Hi friends, its Friday and its Katie here to finish off another week with you, but in turn we've got the weekend coming up. Did you think I could possibly let July pass without sharing a Christmas in July project with you? Well, I thought a gift of tags would be fun to give somebody during the holidays. the nice thing about this gift is that you can give it early and it doesn't cost much to share a little something early on. Plus, it will give your recipient some time to go searching for coordinating Christmas wrap.
I have some things in my picture that I used in my tutorial, but if you don't have them, this is a tutorial that you could easily adapt.
- Cricut Expression and George Cartridge ( for the tags)
- Scor-Pal
- Scor-Tape
- Heat Gun
- Embossing Powder
- EK Success border punch
- Patchpal Messages Stamp Set
- Fanciful Flakes Stamp Set
- Inks
- Papers (I used My Minds Eye)
- Embellishments
Lets get going on the main box portion. You will need a piece of cardstock measuring 81/2" x 9"
Score all sides at 3" and cut where the scissors are (do you like the icons?... just playing)
*** its important to note that you will need to snip on the 9" side. The folds won't work if you do it on the opposite side (along the 81/2" side)
Fold up flaps and your box is created.
Attach Scor-tape to the narrow sides of the box. (I tore the tape... no scissors MOM)
Set box aside and cut out your tags. These tags are going to decorate the outside of the box. I cut 4 tags, 2 from each design, one for the inside and one for the outside. If you have a George Cartridge, I cut the large tags at size 4 1/4" on Shadow Blackout.
Attach the two different designs together. I then lopped off about a 1/4" on the bottom to square it up to my box bottom. Then just attach to the sides of the box that have the scor-tape on them.
NOTE: If you don't have this particular die cut machine all you need is a tag that measures 2 1/2" wide and 4 1/4" tall.
Next, I cut all the tags that would be attached to the gifts. I decided to cut 12 total tags, but many more would fit in your box if you wanted. Again, if you have the George Cartridge, I cut these tags at size 3 3/4" (designer paper) and the shadow with the solid cardstock.
Then I decided I wanted a little bit of pizazz and created a border for the bottom of my tags. For this, I used the set called Fanciful Flakes. I used some of my larger scraps for this and just made sure that each piece was 2" wide. I used the the longer stamp image for this.
I used a white pigment ink and then used some embossing powder that I had. I went with a pink for the pink and a silvery glitter one for the blue. Here is a picture of the blue that is ready to heat.
Then, I cut the strips that measured 2" by approximately 3/4". I also chose to create a scallop border for these strips by using my EK Success border punch, then attached to the bottoms of my tags.
Then of course each tag will need a to and from so your recipient can label their tags. I happened to choose a new set that is actually an accompaniment to the Patchpal Line, but works perfectly for this purpose too.
What I did was lay my 2 sentiments on one of the tags and got them just right and then placed my block on top of them to pick them up. Stamp once on some scratch paper just to make sure they are aligned perfectly and you'll be set to stamp the whole lot.
Now its time to embellish with some ribbon. I cut each piece of ribbon and string about 8" long. This gives you plenty of fingering room and clipping room at the end. Fold your ribbon in half and thread it through the FRONT of your tag. I like the look of having my loop show on the front so its important to go from the FRONT and NOT THE BACK.
Pull through so you have a nice big loop at the back.
Then gather your ends and thread through the loop - front to back and adjust.
I thought about just leaving the box the way it is, but its so hard not to add a handle. So handle it is. I cut a strip of cardstock that measures 8" x 3/4".
I then just attached some Scor-tape to both sides. The box isn't heavy so I opted for the tape versus brads.
I then got some buttons and attached them on the outside and a metal label. I used a word processor to print my sentiment.
Here are the rest of the views
So Merry Christmas, just a tad bit early. I won't be back until after sneak peeks... which are coming up super quick. Come on back for lots of eye candy... you will love what you see.
