Christmas Wrapping Paper

Someone gave me presents wrapped in brown parcel paper last year and I loved it! So, naturally I had to steal the idea. I've been thinking about ways to spruce it up a bit and have bought a lot of gingham and tartan ribbon in festive colours. I wanted to do something with the paper itself though. I thought about doing potato printing, but got home one night with an appetite (gettit?) for crafting, and no potatoes...so...this is what happened:

I think I get the most satisfaction from doing crafty things with bit and pieces that I already have lying around the house. The knowledge that I'm getting more than one use out of something stirs my thrifty soul and leaves me very content indeed. I had some acrylic paints left from candle holders that I made a couple of months back and some cheap sponges (that I planned on putting in a gap in my bedroom window...before I decided that it was a stupid idea) so I decided to make a stencil and make my own printed paper.

It was messy, but a lot of fun. In hindsight I should have made the stencil smaller, so that I  could have more trees printed on the paper, but I'm still quite pleased how it turned out. Plus, they say it's the thought that counts!