SATURDAY INSPIRATION - Gift Tags everywhere!

When I've been visiting crafting blogs lately everyone seems to be making Christmas gift tags and to be honest, I don't usually use gift tags, don't know why but this year I am defiantly going to make some as they are so cute.
I think I was put off gift tags as the one's my mum used when I was little always looked a bit like an after thought.  Now, no disrespect to my parents, but they just wrapped things so they were wrapped, they didn't get how special and exciting a gift looks when it's wrapped beautifully, for them it was more of if it was wrapped and looked vaguely Christmas-like it was good enough.

but I have defiantly discovered the joy of a beautifully wrapped gift and what could be a more perfect start to a beautiful gift than a hand-made, personal tag.

My first tag is a big one, perfect for a larger gift.

It's a 'tucked' gift card, sorry I can't think of a better description but hopefully the picture explains it.  I used a piece of 8" x 8" "Whisper White" card stock that I scored at 2" on each side and cut off the corners to create the basic shape and just folded in one side after another and tucked the last side under the first.

For the sentiment on the outside is from the "Tags til Christmas stamp set and it opens to reveal a sentiment form the "Delightful Dozen" stamp set - wish I love, so many useful sentiments in that set.

On the outside I used images from the "Scentsational Season" stamp set

I also added a bit of 'shiny' to each image.  I used "Dazzling Details on the candy cane, "Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details" on the gingerbread man's shiny buttons.  I also cut out the gingerbread man using the "Holiday Collection" framelit dies just to give it a bit of additional dimension.

and for the mug I added a rhinestone jewel.

I'll be sharing more gift tags in the run up to Christmas, enjoy!  xx

Count down to Christmas ~ Wk 3

Hi there,
Sorry, I'm a bit late posting today, not sure why, I've been up since 05:30!

Anyway, another card today, I've made about 30 Christmas cards so far in 4 different designs, so I think I'm on target to get them all done by the end of November.

It doesn't look too interesting from this view, but the following picture shows that it's a gate fold card and I punched out the ornament shape from the front, it was a bit tricky punching out one side then lining up the other to get the punch in the right shape, but I'm please with the results.

Also, the sentiment comes from a stamp from, I believe, Papermania and goes across both sections of the front of the card.   From the above photo, you can just see that I've added a small piece of "Whisper White" cardstock to the inner top right hand corner for the space to add the hand written greeting.

You can just see in the first photo is very sparkly, I went a bit crazy sprizing with the shimmer paint mixed with surgical spirit, but it's sooo pretty - lol!

Oh, and note that I've added a little bow using the Silver Elastic Cord around the sentiment, this is a great product and so useful for so manyt things, especailly for all your Christmas project, but it is unfortunily on the retirement list, so this means it is only availble to buy until the end of Sept, assuming it doesn't sell out before then, so if you want some of this great little item, then get in contact as soon as possible to place an order.

PLUS, anybody who places an order through me during September (from the retirement list or any current catalogue products) for over £45 (plus postage) will receive a FREE 2011-2012 catalogue worth £5.95.

Hope you have a great weekend, till we chat again  xx

Project Ingredients

Stamp Sets :  "Delightful Decorations"
Card stock : "Whisper White", "Old Olive" & "Cherry Cobbler"
Accessories : Silver Elastic Cord; "Champagne Mist" shimmer paint;
Colour : "Old Olive" ink pad
Tools : "Ornament" Extra Large punch; Stampin' Dimensionals SNAIL Adhesive

Countdown to Christmas ~ Week 2

Hello again,

I have another Christmas project to share with you this week and it's another card and another simple one, just with quite a few steps.

First I stamped the images, then punched them out using the "Ornament" punch, then adhered them to the "Cherry Cobbler" cardstock then stamped the sentiment in Versamark ink, added white embossing powder and applied heat.  I then put it into the "Vintage Wallpaper" embossing folder and run it through the "Big Shot".  This technique is called Emboss Embed, when you look at the card it looks like the image is actually part of the cardstock as though it was printed on.
Then I glued the silver cord on, tied little bows and attached to the images then matted onto "Very Vanilla" cardstock then attached that with "Dimensionals" to the "Old Olive" card blank.  Then of course, spritzed it with "Champagne Mist" glimmer paint mix in Surgical Spirit, to make it all shimmery - so cute.

Even though there are quite a few steps,  once you get a little production line going, doing each stage one at a time for multiply cards, you can get quite a few done in a relatively short amount of time.  The thing that took the longest time was tying all those little bows, not easy for me as I have big fingers, but so worth it.

Hope you like it, sorry it doesn't look that shimmery in the photo but it really is so sparkly IRL.

Have a great weekend .... xx


Project Ingredients

Stamp Sets :  "Delightful Decorations" - for the main images & Contempo Christmas" - for sentiment.
Card stock : "Old Olive"; "Cherry Cobbler" &  "Very Vanilla" .
Accessories : "Vintage Wallpaper" embossing folder for the Big Shot; Elastic Cord in Silver; "Champagne Mist" - mixed in Surgical Spirit & Spritzed; Versamark Ink Pad; White Embossing powder.
Colour : "Old Olive" ink
Tools : "Big Shot" die machine; "Scallop Edge" Border punch; "Ornament" punch; Heat Tool; "SNAIL" tape runner adhesive "Stampin' Dimensionals"