin!
If I received such a beautifully wrapped gift, why would I even want to mess it up by opening it? I would probably want to just display the beauty of the wrapped present.
Lee
Tossing It Out
Hi Scarlett .. those are just brilliant .. and as you say shows what can be done with old newspaper .. great ideas .. thank you .. fantastic to look at .. cheers and have a great week Hilary
Who could have imagined that newspaper could be turned into something so creative and beautiful! You outdid yourself on this on, my friend.
Love this! I wrapped my husband’s Father’s Day gift this year in newspaper and jazzed it up by making newspaper bows with buttons and string. He loved it. I love your packages. Just beautiful and perfect for the challenge.
I agree so perfect for the challenge; I love the burlap underneath and the use of food coloring dye, I mean icing colors! I agree with Lee I wouldn’t want to open it~ I don’t have Glimmer Mist in my life, but I sure do want some! You really elevated the ordinary~Stunning!
Oh my gosh…what an absolutely gorgeous way to recycle newspaper & wrap a gift at the same time. Anyone would LOVE to get a gift like that. I LOVE it!!
@Arlee Bird —Thanks, Lee! I just hope the editors feel the same way! And I sure hope they don’t try to open them cuz there’s nothin’ in there–just for show. Thanks for stopping by!
@Hilary –One woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure I guess! ๐ Glad you liked them, and thanks so much for your kind words and I hope you have a fantastic week as well.
@dee day –Dee, I have been thinking about you lately,I’m so glad to see you painting daily again and I enjoy each and every piece you post. I was surprised by how they turned out actually, I’m anxious to see what others did for the challenge. Thanks so much for your encouragement!
@Vicki –Ooooh, I would love to see that! Did you ever post a pic on your blog? Thanks so much!!!
@Ella –Well, hope this was what they had in mind…if you do get Glimmer Mist, I can’t really recommend the Gold because it barely shows up, but yep, we all NEED ‘Sugar Plum Fairy’!! ๐ Thanks, friend!
@Jen –You are so sweet, I appreciate your comment so much–it was a trial and error thing, and of course, I left the error photos out! lol ๐
Thanks for visiting!
Wow! Put that on Etsy. I’m sure you’ll get a buyer. Beautiful!
Your creativity is out of this world! What a unique and beautiful idea. I like the Glimmer Mist a lot and will have to give it a try. Thank you for the ideas ~Sophia
@Jean ==I appreciate that, Jean! Enjoyed visiting with you Fri. Hope to see ya’ again soon! ๐
@just4crafters –You are very kind!! I’m so glad you liked the idea. I’ll be over to visit you soon! ๐
Um, yeah. I can’t imagine them not wanting to eat this up! It is a STUNNING example of what can be done with newspaper and your work is sure to inspire so many (such as myself ;). xoxo
Beautiful Scarlett!!
I love what you designed and created with paper! amazing ๐
xo
Kay Ellen
I can’t believe what awesomely you wraped a gift with just newpaper. And all the bling is amazing. Great job!
I love the subtle colors you got, newspaper is one of my favorite things! Thank you for sharing. ~Sue
Gorgeous! I wouldn’t want to open the present with such amazing wrapping. ๐ I hope you win the challenge and get published. Which of the Summerset publications did you send it to? I’ll have to go get it if you get published, as you should with that submission.
@kristin –You’re very kind!! I’ve sent so much stuff to them in the past and gotten rejected, I don’t get my hopes too high anymore, but I still love trying! Glad you were inspired, thanks so much!
@Kay Ellen–I’m so glad you stopped by! I really appreciate it! Have a great week ๐
@Natasha May –Yeah, I’m a little bit glitter crazy…I tend to over do it sometimes! I’m glad you liked them, thank you!
@Sue Costa –Thank you! I loved the colors, too–seems like everytime I use red and green (of any hue or shade) I like the results. I appreciate your kind words, have a good one!
@i. ikeda –I don’t know, submitting stuff is really tricky-but it’s always fun to try and see what you can come up with. I’ll definitely let you know and thanks so much for visiting!
Hi Scarlett, OMG! this is amazing, you are so creative, I love everything about this!
All Abigail and I can say is, “Wow!” ;)…these packages are gorgeous!! Maybe we could work on this sometime???:)
@Julie –Thank you!! You are SO creative yourself, I really appreciate it!
@ Melissa –Sweet friend, I love making things with you!! We need to have a craft night. ๐ Thanks for being such an encouragement <3
Oh Scarlett, Stunningly beautiful!!! These wraps, roses and trimmings are so enchanting they make my scalp tingle! Thank you for visiting my blog for summer of Color, I appreciate you comments! Kristin is having a pastel ice cream color challenge next summer – can’t wait!
Hugs, Jessi xox
WOW, your altered packaging is amazing..I love the paper flowers and those sweet colours…
Gorgeous!!
Very creative and inspiring ๐
Jan x
Just found this via pinterest absolutely beautiful
Oh wow, found this pinned in pinterest and about passed out!!! Your site is AHH-mazing!!!
@JessiVille –You are very kind, I’m so glad you like the results! I’m excited about this coming summer of color, too! Thanks for stopping by!
@Jan –Aren’t the icing colors, pretty?..I’ve been thinking about a lot of different ways of using them! Thank you so much for your kind comments, I appreciate you stopping by!
@Liz C –Thank you so much, it makes me really happy to know someone pinned this! Thanks for taking a look!
@Anneke –WOw!! I think your comment made my entire week! You’re so nice to leave such an encouraging comment, I’m glad you liked it and I hope you’ll come again!
FANTASTIC Tutorial, thank you for Sharing it… I will definitely be upcycling Newspapers for my Christmas Wrap under the Tree using your Inspiration and great Tips for creating awesome packaging!
Blessings from the Arizona Desert… Dawn… The Bohemian
@Dawn–Thanks so much for dropping by, glad you liked the newspaper wrapping…yep, I’m with ya, definitely going to be
recycling for my wrappings this year as well! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and thanks for the link!!
~Scarlett
What a great idea. I love the transparent color. I’ve wrapped with newspaper but it never entered my mind to color it…..it is just beautiful!! Thank you for sharing.
Beth
What an awesome pack! I love the colored look of newspaper with glitter..You are awesome dear!! ๐ have fun ~
Gorgeous wrapping idea & beautifully done done, would be lovely on altered boxes etc too
Hi Laura, thanks so much for stopping by! I agree, altered boxes would be perfect for these~ I appreciate your comment so much, have a great week! ๐
this is absolutely beautiful. I’m glad I found it.
Thanks for posting, these are beautiful! Was searching for a way to “stain” newspaper with color for a canvas backing. I think this will work. At least I’m going to try it!
Hi Christine, glad you liked this project. I think using the dye is a great idea for what you’re planning, the paper takes the color really well so you can play around with it for your background. Have fun and Happy New Year! ๐
Beautiful work.
Where do you get the chunky disco glitter and is that what I ask for?
Thanks,Kathy
Hi Kathy, yes, it’s found where all the other glitter is usually, but it’s grouped apart from the others like fine and prisma glitters.
Most people at craft stores don’t know stuff like that (at least not in my neck of the woods) so you’re probably better off just going to the aisle and looking yourself. Any clear or iridescent glitter looks pretty! Thanks for stopping by! ~Scarlett
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I would never know what was inside!…
Cielo
I trully love your ideas its very creative ill have to try to make one after i buy the materials. Ill start saveing all my toilet paper rolls
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