Designer Christmas Wrap

To create your own designs and print your own Christmas wrapping paper, you will need: vegetables (such as a potato, carrot, or turnip), pencil or marker, small knife, water-based paints, small brush, large sheets of tissue paper, butcher paper, or brown wrapping paper.

1. Slice the vegetable through the center and dry the surface.

2. Using a pencil or marker, draw or trace a design (such as a star, a bell, or a Christmas tree) onto the cut surface.

3. With an adult’s help, cut away all parts of the face that do not have any of the design on it. Cut to a depth of 1/4 inch.

4. Dry the surface again, then brush the raised design with water-based paint (tempera or acrylic). Press the design(s) firmly onto a large sheet of tissue paper, butcher paper, or brown wrapping paper in any pattern you like.

You could also try printing with sponges, pasta, pencil ends, or crushed paper. Or be creative—what else can you find around your home that would make a pretty design?

Photograph by John Luke