Just a reminder that Cassie is hosting the Papercraft Planet Clear Dollar Stamps Color Challenge this weekend. Make sure to stop by and play if you have time.
Thanks for spending time with us and have a great Friday and weekend.
This is Katie signing off for Clearly iStamp.
oh how wonderful Katie!
Posted by: Sue Kment | August 15, 2009 at 10:07 PM
Thanks for the great tutorial! I can't wait to try it out!
Posted by: Jenn | August 04, 2009 at 11:53 PM
Although I do not make cards, I buy thousands of cards via eBay. One of the nicest "thank you" gifts that you can give your customer to show appreciation for a large order is a tag. It doesn't take too much time or materials like an extra card would and it is very much appreciated.
Some of my favorite sellers send me a free tag with each order and it definitely keeps me buying more!
Posted by: Kathryn Stevenson | August 01, 2009 at 04:02 PM
Thanks so much for this idea. I do not have the expression, just the first Cricut, so I will have to tweek the box dimensions, but this is a great starting point. I appreciate the inspiration.
I also liked your post about the chapsticks. I did something similar with my girls at church and they loved them. Thanks for the information!
Posted by: Rachel B | July 28, 2009 at 07:38 PM
Great directions for a great project! Thanks for sharing!
Michelle Polizzi
Posted by: Michelle Polizzi | July 25, 2009 at 05:02 PM
This is just beyond adorable! I'm sure anyone who receives this will be totally thrilled!
Posted by: Christyne | July 25, 2009 at 09:30 AM
These are awesome!!!!!!! I am going to have to make some.I love the paper and colors you used to.
Posted by: Gail | July 25, 2009 at 09:02 AM
I love this tutorial! I have George, I have this paper, what a fun gift to give someone or have out when wrapping pkgs at Christmas time.
Posted by: Debbie Fisher | July 25, 2009 at 08:22 AM
This is an adorable idea. I love it ! Thanks so much, Katie.
Posted by: Pat Phillips | July 25, 2009 at 06:27 AM
Love this project! What a sweet xmas box and tags :) I wish I wish me a scorpal!! *lol*
Posted by: Tindaloo | July 25, 2009 at 04:41 AM
Katie, Katie, KATIE!! This has got to be the CUTEST 3-D project I've seen in a really long time. So super cute and original - I love it!!
Posted by: Ryann Salamon | July 24, 2009 at 11:14 PM
Katie,
I love this! I am making my xmas tags this year to match our theme and now I have a cute holder for them.
Carol
Posted by: Carol Turner | July 24, 2009 at 04:04 PM
Love it!! I am totally doing this for some early Christmas gifts ;D
Posted by: Cassie | July 24, 2009 at 11:01 AM
Another fabulous post Katie!! Luuuuuuuv the box for the tags too!!
Posted by: Wendy | July 24, 2009 at 09:51 AM
Katie, these are adorable.
Posted by: Terri Bills | July 24, 2009 at 08:26 AM
THAT IS SO ADORABLE!!!! I'm going to get started on that project! All those ribbons can be cut and tied during gymnastic lessons :-)
Posted by: Lori McCroskey | July 24, 2009 at 08:13 AM
Oh my goodness Katie, this is adorable!!!!!! What a wonderful project!!!
Linda
Posted by: Linda Anderson | July 24, 2009 at 07:48 AM
Adorable! What a great idea!!
Posted by: Tricia T. | July 24, 2009 at 07:24 AM
Perfect gift that is easy to make up and have a few on hand for those times when you need a little something for someone! I love it.
Posted by: Candyf | July 24, 2009 at 06:36 AM
Thanks for this great idea! Just planning to buy the Cricut Expression and this is really nice to try!
Bye, have a nice weekend!
Anne-Marie
Posted by: Anne-Marie | July 24, 2009 at 06:02 AM
What a fabulous tutorial and these look great! TFS
Posted by: Sue | July 24, 2009 at 05:17 AM