Thursday, December 8, 2011

DIY gift wrapping



Who said Eco-Friendly has to be boring?  

Sure, a regular brown paper bag can look plain and simple, but just like everything else you can dress it up. Just add a splash of color and a dash of accessories and voila-- you have yourself a new look.

I made these for Christmas last year and they were a big hit. Everyone were oohing and ahhing over them.  So, I wanted to show you guys that Eco-Friendly does not have to mean boring. This pom pom tutorial is made especially to fit the box we made last week and I only used materials I had lying around the house.





What you will need:
- Tissue paper- I am recycling tissue paper that came with my bags and gifts from my shopping spree that I had a few days ago.  If you do not have any lying around you can grab some at the dollar store. 30 sheets for $1. Now that's a deal! 
-Thread and/or ribbon (ribbon was the only thing I had to buy)
-brown paper bag or newspaper, old maps, whatever you can find.
-Scissor
- single or double sided tape- I am using double

Okay, let's get started...



Step 1: Lay the tissue paper flat.
Yes, I am aware that the tissue is wrinkly. I am recycling tissue paper that came with things I bought over the weekend. If you do not have any lying around you can get cheap tissue paper at the dollar store. 30 for $1. P.S- It will come in handy for next week wrapping tutorial.


Step 2: Cut the tissue paper to size-- In this case we want to cut the paper into 4 pieces (vertical) to fit the box we made last week- as seen here- each piece should be about 3 and 7/8 inch wide.


Step 3: Now stack them on top of each another, fold the tissues in half, and cut. We want a total of 8 sheets.



Step 4: Starting at the bottom- fold the tissue about 1/2 inch upward- Flip over and fold it another 1/2 inch upward. Repeat. End result should look like a fan.

Fold 1/2 inch upward
Flip over and fold 1/2 inch upward. Repeat




Step 5: Tie the tissue, in the middle, with a sewing thread or ribbon. Use ribbon if you want to use for your package later. Ribbon is about 40 inches long. Use thread if you plan to just tape the pom pom onto the package. Make sure the knot is tight.

Tie with thread

double knot



Step 6: Now, for the petals, there are two designs... to get a fuller look- leave it as is (shown above). To get a softer look- round out the edges by cutting the ends like the picture below. Round the ends.


Step 7: Fan out- see picture below. If you want, you can even use this as your design. Just tape the two sides together to create a flower.

















Step 8: With one hand, hold down one side and with the other hand starting pulling the paper out and up- one by one. Alternate side with each pull. --- Pull one piece out then switch side and pull a piece from that side. Try to pull it all the way up, but gently; the tissue rips easily.














And you're all done! =) Just wrap the box as you normally would with the brown paper bag and tape the pom pom on top. Stop here for just the pom pom tutorial. Continue below if you need help wrapping and attaching the pom pom/ribbon to the package.




















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Wrapping and attaching the pompom to the package

Step 1: Wrap the box as you normally would.





Step 2: Once the wrapping is done. Place the pom pom on the top, middle, of the box.


Step 3: Flip the box over (bottom side) and criss cross the ribbon. Follow the picture below. Bring the ribbon back around to the top of the box where the pom pom is.


Step 4: Wrap the ribbon around the pom pom bringing it to one side. Add tag. Tie a bow at the tag.


and thats it. It should end up looking like this..

17 comments:

  1. Love the Eco friendly theme and the DIY pom pom, so cute. Thank you for the step by step tutorial too.

    What pants did you order from Express? Mine didn't take long at all. Less than a week actually.

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  2. We used to make flowers like this to decorate at school dances. Fun!

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  3. Saw you on interactive bloggers on etsy..

    I love these! I'm going to use this while wrapping this year :)

    Thanks for the idea! :)

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  4. wow, so simple but so stunning and beautiful! i love making my gift wrapping pretty, and this is such a fabulous DIY project!

    hope you have a fantastic wknd!
    jasmine:)

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  5. wonderful idea. thanks, it's time to wrapp presents :)))

    http://excurlythoughts.blogspot.com/

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  6. Oh wow thanks for this tutorial. I love it. Will try with my kids.
    www.thoughtsofpaps.com

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  7. Thanks everyone!
    @Eleen- thank you! =) I'm glad you love it.

    @Nelah- I bought the express editor pants. I need more work clotles.. Hitting Monday, it will be 2 weeks since the order date... hmm I wonder where it is..

    @sweetposy- sounds like a lot of fun! The place must have looked beautiful!

    @sam and ash- thanks yo for dropping by =) Would love to see how it turned out.

    @Jasmine- you should make them with yours kids. I think they would enjoy it. Hope you have a fabolous weekend too! =)

    @justme- Yes it is. Im so excited. I cannot wait for christmas. Shopping for presents i am like a kid in a candy store. =)

    @Paps- Let me know how it goes. I think your kids would really enjoy it! =) You can also turn it into a hanging pompom for your christmas decoration! Let me know if you need a tutorial on that.. =)

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  8. This is an adorable idea!! I might actually have to try these flowers this Christmas, because saving money on wrapping paper would be awesome. I could use that money on a stocking stuffer or something. :P

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  9. Such a great idea - eco-friendly is definitely important!

    http://opinionslave.blogspot.com

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  10. @Jennifer- totally agree. A little saving goes a long way. Plus the tissue can be used as regular wrapping paper too.. =)

    @Francesca- yes, eco-friendly is definitely in. =) It's no longer simple or boring. A lot of retail stores are going eco-friendly.. and their packaging is amazing! Did you know starting 2012 a lot of places are charging 5 cents for plastic bags... it's about time. hehe

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  11. so cute!!

    following you
    hope we can follow each other

    xo

    www.alina-ballerina.com

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  12. This was such a cute and helpful tutorial! I'm really bad at gift wrapping but love this <3

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  13. I'm a terrible gift wrapper and I feel this will really help me! I'm trying out the first bow on the next gift I wrap.

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  14. @Katherine and MissFirth- Thanks! Ah, good luck with wrapping... and who knows you might have some hidden talents.. =) Looking forward to see how your wrapping turns out.

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  15. Becca, this is slick! I love it!

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