Paper Is More Than Wrap

As we talked about before, the art of paper cutting has a long and glorious history. At least as long as the Chinese have had paper and that’s a long time. We can learn a lot from their dedication to the craft. Using this ancient technique of cut paper today would be as fresh as any idea you could come up with for adding artistic flair to a gift wrapping. All that’s required is a sharp craft knife and a cutting board. Gift wrapping paper is not the first choice of materials. Colored paper is preferred. The weight depends on the project.

One approach is creating a 3-D effect. We could take a look at the circus, it’s loaded with images that can be applied to gift wrapping. For this idea a simple image will do - a clown face. We are all familiar with the basic shapes: White face, big red nose, blue hair and a funny little hat. By adding paper tabs under the nose and hat you can make have a 3-D effect. Shred the edge of the hair with scissors. Top it off with buttons for eyes and draw a mouth and you have it.

Paper Cutting - A Sharp Idea

Explore paper cutting if are looking for a new twist for gift wrapping. The idea of paper cutting is a tradition among Chinese, going back thousands of years. Chinese women are quite skilled at this craft. History shows that they placed the art of cut paper in a very functional role. As alternative to written language these pictures were used to express ideas and as a learning tool. Children learned from folk tales about love, kindness, treachery and ambition. Their mothers used them as a way to teach morality and history as they were growing up.

These delicate illustrations, loaded with symbolism were also used as sympathetic magic. Fierce animals, hung over doorways to repel evil spirits or in invited good spirits into the home to bestow their blessings. It was also a custom to give cutouts to family members to ensure prosperity and good fortune or to newlyweds for happiness and fertility.

Cut paper can add a nice decorative touch to a gift wrap. There are many ways to approach it. In addition to the basic snowflake cutout, colored paper can be cut into shapes like stars, flowers and animals to adorn a present. The idea is to be imaginative and playful.