Gift tags with a difference
Hi everyone!
I hope you’re all off to a good start in 2016!
While we’re waiting for all the lovely new product to come in from CHA I was looking back through some of my stash trying to find some way to use up those left-over half sheets of paper and bits of 6×6 pads in my stockpile. I was also trying to tick a few boxes on my 2016 resolutions – like being better prepared for occasions and events in the card and gift giving department!
Like many a papercrafter I have a good collection of dies and product in the cupboard that should make fancier and more personal gift wrapping an easy task, after all it’s one of those arguments I often use to justify to myself the purchase of yet another tag die or similar when my finger is hovering over the buy button: “Hey, I can always use it to make all my gifts tags this year!”
Where I fall down though is in the timely making of it. I tend to be a “wrap it at the last minute” kinda gal – and that means that handmade gift tags rarely make it onto a gift!
I wanted to have a set of tags good to go for whatever the occasion, but I wanted them to be a bit more interesting than a regular old tag.
Enter the True Stories die set by Shimelle for American Crafts.
It includes a die for making up a little paper pocket that measures 3 x 2 inches and is half an inch deep at the bottom.
It’s just the right size for converting into a jacked up gift tag.
The pocket die is just the right size for 6×6 paper pads but it works nicely with 12×12 size designs too.
So to get me started I pulled out some coordinating papers I had left-over from the Dear Lizzy Fine & Dandy collection. It’s a really bright and cheery line and totally works for different occasions in the gift-giving stakes – plus the colours and designs would be an easy match for any gift wrap I need to buy.
Then I gathered some of my other dies and stamps together and got to work die-cutting and assembling the gift tags to create this set:
It’s easier to do this task in a production line.
- Die-cut all the papers you want to use with the pocket die.
- Bend the side score lines first.
- Then glue the sides and let them dry before doing the same with the bottom.
- Then you can go ahead and decorate them all individually as you wish.
I kept the design pretty much uniform across the set with a stamped sentiment on a banner.
I just added chipboard accents:
A paper border and an enamel rainbow heart sticker.
Some paper-pieced accents made with dies and punches also work great to give added dimension:
For this tag I made a little rosette from a mini-cupcake case.
Just cut out the circular base of the cupcake case, stitch around the hole you’ve just made and pull the thread tight to create a rosette:
This tag uses the diamond label and “lovely” banner from the True Stories set as a background to the sentiment:
And finally, the sentiment on this one definitely called for sunshine and another of those enamel heart stickers:
So that’s quite a few occasions covered.
I cut 8″ lengths of twine and tied a knot in the end, then just looped the twine under the flap of the pocket so it’s ready to attach to the gift.
And what’s inside?
Well, somewhere for you to write your message…
These pockets can also be jazzed up with the other dies in the set:
The Lovely banner looks great with the diamond label shape behind it in a contrasting colour.
And the cupcake case technique made a return for this tag:
I cut the heart that’s included in the True Stories set three times from this pink ombre paper and scored down the middle to fold each one in half and then assembled them to create a 3D heart. Again the banner is from the True Stories set with a stamped sentiment and enamel dot added for good measure.
Another cute idea for these mini pockets is to use them to include a message in your little or not so little one’s packed lunch.
And last but not least, I couldn’t possibly do a blog post without a card…
I used the Lovely banner from the True Stories set and teamed it with papers from the Jen Hadfield DIY home collection by Pebbles and dies from the Jen Hadfield Cottage Living set.
I popped some vellum behind the aperture circle to soften the background a bit more and there had to be some gold glitter in there somewhere!
Hopefully I’m going to be much better organised in 2016 when it comes to having cards and gifts ready for every occasion! 🙂
