It’s another edition of the 12 Months of DIY. Can you believe it’s October already?! Where has the year gone? I figured since we’re about to head into some serious holiday action, what better use for my “ribbon” challenge than to beautify some pretty packages for loved ones with hand painted ribbon.
I love this idea because one of my favourite things to do is wrap everything in either white or craft paper, and then go nuts with the accessories! This way, your crafting on each package is super quick, and there’s no need to hunt for the perfect coloured wrapping. Hand painted ribbon can be coordinated into your holiday colour scheme, or a used as a one-off craft — maybe for that special package for your best bud? (This post may contain affiliate links. This means, should you end up making a purchase, advertisers give me a small percentage of that sale, at absolutely NO EXTRA COST to you. Click here for full disclosures).
Painted Ribbon Supplies…
- Craft Satin Ribbon
- A Mix of Brushes
- Fabric Paint (not dimensional fabric paint).
- Scrap Paper
- Jar of water (use sparingly to thin paint as needed)
If you’d like to duplicate exactly what I’ve done here, you can find these brushes here…
The trick is to just PLAY! Don’t take it too seriously, and play with pattern. I used all kinds of brushes and strokes on my scrap paper until I eventually found a couple I liked in the colours I loved.
Dragging the fan brush gave the perfect striated marks in pink. And dabbing the tip of the #12 Filbert brush over and over, created these amazing imperfect horizontal lines. Everything ended up looking like water-colour. It’s so pretty!
Check out my video how-to, right here:
Once your design is complete, you can lay everything flat or hang it out of the way to dry. Check your fabric paint container for directions. Depending on which product you use, they may recommend heat-setting your design before use. I was good to go after a few hours of drying and they looked something like this…
Now, you guessed it — it was time to get those pretty bows on some packages! I love the idea of a special ribbon for gifted wine. It kicks it up a notch to “gift level status” when you show up for a dinner or holiday party.
With white or craft wrapping paper, the colour choices are endless. Choose whichever colour scheme suits your fancy this year and go for it!
CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE GIFT TAG PDF!
Of course I love the addition of a good Gift Tag. You can snag your free PDF PRINTABLE of these “Happy Holidays”, “Congrats!”, and “Thanks!” gift tags, right here, or click the image above.
Don’t strive for perfection with this craft. See how the blue lines bleed into the ribbon here and there? I LOVE that! It’s like a custom water-colour painting. It’s the best when imperfections or unexpected twists just add to the personality of a project!
Is this wine dressed up and ready to go, or what?! I had so much fun coordinating my ribbon to my wine packaging for the perfect pink explosion!
Are you going to give this one a try? Hand painted ribbon is just the start. Keep reading to find out what my blogging buddies came up with for their 12 Months of DIY, ribbon projects!
From the top left, they are:
Upcycled Ribbon Cocktail Napkins from PMQ for Two
Faux Greenery Big Satin Bow Grapevine Wreath from Time With Thea
DIY String Art Using Ribbon from Vin’yet Etc.
Shabby Chic Christmas Wrapping Ideas from The DIY Mommy
Ribbon Tassel Keychain from Brooklyn Berry Designs
Make Your Own Advent Calendar with Ribbon from Sustain My Craft Habit
Modern Christmas Wreath from Love Create Celebrate
DIY Gift Tag Ribbon Garland Made With Old Christmas Cards from Woman In Real Life
Hand Painted Ribbon from Fresh Crush
DIY Sunglasses Storage & Display Organizer from Heather in Heels
DIY Ribbon Tassel Garland from Lifeovereasy
Ribbon Wall Hanging from Life Is A Party
18 thoughts on “Hand Painted Ribbon and Gift Tags”
What a great idea! The ribbon is so pretty – thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks Dani!
This would be a fun craft to just go for it and get creative. No over thinking it. Just enjoy some art time and make something beautiful!
Great use of Pantone’s 2016 colours ;)
This is seriously cool though, I love it!
this is genius! I think I’m only ever buying white/plain craft paper & plain ribbon from now on – bring on the paint!
Right?! I love kraft paper and this makes it so much more fun! Thanks Heather.
So pretty. Love your suggestion to just play, best way to craft!
I so admire your creativity and creative ideas. What a great way to have fun with plain ribbon and make it look so much decorative!
Thanks Thea!
You did a lovely job painting your ribbon. And you are so right – the hand-painted ribbon really makes a wine hostess gift so much more special!
Thanks Joann! Yeah, I like dressing things up a little ;)
I would have never ever thought to paint ribbon! I can not tell you how much time I have wasted searching for the perfect wrap and the coordinating ribbon, OMG this for me is a game changer, seriously, HUGE time saver! These look so professional too, my mind is seriously blown! Craft paper and white ribbon, wow!
Right?! That’s how I feel too. Just stick to kraft paper or white wrap, and use any paint colours for your ribbon under the sun! I love seeing everything under the tree with variations of the same colour at Christmas time too.