a little silver ink dresses up plain brown paper |
The first Christmas we had our cat, she seemed to enjoy the ribbons and bows on our wrapped presents a little more than she should. Not only did she chew on the bows, but she swallowed a fair amount of the plasticky ribbons. This just wasn't good for her.
From then on, instead of adding ribbons or bows to our wrapped gifts, I simply drew designs (simplified versions of snowflakes, trees, hearts, teddy bears and snowmen) and name tags right onto the wrapping paper. I used markers mostly. The side benefit was I saved money by not buying disposable wrapping extras. As the years progressed, my budget improved, and I've been able to buy special silver and gold paint pens. The pens last for years and have been used on several different holiday projects.
Here, I've used the gold pen to personalize a couple of ornaments for our Christmas tree.
This year, I'm using the pens on the brown packing paper that I asked you for suggestions on how to reuse back in September. I'm also reusing some white tissue paper that was wrapped around an item that I ordered from a vendor online. The silver and gold seem to show up best when I make my lettering large, as I've done on the "Julia" package. (As you can see, I'm not that artistic, nor is my penmanship stellar. But that doesn't seem to matter terribly much.)
the pens can be used on many types of surfaces |
Here, I've used the gold pen to personalize a couple of ornaments for our Christmas tree.
This year, I'm using the pens on the brown packing paper that I asked you for suggestions on how to reuse back in September. I'm also reusing some white tissue paper that was wrapped around an item that I ordered from a vendor online. The silver and gold seem to show up best when I make my lettering large, as I've done on the "Julia" package. (As you can see, I'm not that artistic, nor is my penmanship stellar. But that doesn't seem to matter terribly much.)
Anyway, I have fun with it. And it's more economical than buying single use bows, ribbons, and gift tags.
Paint pens are available at art and craft supply stores, such as Michael's, Blick Art Materials (dickblick.com) and Etsy, or all-purpose retailers such as Amazon and Walmart.
What a lovely idea! And much more friendly to our environment!! I am done wrapping for Christmas. However, going forward during the year I think I can certainly use this for birthdays, weddings and anniversaries. And, next Christmas it will simplify things a lot. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi Linda,
DeleteThank you.
I think a plain white paper with silver paint pen would look beautiful for a wedding gift. Very easy and beautiful is to "decorate" the top of a white package with paint pen polka dots in silver.
Oh,wow, those extra suggestions are great! I know I have a couple of occasions coming up that these ideas would be perfect for. Thanks once again!
DeleteYou're welcome, Linda!
DeleteGood idea. You may think you're not artistic, but I think you sell yourself short. The designs you showed us are very pretty. Left to my own devices, mine would look nothing like that. But I can copy. That's what the internet is for. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Live and Learn,
DeleteI've done my share of copying ideas from the internet, too. So many great ideas out there.
Very cute and environmentally friendly!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cat. Definitely an environmentally-friendly alternative to single use ribbons and bows.
DeletePaint pens are a popular item right now. If you have the store Five Below in your area, they have a fun selection of paint pens and they work quite well. They are part of the Christmas gift this year for my nephews. My daughter asked for (and received) a pack of POSCO brand paint pens for her birthday. You can find them at craft stores. They are around $25 a pack, so not exactly cheap, but very good quality if you have an artist who you are wanting to provide quality materials for. Lili, I have a gold marker that I like to use for writing on special cards, gift packages, and so on. I'm much less talented than you are but I think it turns out well.
ReplyDeleteHi Kris,
DeleteI didn't realize that paint pens are a thing right now. I haven't seen Five Below before, but I'll check our surrounding area. Thank you! What a fun gift idea! It sounds like this was a perfect gift for your artistic daughter.