paper chase

From Habitat magazine - issue 08, Diy kidz

Nothing is nicer than not only choosing a gift for one of your friends or a member of your family, but wrapping it in personalised paper and making a matching card. You can use the paper for other things, too, like covering your school books or simply as a piece of art to hang on your bedroom wall.

Supplies to make wrapping paper for kids

Kids, check with your parents first about cutting the potatoes. You may need their help with Step 2!

You will need:

Testpots of Resene Funk, Resene Hyperactive, Resene Parachute, Resene Royal Heath and Resene Belladonna
Sheets of paper, midweight A4 card
Foam brushes in a variety of sizes
Chopping board and vege knife, 5-6 medium-sized potatoes, star cookie cutter
Sponge, hole punch

How to make personalised paper:

Step 1: Divide the card into three equal rectangles and cut out. Paint stripes on the paper and card using two or three colours and a variety of foam brushes to make different sized stripes. Let the paint dry completely.

Step 2: Cut potatoes into a few shapes to make printing blocks. We made a triangle and diamond by cutting the ends of the potato off first, then cutting the sides away, and a circle by cutting the end off another potato. We made the star by first cutting the end off a potato, then sinking the cookie cutter into the cut end and shaving away the sides. Dry off the cut ends.

Step 3: Use the potatoes like a stamp by dipping the cut end into the paint and dabbing off the extra paint onto the sponge. Press the potato onto the sheets of paper and card, to create a pattern.

Step 4: Fold the card in half, and punch a hole in the top corner near the fold. Thread ribbon through the hole. Wrap up your presents and write a message in the card!

Finished Project

Top tips:

Wet the foam brushes a little before you start painting the stripes. This helps the paint flow more easily.

We used a combination of stripes and potato prints but just using the potato prints on coloured paper and card would look great too!

words: Helena Dunn
pictures: Mark Heaslip

▸ Download a PDF of this article

winter 2008

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