DIY: Birthday Paper

Supplies:
-Leftover white or brown packing paper, (A lot of companies pack goods with this stuff and I keep it to re-pack breakable items and make my own wrapping paper.) or white wrapping paper that you can get cheap from the dollar store.
-Tissue paper OR rubber stamps of your choosing.(can use both but it is a different technique and takes MUCH longer)
-Ink stamp pad in your color choice
-Toothpicks
-Tulip Glitter paint
-Glue sticks
-Paper Towels

Instructions:
***Before I get started with the how to, let me clarify to all of you who got scared by glitter, I use the glitter in TINY amounts so that it is gift-able for both boys and girls.***

Choose your paper method you would like to use out of the following:
Option 1-Tissue Paper ONLY
If you decide that you want to use JUST the tissue paper method, then congratulations! You have chosen the easy and cute method of making wrapping paper. Please see my past blog with the tea cup card on how to stick crinkled tissue paper to the plain white or brown paper and have fun doing so on the proper sized paper to wrap a gift. Use the plain white or brown paper as your base and strips of different colored tissue paper for different effects.

Option 2-Stamped tissue paper method
If this is your choice, then life gets a little bit difficult and it takes much longer, but here is the basic technique.

Step1-Take the tissue paper, and flatten it out on a flat surface lined with paper towels under the tissue paper to prevent the surface below from getting inked.
Step2-Take stamps of your choice and stamp the tissue paper, then allow to dry.
Step3-Using the glitter glue and a toothpick, dot, line or detail small portions of each stamp to create a glittery detail on them. Allow to dry fully for about 4 hours.
Step4- Test the glitter glue to make sure that no spots are tacky, and carefully crumple tissue paper to prepare to adhere to plain white or brown paper.
Step5- Adhere tissue paper to white paper using the glue stick(see the technique in my past blog tea-cup card making if you need more help) and press out any major folds you don't want seen.
Step6- Allow to dry for up to two hours, and you are ready to wrap. Use a simply ribbon when wrapping and detail with a little glitter glue if you desire.

Option 3- Stamped paper method. This method is a little bit easier than the stamped tissue paper method, and it tends to be easy to do POST wrapping. If you decide that the wrapping paper that you used is too bland, you can do this to amp up the wow factor in your wrapping. Whether you wrap the gift first or not is your choice but the method is the same.

Step 1- Stamp directly on the paper and allow to dry completely.
Step 2- Using glitter glue and a toothpick, dot, line, or detail small portions of each stamp to create a glittery detail on them. Allow to dry fully for about 4 hours.
Step 3- Test the glitter glue to make sure no spots are tacky, and use paper or finishing wrapping the gift with a pretty bow. If you desire, you can add small amounts of glitter glue to the bow as well for a small pop of more glitter, just allow to dry before gifting!

I have become very frugal, and not only keep all of the past paper and bows from my gifts, but the packaging as well. You never know when it will come in handy, or when you might need to get a little crafty!