When you go to so much effort to find the perfect Christmas gift, the finishing touch will be wrapping it in paper that reflects just how much you care, or adding a lovingly-made card. Whether it’s painted, hand-drawn or custom-printed, these DIY Christmas cards and wrapping paper projects are sure to delight both grown-ups and little ones.

Pom Pom Fairy Lights Wrapping Paper

DIY Christmas wrapping paper crafted from brown paper and pom poms.

This is an easy and fun craft project that kids will adore and adults will be able to whip up in minutes! While this DIY Christmas wrapping paper is simple, the bright colours and textures make a statement and will put a smile on the recipient’s face.

How to create your DIY Christmas wrapping paper with a fairy lights design.

Step 1: Take a big piece of Kraft paper, and using a permanent marker, make wiggles and squiggles covering the whole piece. Add occasional little loops; this is where your fairy lights will go.

Step 2: Colour in small black squares coming off each loop, which will be the fairy light’s ‘cap’.

Step 3: Wrap your gift in the paper and seal with sticky tape before adding the lights.

Step 4: Using a small amount of warm glue, stick each pom pom just underneath the black square ‘caps’.

Create your own DIY Christmas wrapping paper with brown paper, a marker, a glue gun and pom poms.

What You’ll Need

SEE ALSO: 8 Easy Christmas Crafts to Makeover Your Home

Hand-Drawn Wrapping Paper

Presents wrapped in hand drawn DIY Christmas wrapping paper.

No matter what your creativity skill set, white chalk marker always looks elegant and classic on brown Kraft paper. If you like to draw, create a festive Christmas design, or if you’re more of a beginner, write out Christmas carol lyrics or sweet notes all over the paper.

Create your own hand drawn DIY Christmas wrapping paper using a white marker on brown Kraft paper.

Step 1: Roll out a large piece of brown Kraft paper and cut.

Step 2: Draw your design using a white chalk marker. Be careful to work from one side to the other, depending on whether you’re left-handed or right so that you don’t smudge your handiwork.

Step 3: Allow to dry before wrapping your gift.

Scissors, brown Kraft paper, a white paint marker and tape is all you need to craft your own wrapping paper for presents this Christmas.

What You’ll Need

Confetti Wrapping Paper

Another cool DIY Christmas wrapping paper idea is to make your own confetti wrapping paper.

Take your Christmas wrapping to the next level with bright, textured paper and a layered style sure to wow loved ones. Using a mix of different textures makes gifts even more fun to wrap – and unwrap.

Recycle leftover tissue paper to make DIY Christmas wrapping paper.

‍Step 1: Start by creating confetti using a mini hole punch on sheets of brightly coloured tissue paper.

Step 2: Cut a piece of Kraft paper, then, using a glue stick, add small swipes of glue to the paper, followed by sprinkling or pressing confetti over the top. Avoid adding too much glue or pressure to the paper, as it can start to buckle and warp.

Step 3: Wrap your gift tightly in your confetti paper, then add a folded strip of coloured tissue paper as a belt across the middle.

Step 4: Add interest and layers by including a mini gift on top, which you could decorate with washi tape.

Step 5: Tie ribbons around the gift. If your ribbon piece is not long enough to go all the way round the box, lay shorter pieces over the present and then secure them to the bottom of the box with sticky tape. Doubling up ribbon not only looks pretty, it secures smaller gifts and decorations on top.

Step 6: Add decorations like pom poms, and then attach gift tags with tiny pegs instead of string.

What You’ll Need

Paper-Tree Decorated Christmas Cards

Make your own DIY Christmas tree cards.

An easy, mess-free project for kids, and surprisingly meditative for grown-ups too, this DIY Christmas tree card made from paper strips is a colourful way to say ‘Merry Christmas’ to your friends and family.

This paper strip tree project is one of the easiest and most fun DIY Christmas card ideas.

