Homemade and handwritten: creative Christmas wrapping
At Christmas, the sight of a slowly growing pile of presents massed under the tree is part of the mounting excitement.
For the giver, wrapping the present is the final finishing touch – and sometimes a last-minute scrabble for the Sellotape! But, for the person on the receiving end, opening a present is part of the Christmas magic. Suddenly we’re 8 years old and it’s Pass the Parcel, all over again.
Imagine someone’s delight when they realise you took the time to create wrapping paper just for them, or hand-designed a personalised card or gift tag, rather than buying it. Handmade and hand-written shows how much you care, without needing to put it into words. And it’ll be unique. Nobody else will have a present or card that looks like it.
Practical, as well as personal
We buy an incredible 227,000 miles of wrapping paper each year – enough to reach to the Moon! – and it’s often costly and then ends up in the bin afterwards.
This Christmas, we all need to watch every penny. Especially if you’re still studying, and on a very tight budget, so anything we can do to reduce cost and reduce waste this Christmas has got to be good.
Creating Christmas wrapping paper that doesn’t cost the earth
Making your own Christmas wrapping paper can be so much more environmentally friendly, too. Any paper with glitter or foil or sticky tape can’t be recycled, so instead of buying a roll of non-recyclable giftwrap and some foil ribbon, buy a simple roll or sheets of recycled brown paper, biodegradable kraft or paper roll and let your imagination, creativity and your Zebra pens take over. Get stenciling or go wild with the washi tape – it’s fully recyclable, and you can create brilliant borders and impactful lettering.
Which pens to choose?
Christmas gives us the perfect excuse to get our favourite Zebra pens out (check out our recent pen road test blog here). Each pen has its own unique features so you can pick ‘n’ mix to suit the job.
Here are our top choices for creating Christmas wrapping that’s too lovely to throw away:
Going all out on personalised wrapping paper and tags for everyone? Mildliners and Mildliner Brush pens look and feel great, even after the 25th gift tag!
Looking for a classic Christmas colour palette? Our new Vintage Sarasa pens in burgundy, racing green and midnight blue might have been made for Christmas. They feel as good to write with as they look, too. Use with the gold and silver Doodler’z for a real Christmas colour combo!
Want to add some shimmer to your Christmas crafting? Go mad with our Glitter Doodler’z… they’re great for the sparkle factor and one pen goes a lot further than a pot of glitter! According to Temi, one of our new Brand Ambassadors, the Doodler’z are: “So pretty” and, “…so pigmented!”
And for writing those special messages, try the 901 – the ‘Rolls Royce’ of our pen range. The 901s make elegant, sophisticated gifts too (and come in an extensive choice of barrel colours to reflect the personality of the user).
Pick a theme or make it personal
Be inspired by the person you are giving to, and what makes them unique; what they love, favourite colour ways or patterns they adore, or add quotes to inspire them.
Wrapped with love
Being creative is good for our own wellbeing. By Christmas, we’re often running on empty; overstressed, overemotional, overtired. Time spent enjoying the act of being creative is both rewarding and calming.
Happy wrapping makes even happier unwrapping!