Printing our own wrapping paper, stage 1

... but first try it out on smaller pieces of paper - especially when there are quite a few people around a not-all-that-large table -

We cut up carrots, turnips and potatoes, discovering that the centre of the potato doesn't give a very good print - or rather, that the results are unexpected and convey a charming hand-made quality. 

And we used rubber stamps, wooden stamp blocks, paint, foam brushes, paintbrushes, bits of foam soaked in (acrylic) paint and laid on small plates. Exciting results, I thought, these among them -

Wendy's tags

Sabi's brown paper transformed

Hard work by Tony and Lisa

I acted as Conceptual Facilitator (and made tea) - there came a point when we simply removed the top layer of newspapers and set to work on the almond-and-raspberry cake that Tony had prepared earlier -

Stage 2, lengths of wrapping paper, will have to take place in the participants' own homes, should they wish to continue this process. 

We thought it would be possible - and time-saving - to wrap the prezzies first (in brown paper or tissue paper) and print just the bits that are visible.