• UO DIY: Handmade Gift Wrapping

    This year, we wanted to make sure that each gift we gave out this holiday season had a personal, handmade touch to it, which made this potato stamp wrapping paper DIY tutorial a must-try! Our packages ended up looking as cute as a spread in a magazine. (Bonus: it took us less than half an hour to stamp out multiple sheets!) Read on for our quick DIY so that you, too, can make your very own, handmade wrapping paper to customize your gifts this season. Your friends and family are going to love this simple, crafty twist on regular wrapping paper.

    -2 potatoes (or more depending on how many stamps you plan to make)
    -Exacto knife
    -brown paper
    -paper towel
    -ink pads

    1. First, you'll want to decide what kind of pattern you'd like to stamp on your paper, because that's what you're going to need to cut into your potato. We kept it simple with a geometric design, just because we aren't that skilled with an Exacto knife, but we've seen some cool heart and tree shapes that would also look cute for the holidays.

    2. After you cut out the shape you'd like to use from your potato, take your paper towel and squeeze out any excess moisture from the potato. This helps the ink adhere better, and also ensures that the potato won't leave behind water marks when stamped on the paper. Once the potato feels slightly rubbery instead of damp, then you'll know you're good to go.

    3. Stamp away! We slightly planned out what we were going to do ahead of time, but unless your design is incredibly intricate, it should be easy enough to freehand onto the paper. If you're stamping on a hard floor or table, make sure to put a paper towel or two between your brown paper and the hard surface - that extra bit of cushion will help the stamp to apply evenly, and go on more smoothly.

    4. Once you've stamped out your designs, let them dry for a half an hour or so. The ink from your ink pads should dry pretty quickly, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Nothing worse than smudging all your hard work. Once it's all dry, you can wrap your presents and secure with a twine bow. Cute and simple!

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