Easy DIY Stamped Wrapping Paper (Holiday Craft Tutorial)

I feel conflicted sharing a holiday craft. Mostly because I hate Christmas and I feel like a fraud. I’m a nightmare this time of year. I always feel behind or like I’m over consuming, overwhelmed, and stressed out. And then the day after Christmas I feel gross… I’ve eaten too much, I feel wasteful... and tired.

Needless to say, I don’t feel qualified to get anyone into the holiday spirit. It’s December 20th and we don’t have one single Christmas decoration up. We are not getting a tree this year. The Christmas lights are up, but only because we never took them down last year. We have yet to plug them in. They are just sitting there… a dim reminder of my lack of motivation. Bah. Humbug.

There is much about the holiday season that I just can’t motivate myself to get excited about: over consuming, over eating, over spending, overwhelm. Gross. AND YET, I do still love me a good easy holiday craft. I know, I’m complicated. If I had unlimited time and my way, I would stay indoors this season, put some mulled cider on the stove and make handmade crafts with kids and loved ones through January.

In that spirit, I want to share this easy holiday craft: DIY stamped wrapping paper. I meant to share it earlier in December, but this month, like every December, has been busy and I’m perpetually behind. If you’re like me, you’re still scrambling to finish all your shopping—forget about wrapping, let alone DIY rapping paper. In that case, this could be a great last-minute holiday craft for kids. Set up your little elves in an assembly-style line and put them to work while you sip some mulled cider. Kids will love having their own custom wrapping paper to wrap gifts with.

If you are a very prepared person who has all your gifts already wrapped, feel free to make it for next year, you over achiever. You’re probably already planning anyway.

What you’ll need:

• scissors and/or linoleum carving tools

• rubber stamp carving block (such as a Speedball Speedy-Carve block)

• ink pad (any color works—black or multiple colors are great)

• butcher paper or kraft paper

• optional: colored pencils and/or pens

Step-by-Step Instructions for DIY Stamped Wrapping Paper

1. Cut your rubber stamp carving block into a variety of shapes and sizes: big jagged triangles for mountains and smaller triangles for trees.

2. To make a river stamp, cut out a small rectangle and carve “waves” into it using the linoleum cutter.

3. Roll out a large piece of butcher paper on a flat surface.

4. Stamp mountains, trees, and rivers in a repeating pattern across the paper.

5. Add hand-drawn details or color the river if you want.

6. Repeat steps 3–5 until you have as much wrapping paper as you need.

That’s it—super easy handmade wrapping paper that looks gorgeous and is fun to make.

Variations: Cards, Colors, and Abstract Designs

If you’re not feeling wrapping paper, I’ve used the same technique to make easy and affordable handmade holiday cards. Winter-themed cards work beautifully for Hanukkah, Christmas, the Winter Solstice, or general winter greetings, especially if you’re behind like me and don’t get cards out until January.

Add color! I used black because that was the only color ink pad I had on hand that was big enough for my stamps. And hey, it matched my mood! But I was missing a little color so I filled in the river and some of the trees by hand with colored pencil after.

Play around with different handmade stamp ideas. You could cut rectangles for buildings, make a tiny A-frame cabin, or try rock-shaped stamps. Use different sizes, shapes, and ink colors for a more abstract winter pattern.

Parent Tips for Making This Craft With Kids:

 If you’re making stamps with kids, have them draw their shapes on the rubber block with pencil, then help with the cutting for a safe and collaborative kids holiday craft. If you're using the linoleum carving tools always remember to carve away from any body parts... those things are sharp and no one wants a trip to the emergency room for Christmas.

Happy Holidays!