Homemade gift wrap made with Christmas scented paint

Can you hear those jingle bells? Christmas crafting has begun! This homemade gift wrap made with Christmas scented paint is the first of many Christmas crafts that are on the way – but this one is the best smelling!

…. Click here …. for your guide to a cosy and connected winter with your family.

Homemade gift wrap with Christmas scented paint

To make our homemade gift wrap, we used a big roll of brown parcel paper, some Christmas-themed cookie cutters, and some special Christmas paint.

The children loved using our homemade spice paints, so I thought we would update them for the festive season and make some Christmas paints. It’s very easy to give your paints an extra sensory dimension: just add scent!

Christmas scented paint

You can use food oil, essential oil, herbs, spices or perfume to scent your paint. Just think of the key scents of the season and match them up with the colours of the holiday. You only need a little of the oils or spices to get the effect, but do take care to consider any allergies or intolerances your individual children might have before you pick your scents.

We used:

white paint with vanilla extract {I’m thinking you could also stir in some toothpaste for a peppermint?}

red poster paint mixed with cranberry juice

green paint with a drop or two of peppermint extract {my daughter thought a pine fragrance would be good too}

brown paint with a sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg

Have you got any other scent suggestions for us?

Then we set out our roll of brown paper – with a tablecloth in place to protect the table – and used the red and white paints to make some gift wrap.

Cookie cutters are great for printing. They’re easy for children to hold and of course you can get all sorts of shapes, to match whatever theme you like. If you set the paint out on plates or shallow bowls it’s easy to dip the cutters into the paint.

You can play some Christmas music while you print, and enjoy the festive smells from the paint! I think the finished gift wrap looks so pretty.

We’re going to be using some of it to make a homemade advent calendar, and we’ll use the rest of the paint to make a handprint Christmas wreath.

Let’s make this winter the year when we delight in the cold and the dark.

Gather your children, get cosy, and make memories and connections together.

I’ll show you how with this guide to a cosy and connected winter:

…. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR GUIDE ….