Hand Painted Holiday Book Wraps

You know you’re doing something right when people want to use your paper gift-wrapping creation as a real life handbag. And who am I to tell them they can’t? While I certainly agree that these envelope-inspired designs are pretty enough to pair with a cocktail dress and sparkly heels, I can’t guarantee they’d hold up to more than two uses… but for holiday gift-wrapping, they’re absolutely perfect. According to my calculations, the DIY process should work for just about any flat-ish rectangular gift, but today, we’re showing you how to create gorgeous, custom packaging for all the coffee table books and cookbooks you’ll be gifting this season.

photography by Kristen Kilpatrick

To get started, you’ll want to hand paint plain white poster boards. I chose acrylic paints in a nude, a light gray and a pearlescent pink to create this soft color way, then free handed three different patterns onto my posters.

I find that for projects like these, the simplest patterns work best. And leaving the brush strokes imperfect means gift recipients will know this paper was hand painted and not store bought.

Once your paper is dry, you’re ready to start cutting and folding. Keep reading for the step-by-step instructions!