Crafty Monday (on Wednesday)—kid-made wrapping paper

Monday it snowed. And snowed, and snowed, and snowed. So while we had every intention of spending Monday painting paper (with which to wrap a gift that I finally finished over the weekend, only one week later than its "due" date), we spent a lot of Monday outside in the warm, wet snow. Since that was the craft Calvin desperately wanted to showcase this week, I decided to make Wednesday crafty this week. I reserve that right.

Wrapping paper has been somewhat of a thorn in my side. I know it's not something a good environmentalist would use, but unwrapping a gift is so fun, especially for a kid. This is by no means my own solution to the problem, but something I've seen many, many times before, and when I suggested it to Calvin, he was ecstatic about making the paper to wrap the gift he had been watching me make. This is even double-sided wrapping paper—I always save Calvin's art paper (the ones we don't hang up) so we can use the other side as well, and we made the wrapping paper from some of this second use paper.

In Calvin's own words: "I wrote her name and I didn't want to color over her name, so I put a fence around it. And then there are all the muddy people and they won't walk on the flowers, they will be careful to walk around them. And [the girl with the big purple bandage on her hand] burned her finger at home, so she's going to the hospital."

Comments

[Lise]

Calvin, we just this minute finished unwrapping these gifts. What beautiful wrapping paper!! We loved it--both sides (we found some people hiding on the inside). What a great writer and painter and drawer you are!

Cortney, what absolutely beautiful and thoughtful gifts--just exactly right for Lucy right now (she's putting veggies in and out of the bag as I write). Super impressive work, especially since you've just started sewing! We love them, and they'll get lots of use. :-)

[Andi]

I had forgotten about this website, but Lise reminded me when I came home sick from work today, just in time to watch Lucy open her gifts.

I LOVE the recycled shopping bag and the veggies. I took Lucy bowling on Saturday night, and as she pulled out the orange and the pumpkin and the eggs she kept saying "Ball! Ball! Ball!!" This gift was clearly a hit with her. It's a huge hit with us, too. Homemade? Check! Recycled paper? Check! Book? Check! Adorable? Check! Thank you so, so much!