Step 1: Take a pile of brightly coloured A5 pieces of paper and one piece of black paper and fold and then cut into thin strips, and then cut each strip horizontally in half.

Step 2: Using a glue stick, attach the black pieces to a piece of thick paper, overlapping a little, ensuring each strip is on a slightly different angle. 

Step 3: Glue coloured strips, moving up the piece of paper, slightly overlapping each colour as you work your way to the top.

Step 4: Once the glue has dried, cut out the shape of a Christmas tree. Don’t forget to cut the black part as a pot at the base. 

Step 5: Fold an A5 piece of white paper or cardboard in half to make the foundation of your card.

Step 6: Glue your tree directly onto the face of your card, cut out a yellow star to decorate your tree and glue to the top of the tree. Wait until the glue has dried and you’re ready to write your message inside.

Materials to make this DIY Christmas card include scissors, a glue stick, coloured paper and cardboard.

What You’ll Need

SEE ALSO: 5 DIY Christmas Ornaments for a Special One-of-a-Kind Gift

Watercolour Present Cards

Decorate your DIY Christmas cards with watercolour-painted presents and Christmas baubles.

Christmas doesn’t have to be all about bold reds and greens. Embrace pretty pastel watercolour painting and create ‘presents’ that you can attach to a greeting card. With a little string to act as ribbon, you will have a thoughtful DIY Christmas card that is a gift in itself.

Whip out watercolour paints to create this easy DIY Christmas card idea.

Step 1: Using watercolour paints on watercolour paper, paint big stripes of colour in different sections, leaving some white space between.

Step 2: Once dry, cut out present shapes in squares and rectangles. 

Step 3: Fold an A4 piece of white cardboard horizontally for your card.

Step 4: Add string ‘bows’ to your small watercolour squares and secure with glue.

Step 5: Glue each ‘watercolour present’ to the card base. Write your Christmas greetings inside.

Craft materials to make your DIY Christmas card kit.

What You’ll Need

Stencil and Stamp Christmas Wrapping Paper

DIY Christmas wrapping paper created from stencils and paint.

Using stencils and stamps to create homemade wrapping paper is easy, and this project allows the whole family to exercise their own festive flair. Grown-ups can create a stencil with a scalpel, while little ones can have an adult help them cut shapes into potatoes, ready to be stamped straight onto your DIY Christmas wrapping paper. 

How to create your stencils and paint this DIY Christmas wrapping paper project.

Step 1: Take a piece of A3 white cardboard and using a scalpel, carefully cut out festive shapes like holly, Christmas trees or – if you’re really an expert – snowflakes.

Step 2: Roll out a large piece of white construction paper, and lay your stencil over the top.

Step 3: Using a sponge, gently press the paint over the stencil and onto the paper, being sure to hold the stencil firmly so that it doesn’t move around.

Step 4: While that is drying, help little ones: cut a potato in half and then cut Christmas shapes, such as trees and stars, into the face of the potatoes. 

Step 5: Remove the excess moisture from the potato stamp (a kitchen tea towel works well) and let kids dip it into paint and press the stamp all over a large piece of white construction paper. Leave to dry.

The materials you’ll need to craft this stencil and stamp DIY Christmas wrapping paper.

What You’ll Need

SEE ALSO: 10 Easy DIY Christmas Crafts for Kids to Try

Splatter Paint Wrapping Paper

Christmas presents look fantastic in this splatter paint DIY Christmas wrapping paper.

This is a fun outdoor project that requires a sizeable drop-sheet and smocks for little ones, because things will get messy. But, the messier, the better! Have kids splatter and flick paint all over paper, allowing it to dry and then layering more over the top for maximum impact. You’ll be left with vibrant wrapping paper that looks fantastic stacked in piles under the tree.

This splatter paint creation is an easy and fun way to make DIY Christmas wrapping papers.

Step 1: Roll out a large piece of white paper and place it over the top of a drop sheet or somewhere outside. Avoid grass or any surface with moisture.

