Wrapping Paper Walls

Try this festive wall treatment for an entryway, a wall by your tree, or behind your holiday buffet. A collage of brightly wrapped “gift boxes” lines the wall and tells everyone who enters your home, “I’m serious about the holidays. So where’s my present?”

What you’ll need:

Rolls of wrapping paper
(Try 4 to 5 colors)
Foam core
Tape
Poster putty

1. Measure your wall to determine how much foam core you’ll need.

Each sheet of foam core is about 32 x 40 aches. You can purchase foam core at any art supply store, each sheet selling for about $5.

2. Within each foam core sheet, decide on the pattern of rectangles that will become the gifts.

Vary the patterns. Try squares, rectangles, vertical boxes, horizontal boxes, big ones and small ones. Write numbers on each box so you remember where they go. At this point, you’ll also decide which wrapping paper you will be using for each box. Write the color on the box so you’ll remember how to wrap it. Then using a straight edge and exacta knife, cut the foam core into the corresponding boxes. Here’s an important hint: now write the number on the back, in the correct up and down direction, so that when you wrap the panel, you still know where it’s supposed to go.

3. Wrap each foam core panel with the wrapping paper.

You only need to extend the paper around the back by a half-inch, since no one will be seeing the back.

4. Put a little ball of poster putty in the corners and along the sides of each panel.

Poster putty can be found at stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond under the brand name Handi-Tak (from the makers of Super Glue). The great thing about poster putty is that it allows you to remove the panels easily after the season is over, and it rubs right off your wall. For your bigger panels you will need more poster putty to hold them in place. Also, if your foam core isn’t perfectly flat (or for that matter, your wall isn’t perfectly straight), you will need bigger balls of poster putty. You can also bend, or even crack, the foam core, so it makes contact with the wall. Be generous with the putty. Don’t worry, it comes off.

CAUTION: Because some poster putty is dyed yellow, there could be yellow residue on the wall when removed. Test it first. If there is a stain, clean it with lighter fluid or a spot remover.

5. Put a bow on some of the panels for more merriment.

Click here to learn how to make a gorgeous bow.