Make Your Own "Natural" Wrapping Paper

Plain paper, some leaves from outdoors, and crayons or colored pencils are the ingredients to make your own exclusive wrapping paper designs! The one above has been done by a little fellow to wrap a small gift in.

Place the leaves between two pieces of paper, arranging them how you like, and gently color with the side of a crayon, or the side of a colored pencil (don't use the point!).

In a magazine a few years old, I found instructions for flower pounding. If it is done well, it can make a beautiful impression, as all the pigments from the flowers transfer to the paper.

Place a pad of paper on a soft covered surface (here we used a rug over a wood floor). Place your flowers and lightly tape them down on the notepad. Cover with a paper towel and lightly tape the edges of it down to keep it from shifting. Then pound evenly with a hammer. Too much can smear the flower, so don't pulverize it!

This is the best one my little helper made, a yellow and purple pansy. We also did some leaf impressions. It is a bit messy, but fun to experiment with different flowers.