Rolls, sheets or clean reused parcel paper.
Let the wrapping become part of the gift
Plain brown paper is inexpensive, easy to find and wonderfully adaptable. With a few stamps, painted details, stickers or stencilled motifs, it can become thoughtful wrapping that feels personal without needing complicated equipment or perfect results.
Gather from the worktable
Acrylic paint, poster paint or stamping ink.
Bought designs, handmade shapes or simple household objects.
Botanical, seasonal or plain coloured shapes.
Scissors, brushes, sponges and scrap paper.
Twine, saved ribbon, yarn, leaves or rosemary sprigs.
Four simple ways to decorate
Choose one method or mix several together. Repeating a simple design often looks more effective than trying to cover every part of the paper.
Stamped patterns
Use rubber stamps, wooden stamps, potato stamps or carved sponge shapes to repeat leaves, stars, flowers or simple marks across the paper.
Test the stamp on scrap paper first and avoid re-inking too heavily, as excess paint can blur the details.
Stencilled designs
Hold or lightly tape the stencil in place, then dab rather than brush the paint through it. A sponge or nearly dry stencil brush helps prevent paint from creeping underneath the edges.
Large motifs work well on finished boxes, while smaller repeating designs suit flat sheets of paper.
Painted details
Add simple stars, dots, branches, borders or small brush marks. The patterns do not need to be perfectly identical; gentle variations are part of the handmade character.
Use paint sparingly so the paper does not become wet, wrinkled or difficult to fold.
Stickers and quick details
Stickers are ideal when time is short or when the parcel is awkwardly shaped. Add a scattering of small designs, create a border or use one larger sticker as a focal point.
They can also hide a slightly untidy fold. A humble but useful little wrapping trick.
Decorate before or after wrapping
Protect the table
Lay down scrap paper or an old cloth, especially when using paint, ink or glue.
Choose where to decorate
Work on the paper while it is flat for an all-over pattern, or wrap the parcel first when you want decoration only on the visible surfaces.
Test the design
Try the paint, stamp or stencil on a spare piece first to check the colour, pressure and amount of paint needed.
Build the pattern slowly
Begin with fewer marks than you think you need. You can always add more, but removing a crowded pattern is rather less cooperative.
Let everything dry
Leave painted or stamped paper completely flat until dry. Damp paint can transfer to the gift, ribbon or your hands while wrapping.
Add the finishing touch
Tie with twine, ribbon or yarn, then add a gift tag and perhaps a small natural detail such as rosemary or a dried leaf.
Awkward shapes
Use stickers, small stamps or painted dots after wrapping. Large stencils are much easier on flat boxes.
Food gifts
Keep painted or decorated paper away from food unless the gift is already safely wrapped or sealed inside its own container.
Reuse what you have
Smooth out saved brown paper, use ribbon from previous gifts and keep small paper offcuts for tags or labels.