One-On-One Challenge with Aunt Peaches: Gift Wrap

Hi. It's Wednesday the 5th o' January 2011.

You know what this means don't you?... Well let me tell you. THE Aunt Peaches (yes, you read that right) and I are having a little one-on-one challenge of the crafty kind! I'm so excited I may hyper-ventilate. It's okay. I've come fully equipped with a brown paper bag. Read on.

So what's the deal with the challenge, you ask? It's confoundedly simple it is. Here's what went down. We emailed back and forth. Picked a day (today). Decided on a challenge. Created a post with a link to the challenger's post, and that's it! Now all you do is check out what I made, check out what Peaches made, and Bob's your uncle, your work is done! No winners, no losers, just happy happy all around.

Note: If the niceness of it all disgusts you in some way, that's fine too. Just let me have it in the comments. It won't change anything, but at least you'll get it off your chest.

So for the challenge, we thought it might be fun to push each other to conjure up some crafting magic from all that colourful Christmas refuse, specifically gift wrap. I think it's a great idea what with the recyclingness of it all. And I love gift wrap. I'm a hoarder. Always have been. I have old Christmas gift wrap that predates the wheel pretty sure.

So let's get this show on the road why don't we?

WHAT AUNT PEACHES MADE {CLICK HERE}

WHAT MICHELE MADE {KEEP READING}

Tutorial: Childhood Charms

Every one of my three kids loves to draw. And over the years I have amassed whackloads of their works of art. I have bins full. Like 23 years worth. So for this craft, I didn't have to go far for inspiration. I chose a few of their drawings and went to town.

You will need:

• Your child's drawing
• An empty cereal box
• Old pieces of gift wrap
• Cord
• Metallic acrylic paint
• Gesso (or white paint)
• Pencil
• Tracing paper
• Graphite paper
• Exacto Knife
• PVA (white) glue

1. Choose a simple drawing. This castle was drawn by Elle when she was six years old. She's now 23.

2. Transfer the drawing onto tracing paper, and use graphite paper to transfer it onto your cereal box card.

3. Once your drawing is on the cereal box card, fatten up the lines as shown in photo#3. You want to create a thick outline around every detail in the picture.

4. Next use your Exacto knife to cut the thing out. Start with the small areas and work your way up to the larger areas. The final cut should be the outermost perimeter.

5. Apply a few coats of gesso or white paint to the cut-out. Let dry between coats. I applied 2 coats to my pieces.

6. Similarly, apply a few coats of metallic paint to the cut-out. Let dry between coats. I applied 3 coats.

7. Get out that beautiful gift wrap. The next step involves trial and error. Place your cut-out on a piece of gift wrap. If you like how it looks, draw out the perimeter of that section of the cut-out onto the gift wrap. If you don't like how it looks, move to another piece of gift wrap until you find one that works.

8. Cut out the piece of gift wrap for that section of cut-out.

9. Apply glue to the back of your cut-out and glue the piece of gift wrap in place. Repeat steps 7 to 9 until most of the cut-out is filled in. I've left some areas bare because I like that look. But you don't have to. Fill in the whole thing if you like! Go to town! Attach a piece of cord and hang it all, you are DONE!

Here are my (or should I say, my children's) works of art rendered in cereal box card and gift wrap!

Elle's Castle is slated as a petite wall-hanging...

This next one is a piece the boy (who's 6) drew out a few months ago. It's quite the impressionistic thing and I think I will put it on a necklace and wear it as a pendant. I'll need Michelle's expert advice on how exactly to do that if she'll oblige (I believe I need a jump rope or something like that...). Ain't it pretty? I love it!

And this larger piece will also be a wall hanging, and was designed last year by the boy for Valentine's Day. It's a love machine. And it'll be put to good use in our house. I mean, who can't use more love? Really.

And in fact, you could hang them all together in a collection like this too. There's an idea...

And those little charms from Monday's post? They will definitely be used as gift tags. Or maybe earrings. OR as tiny ornaments on a Valentine's Day tree... Wouldn't that be sweet?

And so ends my (and my children's) contribution to the One-on-One. Yippee! Now I'm off to admire the wonder of that Peachy creation... Meet you there?

I hope you have yourself a lovely day! I'll see you again soon!

P.S. Hey Peaches, did we say anywhere in those emails that we would be swapping creations? I'm pretty sure I broached that subject and the decision was AFFIRMATIVE. (Okay... We didn't say that... I'm a fibber... But can you blame a girl for trying?)

P.P.S. I'll be linking!