Step 2: Take some dropper paints or inks, dip it in and then fling, squirt and splatter it all over the paper.

Step 3: Once dry, add another layer for extra impact and coverage. Dip a straight-edged paintbrush into paint and flick your wrist, flinging paint over the top of the splatters.

Step 4: Once completely dry, wrap up your gifts and enjoy the eclectic, artistic finish.

Craft materials to create the splatter paint DIY Christmas wrapping paper.

What You’ll Need

Air Dry Clay Christmas Gift Tags

This DIY Christmas decoration doubles as the perfect Christmas gift.

Elegant and subtle, a DIY air-dry clay gift tag is a beautiful finishing touch to a present, plus it doubles as a Christmas decoration your loved one can keep and add to the tree. Kids may even like to make fingerprint or hand-print gift tags as a treat for grandparents or family members. The possibilities are endless.

Creating your DIY Christmas decoration from air-dry clay is so easy and joyful.

Step 1: Roll out a small piece of air-dry clay, around the size of your palm. 

Step 2: Use a cookie cutter to make festive shapes. 

Step 3: If you are layering multiple shapes, add a few small scratches on the base shape, then press the smaller shape on top. Do this before they dry out.

Step 4: Add a hole at the top of the gift tag when it is still damp (use a skewer or straw), so you can easily add string later.

Step 5: While you wait for it to dry, make some extra crafty pieces like strips of green cardboard holly, by folding a piece of paper and cutting leaf-like shapes around the folded edge.

Step 6: When completely dry, add some string through your clay tag and layer it over the cardboard holly and burlap ribbon, then tie on top of a simply wrapped gift.

Materials to create your DIY air-dry clay Christmas decoration.

What You’ll Need

DIY Snow Globe Photo Card

One of the sweetest DIY Christmas card ideas is a personalised photo card.

Take all the magic of a traditional snow globe and channel it into a card that grandparents will adore. Easy enough for little ones to create or at least help with, this sweet card will take pride of place on the mantelpiece for years to come.

How to create a DIY snow globe photo card this Christmas.

Step 1: Fold a piece of A4 cardboard to create the card base.

Step 2: Open the piece of cardboard back up, and, using a jar or small bowl, trace a circle onto the face of the card.

Step 3: Carefully cut it out, leaving a neat empty circle in the middle of the card. Small kids may need help with this step.

Step 4: Cut some clear cellophane, no bigger than the inside of the card, and glue onto the inside front of the card with a glue stick, directly behind the circular hole. 

Step 5: Cut a “base” for the snow globe from coloured paper. Glue to the front of the card, at the base of the snow globe circle.

Step 6: Print your favourite photos at Officeworks Print & Copy, using a nice thick paper stock to give it extra strength. Trim to fit, then glue to the inner right hand side of the card. When you shut the card, you should be able to see the photo through the cellophane.

Step 7: Cut white pipe cleaners into tiny pieces to make ‘snow’. Using a warm glue gun, attach the ‘snow’ to the globe base. You can also add some little pieces of snow all over the face of the globe, as if it has been shaken.

Step 8: Decorate with a twine ribbon, some felt ‘berries’ and paper ‘holly leaves’.

Materials to create a DIY snow globe photo card.

What You’ll Need

Personalised Cards and Wrapping Paper

Create and print DIY personalised Christmas cards and wrapping paper with Officeworks.

Prepare for squeals of delight from friends and family when they see photos of themselves, special messages or pictures of grandkids and loved ones on their wrapped gifts and cards! Using Officeworks Print & Copy, you can add photos and custom messages to your Christmas wrapping paper and cards in just a few clicks and have it delivered to your door. Don’t be surprised if your friends decide to keep the wrapping paper instead of ripping it this year!

Hot Tip: Allow at least 4-10 business days for personalised cards and wrapping paper.

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A keepsake to treasure: use Officeworks Print & Copy to make bespoke Christmas cards this year.

This article was originally published in October 2021 and has been updated.