How to make faux leather gift wrap

Faux leather gift wrap

Materials

Brown paper grocery bag

Kiwi shoe polish (brown was used for this project)

Makeup sponge

Rubber gloves

Paper towels

Scissors

Gold metallic stamping ink (optional)

Pinking shears (optional)

Instructions

14Cut the bag along the back seam with a scissor, then cut out the bottom. This will leave you with a piece of paper about 14 inches by 37 inches.

Crumple the bag with your hands until it is wrinkled all over. Smooth it out with your hands.

With the paper blank side up, use the makeup sponge to smear the paper with the shoe polish. Aim for even coverage, and wear rubber gloves to avoid getting polish on your hands. Work in a well-ventilated area. Wipe the paper with a paper towel to remove any heavy globs of shoe polish.

Allow the paper to air dry. After about an hour or two, the smell will dissipate.

If you desire, lightly brush the top of the paper with the gold metallic ink pad.

Use the paper as is for wrapping or cut it into strips and use as an embellishment. Use pinking shears for a decorative edge. For this project, a strip of this faux leather paper was wrapped around another grocery bag decorated with rubber stamps.

Tip

Because the paper will have a slightly waxy finish, use strong double-stick tape when wrapping.