Hand painted gingham gift wrapping

I'm constantly inspired by all the girls in my life - friends, mum, sisters and when I was working, desk buddies. So it was inevitable that the arrival of my new niece was going to spark an idea or two. Such a tiny kitten needed some special gift wrapping and as I haven't posted a gift wrapping DIY for a while I thought I'd share what I created for her. This wrapping works for girls of all ages and across most gifting scenarios - from birthdays to bridal showers. Baby stuff can get a little too cute for my liking so I kept it down to earth with this hand painted check and toughened it up with a contrasting black ribbon.  Here's how I did it...

Step 1. Using watered down acrylic paint, paint a rough check onto plain paper. I LOVE this drawing paper roll from Ikea (I've used it here and here). To get this coral colour I mixed vermillion and white from a really cheap box of acrylic paints but most art and craft shops sell specific colours. I mixed the colours on a plate and added a few drops of water to give it a painterly effect. It doesn't have to be perfect just roughly straight lines

Step 2. Whilst the paint is drying make the tag. I used a standard brown luggage tag and a selection of faux flowers and leaves. I've have my flowers for ages but if you're looking to buy I'd recommend Wilko, Ebay or try Pound Shops and random hardware shops - the more fake the better. I arranged them on opposite corners, keeping the top corner fuller than the bottom and fixed using a hot glue gun. I then wrote my nieces name on the tag using a paint brush pen (not sure thats the official term!).

Step 3. To finish, wrap the presents and layer (if you are wrapping more than one). Then using a thick ribbon tie a simple knot and cut off any extra length fixing the tag into the knot as you go. My original plan was to use a black and white gingham ribbon but it turns out I don't have any (!) so I used this gorgeous back and cream stripe (I think its from Jo Malone packaging). The main point is that you use something strong, like a stripe or gingham, to contrast against the prettiness of the paper and the tag. 

I'm so happy with how this turned out, I'd be delighted with anything wrapped up like this! Just incase you're wondering what I bought - I couldn't resist these trousers and this dress. Happy making! x