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). 

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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)
  

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If you’d like to duplicate exactly what I’ve done here, you can find these brushes here…

• #12 Filbert Brush
• 4200L Fan Brush

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