block printed wrapping paper & snowball garland

by | Nov 14, 2014 | crafts, Decorating, Holiday, Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint, Tutorials, Winter | 24 comments

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I walked into the studio ready to work on Christmas things this morning.  I told Kriste at one point that I wished I could work on five different things at once.  There was a bee in my bonnet.  I had a lot on the wish list to get done, but I knew it was way too much for one day, so we  got started and just worked until we needed to stop.  We started making a grain sack tree skirt, did some housekeeping things for the studio and played around with some papers and ribbon I have been collecting over the last few weeks.

I also used an antique wooden stamp I bought at an antique store to “block print” some craft paper and I love how it turned out.

I see these wooden printing blocks here and there when I’m at antique stores, but I never though to buy one until Kriste encouraged me.  “We could actually use this to print with Milk Paint.”  What an awesome idea!  So, I tested it out today.

I brushed Ironstone (white) milk paint onto the stamp with a small brush, making sure the design was coated, but paint wasn’t dripping.  I then pressed it into the paper.

 

I then simply hand painted who the gift was to.  (You could use a paint pen or Sharpie if you prefer.) Yeah, I gifted this to myself.  Don’t be jealous, though.  It was just an empty box for a camera lens.  

Once the paint is dry (after about 10-15 minutes), a blue & white twill bow and some fresh greenery were added to finish off the gift.

block printed wrapping paper | miss mustard seed

I found a few good blocks HERE, HERE and an Etsy shop that has a whole bunch of them HERE.  (These aren’t sponsored links or anything.  I just thought I would do a little window shopping for you.)

If you don’t want to spend the money on a block stamp, you can paint a design freehand or use a stencil.  Kriste painted a pretty package freehand and it looked so sweet.

I picked up that antique rolling dog toy while I was shopping this week and that’ll be up for sale in the online shop soon.  (Plus some other things like French architectural plaques, an antique red sprinkler and more.)

While on our trip, Jeff was so sweet to take me to some stores I don’t get to but maybe once a year, because there aren’t any near me.  We went into World Market, Pottery Barn, Altar’d State and Anthropologie.  I didn’t buy much, but I loved looking at the displays, patterns, colors, etc.  It always recharges me creatively.

I did buy one thing from Anthro…this Snowball Garland.  It’s just fluffy and so pretty.  I looked into making one, but given the chunky wool yarn it’s made out of, I would probably spend about as much on yarn to make such a long garland, so I gave in and bought it.

I knew right where I wanted to put it…

…and I put it there as soon as I gave the boys hugs and kisses when I got home.

It’s hard to tell in the pictures, but it actually has strands of gold tinsel mixed in with the yarn.  I almost didn’t buy it for that reason, because I’m not really a gold tinsel kind of girl, but you hardly notice it.

While I am hot to get all of the Christmas decorating done, I am trying to restrain myself, since it is a bit early for the fresh greenery and live tree.  I am also hoping to sneak in sanding the floors before the holidays are in full swing.

And when I say “sneak”, I mean spend a day or two sanding floors, moving around furniture, and taping off doorways to control the dust.  Yeah, we can sneak that in somewhere.

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    24 Comments

    1. Kari from Meadowview Farm

      Oh you have me in the holiday mood! May just have to open up the decorations a bit early this year!
      Lovely, lovely, lovely!
      Kari

    2. Sue at the Little Shack

      I love your stamping project! Gonna have to try that one. I am beginning to feel the holiday mood starting in our house as we are getting some snow flurries here on the Hill. I have several gift projects on the go and still more to tackle, so I don’t want it to come too fast! I always plan to start earlier….one year maybe I actually will.;) Take care!

    3. Susan

      Hi Marian–Can you share a good source for craft paper? Thanks!

      • Joanne

        You can buy the parcel wrap in most stores ( drug stores / post offices / staples / Walmart, etc.) It’s not so thick that it makes wrapping gifts difficult but strong enough to not tear on the corners.

        Love your new stamp, Marian.

        • Susan

          Joanne, Thanks so much for taking the time to reply to my question. I have been unsure which paper to buy since the weights vary. Your response was very helpful!

