The Stamp Market :: Floral Gift Wrap

Hey there!  I have a gift wrap project that highlights colorful florals from the most recent The Stamp Market release and simple but pretty matching tags.  January is usually the time when winter's gray and snow-filled days start to wear on the psyche so I thought that it might be a nice idea to infuse some spring-time colors into your day.

I love to make my own stamped gift wrap and that's where today's project begins.  I gathered some of the small florals and leafy stems from The Stamp Market's Market Florals set, as well as a couple of fillers from Oh So Lovely.  I chose different ink colors for each image--Bubble Gum, Emerald Isle, Citrine, Tropic Teal, Melon Orange, Blush Pink, and a little bit of Navy for a dark, bold pop.

Then I started stamping, using plain white 8 1/2" x 11" printer or copy paper to wrap 4" square boxes.  You don't need to fill up the entire sheet of paper; in fact, DON'T fill the entire sheet!

Fair warning: It takes a bit of time to stamp all of these images in all of these colors--but the end result is so pretty that it's worth it.  Most of us enjoy stamping, too, so it's not really a chore, right?  It's fun!

While I was doing all of my stamping--I made 3 sheets for 3 boxes--I had some time to think about what the coordinating tags might look like.  I really wanted to utilize the florals with their coordinating dies; the only problem with that is that those florals can fade into the busy gift wrap background.  As I looked over all of my elements--partially stamped sheets of white paper, white tags, floral die cuts--I had the idea to place the gift wrap over the box so that the florals on the left side of the tag were positioned against the plain white area of the paper and the rest of the white tag was backed by the stamped portion.  I loved the idea!

As a tester, I'd been using a tag I made for a previous project that I didn't end up using then.  It was a plain white tag with the sentiment stamped in Cherry Kisses ink and although there is no red on my gift wrap, something about it made me adore it!  I stamped messages from Gift Giving Greetings in Cherry Kisses for all 3 tags, then arranged the floral die cuts.  After adding a strip of matching Cherry Kisses ribbon around the left side of the box and sticking the tag on with foam tape, my gifts were complete.  It's a unique and custom look for gift wrap.

If gift wrapping isn't your thing, you can use this idea to create cards.  Stamp a partial panel with florals, add a strip of ribbon or colored cardstock, and a tag.  Simple!

I hope these colorful gifts helped brighten your winter day!