Potato-Stamped Gift Wrap

Supplies:

• Sliced potatoes

• Paper for wrapping gift, such as rice paper or the reverse side of paper grocery bags

• Exacto blade

• Ink pads (or ink for block printing/ acrylic paint)

Directions:

• Slice your potatoes in half. Using an exacto blade, carve a design into the face of the potato, or cut the potato into a cool shape. Don’t let them dry out!

• Lay out your chosen wrapping paper. Press your potato stamp into the ink pad to cover the design with ink. It may take some experimentation to find the right amount of ink coverage. Begin stamping the repeated design onto the paper. Note: the integrity of the design will deteriorate the more you stamp it, so if you have a complex design or large surface area to cover, you may need to make backup potato stamps to fill in throughout the process.

• Lay your paper out to dry fully, especially if you used block printing ink or acrylic paint. Once dry, wrap your gifts with your thoughtfully crafted homemade wrapping paper!

Experimentation: 

• This process has a lot of potential for experimentation. You can experiment with different inking methods on different paper types. Or you could slice and ink up different vegetables like bok choy, lettuce heads, or corn and print them onto paper to see what cool prints they make even without designs carved into them! You can even print onto fabric for a holiday gift itself–just make sure you use ink or paint suitable for going through the wash. Enjoy!