    4. Julie @ Restyle Relove

      I love your stamping idea and love printing their name on even more! Looks fabulous. Definitely pinning this one! Thanks for sharing. 🙂 Julie

    5. Judy Pimperl

      I’ve always wondered what to do with those stamps, too…I never thought to actually use them. Thank you Kriste for the idea…and Marian, you did a beautiful job, as always. The simple wrapping is stunning.
      Judypimperl.blogspot.com

    6. Teresa

      What a great way to use vintage stamps! It looks so elegant and personalized when used for decorative gift wrapping.

      I thought about you yesterday when I was out shopping in some local vintage and antique shops in my area. I found a great Ironstone vegetable tureen on sale for $15.00 that was signed. It has some age spots inside the bowl but that’s okay because I will only be using it for display.

    7. dolores

      Craft paper on the roll has always been my go to wrap because you can decorate it for ANY occasion!!

      Do you have a brayer or a sponge roller…that would make putting the paint on just the design a bit easier.

      Love that snowball garland….hmmmm…where is that huge bag of yarn I have packed away?:)

    8. Cathy Genaw

      Brown craft paper…get a huge roll of builders brown paper for about $12 at any big box store. Heavy duty and lasts forever! 🙂

    9. MaryLisa Noyes

      I’m a nut for stamps and use them to make cards and paper themed products Your packages stamped and signed are awesome! I’ve used brown paper for my wrap for several Christmas’s and each year the packages look completely different depending on how I dress them up….

    10. Rita C. at Panoply

      Marian, what a great idea with the wood block! We have several of those in our booth spaces right now, and my sister just finished a piece of furniture in your paint. We live, like you, in a small town without Anthropologie, PB, WMkt, and the nearest HL is 50 miles away. I always go to Anthro’s sale room when we travel, looking for hardware. 🙂 Always inspiring, you are, thanks! Btw, you were great in that Fox segment on your FB page. Very articulate, and if you were nervous, it didn’t show in the least!
      Rita C. at Panoply

    11. Jennifer W

      So gorgeously simple!! Love the stamped paper!!

    12. Teri

      Oh, that is so pretty. I was hunting around for something last week for a design and found a wood applique that I thought I could make a stamp out of. FAIL. It just soaked up the paint and didn’t transfer. I love that stamp pattern.

      • Rose

        You could try sealing the wood appliqué with varnish and once it’s completely dry try using it as a stamp. Also, easier to stamp with it if you mount it on a block of wood too.

    13. mary young

      At our local antique store they have several wooden wallpaper blocks about 3′ square or so.
      So interesting and put together would make a wonderful headboard. I have never seen small
      ones.

    14. Tiffany

      I just love this:)

    15. Tiffany

      Beautiful:)

    16. Kristi

      Marion, can you tell us where you found that beautiful blue ribbon? I’m crazy for pretty ribbon.

    17. Nancy @ Slightly Coastal

      Marian I love the idea of using the block stamp! I adore stamped parcel paper because it can be used for all events/holidays. QUESTION: Can you tell me what brush you use to do the detail work? I keep buying brushes and when I use them there is something not quite right. Either they spread to far, don’t hold enough paint to make a continuous line, are too stiff etc… I thought I would ask and save myself even more money buying brushes.
      Thanks!

    18. Caroline Longstaffe

      So simple but so beautiful, I love it thank you for sharing!! Caroline

    19. Christy Keyton

      I recently took a class on linoleum block printing. It is so easy and the result is so pretty. I have carved out a couple of Christmas designs and stamped some lovely prints. Love that wooden stamp you used!

    20. Kathy lahr

      I love the stamped gift wrap! I have a collection of wooden block stamps piled up in an oval wooden bowl for display in the family room. I absolutely love the various designs and shapes and some even still have the remains of paint on them. Maybe I need to start stamping my wrapping paper, too. Yours turned out so pretty!

    21. Wanda Collins

      I loved this inspiring post. I don’t know if it will work, but I have a white bath mat that has big thick loopy pile and it’s coming unraveled…maybe it would be perfect for a snowball garland…Surely craft paper is a gift from heaven. I can’t imagine living without it!

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