Mixed Media Gift Wrap Tutorial Using Unique Laser Design's Swirly Christmas Tree Embellishment!

Why buy holiday gift wrap when you can create your own? ;D

Today, I have a super cool, step-by-step tutorial on how I created this holiday gift wrap using Unique Laser Design's swirly Christmas tree wood embellishment.

Mixed Media Gift Wrap Using
Unique Laser Design's Swirly Christmas Tree
Wood Embellishment

Okay, here we go:

Started with a piece a kraft paper
that was large enough to wrap
around my gift box.
Grocery bags are also GREAT!
Used washi tape to adhere
the kraft paper to my work surface.

Used black archival ink
to add this Stampabilities 'Faith'
stamp as a background layer.

Selected three shades of turquoise/teal
& pearl acrylic paint
for my Christmas tree color.
Placed a generous amount of
each color on my Gelli Plate.
Marbled gently with a paint brush.

Unique Laser Design's MDF Wood
Christmas tree embellishment

Gently placed the ULD wood
embellishment in the acrylic paint

Used the paint covered 
ULD wood embellishment 
to create several stamped images 
on my background

Splattered Heidi Swapp gold Color Shine
on the background 

Used Tim Holtz's 'Picket Fence' 
Distress Paint to create white circles 
on the background

Doodled around all of the stamped marks
with a black Uni-ball Signo (broad) pen.
Added sparkle & dimension to the 
white circles with 'Star Dust' Stickles

Added Prima Marketing "Say it in Crystals"
bling embellies as Christmas tree toppers

Doodled around the bling embellies
with a black Uni-ball Signo pen

Added messy ink marks inside the
white circles with a
neon green Painters pen

The completed mixed media gift wrap background

Added acrylic paint to the other side of
the wood embellishment

Added 'Star Dust' Stickles to the
wood embellishment

Distressed the embellie with Tim Holtz's
'Weathered Wood' Distress Ink

Wrapped my gift with the mixed media 
gift wrap, added a ribbon & my 
painted ULD wood embellishment
as a final touch.
Tied decorative cord at the top of the 
embellishment so it can be used 
as a Christmas tree ornament!

Close-up of Unique Laser Design's
Christmas Tree Embellishment

I pray you find this tutorial helpful. 

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all of you!

Much love,

Shelley 

Gelli Printed Artist Trading Cards

Artist trading cards are always fun to make.  I find that working in a small size is challenging.  The hardest part for me is covering up my background.  Backgrounds can stand on their own.  When you select the right elements, that's when the magic happens.

Here is my finished project, four ATCs lined up.

The first thing you're going to notice is that the heads don't match.  I only had three kids heads. I chose the illustrated head to go on the fourth card.  Don't worry, I have added "the heads of children" to my next shopping list.

What I want you to know about this set of ATCs is that they are made on wood from Unique Laser Designs.  And they were so easy to make!

First, gesso your wood.  Gesso is your friend.  It primes your surface and makes your paint appear more vivid.   Then apply your base color to the ATC.  I used a bright green.

While the gesso was drying, I used my die cut machine to cut several pieces out of old greeting cards.  Thick glossy cards make excellent reusable templates for several projects.  Just don't tell that relative that sends these cards how you use their store bought mementos.  (If you don't make your own cards, support your local crafty person!)  And if either of these options are not available in your home, file folders are the next best thing.

  

I decided to used my Gelli plate to make the background of this ATC set.  I then used my die cutter to make a template to use on the Gelli plate.

For the next layer of paint, I had chose orange.  I applied it to my Gelli Plate and set down my ATCs.  When I pulled the ATCs up, I saw orange.  Too much orange.  I spritzed the ATCs with water and then wiped the centers clean of the orange, just leaving a bit of orange around the edges.

I opted for pink instead.  After seeing how the paint transferred to the ATC, I also decided to use the "ghost image" on the ATC.  I put the pink paint on the Gelli Plate, put on the die cuts, then peeled them back off.  Then I placed the wooden ATCs onto the Gelli Plate.  The result was a finer, less blobby transfer print.  

This is how the ATCs looked after the Gelli treatment:

I was thrilled with the result and wanted to keep them the way they were.  I convinced myself to go on with my project.  Using black ink, I grunged them up a wee bit and inked the edges of the cards.  

After searching through my stash, I found colorful rub-ons.  I applied these to the four cards.  

I finished the ATCs off with the collage heads, flowers and the ULD word blocks.  

These are the Unique Laser Design products that I used in this project:

Wood ATC set

Brick Wall Stencil

The word blocks are actually the bricks from the Brick Wall Stencil.  

If you would like to see close-ups of this proect, please click here.  Thanks so much for stopping by and having a look!