If you’re looking for a simple and cute DIY Christmas gift wrapping idea, I’ve got your back! I came up with this idea a few years ago and since then, I always wrap some of the Christmas gifts with a gingerbread theme. It’s easy and fun to do, and the result is really pretty! All you need is a white paint pen and a base – some empty gift tags, plain gift bags, or even just brown coloured paper. From there, the possibilities are endless! Here is some inspiration for simple gingerbread themed handmade gift tags and gift bags.
Supplies for making DIY gingerbread themed Christmas gift wrapping
You’ll need:
Your choice of base for the gift tags or bags:
- orange-brown coloured thick paper (a colour that resembles gingerbread)
- plain brown paper gift tags
- plain brown wrapping paper
- plain brown paper gift bags
If you’re cutting out your own gift tags:
- sharp scissors
- hole puncher
- piece of thread or ribbon
- stencils in your chosen shapes – cookie cutters are a good shout here
Also:
- good quality opaque white paint pen
What pen to use for DIY gingerbread themed Christmas gift wrapping
You’ll need a white pen that will stand out on dark coloured paper. A regular white pen will likely not be opaque enough. I like to use acrylic pens – you can buy acrylic pens in art stores and online.
I recommend getting a marker around 1-2mm thick. Ideally, a single line drawn with your marker should be similar in thickness to a line of royal icing from a piping bag used to decorate cookies. You can use a thin pen too, but you’ll need to draw over each line a few times to make it look thicker. I usually use a few pens in various sizes, but you’ll be fine with just one pen in medium size. Pens with a metal nib tend to work best, in my experience. Those with a marker-like soft/fabric tip tend to leave bits of fluff on the paper, which can sometimes drag and mess up otherwise crisp lines. I also found that the ink in markers tends to be thinner and less opaque than the one in pens with a metal nib.
How to make gingerbread themed DIY gift tags
For this project, it may be helpful if you happen to have cookie cutters in the shapes of gingerbread man and a star. If you don’t, that’s not a problem! You can Google an image to use as a guide and print it in the desired size. Alternatively, if you trust your artistic skills, you can just draw the shapes yourself!
Once you have your template ready, use it to draw the shapes on the orange-brown-coloured thick paper, using a pencil. Then, cut out the shapes using sharp scissors.
Now, it’s time to add the icing! Use your white pen to decorate the shapes to resemble iced gingerbread cookies. I like to make classic gingerbread men, and turn the stars into snowflakes. And of course – to turn these cute shapes into gift tags, just punch a hole where it makes most sense, and attach a piece of thread or ribbon.
You can use your imagination to cut out other shapes and decorate them with your chosen patterns. Perhaps something different and personal for every person you’ll have a present for?
You can also use store-bought blank gift tags made of plain, brown paper. I like turning round gift tags into baubles and rectangular ones into gingerbread houses. Whatever shape you buy, feel free to use your imagination!
How to make gingerbread Christmas gift bags
If you have a bit more time to spare, I recommend turning plain, brown gift bags into unique gingerbread houses. I remember when I first made some gingerbread house gift bags a few years ago, and it took my parents quite some time to realise that they were all hand-painted and not store-bought. They were in awe! It takes some time to draw a whole gingerbread house on a gift tag, and it’s usually something I do in November, whilst watching TV.
I usually start by outlining the edge of the bag. Then, I draw roof tiles and a door. After that, I let my imagination flow. The lines don’t have to be perfectly even – I don’t use a ruler to draw, I freehand the lines. I do, however, use the ruler to measure the placement of elements I want to be symmetrical, like roof tiles or windows.
If you’re lacking ideas for a design, just Google gingerbread house photos for inspiration. My way of filling the spaces is simple: adding dots of “icing” in various sizes is a great way to cover some space. I also like to draw iced snowflakes. There are no rules when it comes to decorating a gingerbread house.
You can draw on both sides of the gift bag, or just one. I usually only decorate the front of the bag, leaving the rest of it blank.
Painted gingerbread houses on gift bags look impressive, but they take time to make. If you need a quicker idea, how about drawing snowflakes or starts and dots in various sizes all over the bag? No need to measure anything, just go with the flow. I decorated these two gift bags in under ten minutes!
How to decorate wrapped Christmas presents in gingerbread theme
You can also apply the same design to gifts wrapped with plain, brown paper. It looks best on rectangular items, neatly wrapped in paper. The only drawback is that the recipient of the gift will probably feel bad when they tear the paper!
Final thoughts
And just like that, you can easily transform the most basic gift wrapping into cute, unique works of art. I love designing my own Christmas gift packaging while watching Christmas films, it’s so relaxing. Do you personalise gift packaging too? Let me know if you have other simple and cute ideas!
Also see:
Alphe's Corner 