Although I spent time yesterday preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Fiona I did get a little sidetracked in my craft studio. My regular followers will know I have a hard time parting with scraps, I’d much rather find a use for them. So when I discovered some stray pieces from the Boughs of Holly Designer Series Paper (DSP) pack I just had to use them up. Armed with the “Merry Christmas” sentiment from the Celebrate With Tags Stamp Set and the coordinating Celebrations Tag Dies I set to work.

ALTERED DIE CUT

My first task was to cut the small piece of DSP. At just 2-1/2″ x 3-1/4″ it was much smaller than I’d usually use on a tag. But I’d realised that it was just a little over half the size of the folded gift tag die in the Celebration Tag Dies set. So instead of a folded tag I decided to turn it into a simple flat one.

After putting the DSP onto the cutting plate I placed the die on top so the bottom and sides fitted onto the paper. Next after running it through the machine I trimmed off the top along the fold line imprinted by the die. Then I repeated the process with a scrap of Thick Basic White Card.

To complete the tag base I used Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) to fix the DSP and card back-to-back. Then I cut 6″ of gold cord from the Simply Elegant Trim pack and tied it through the hole.

CHRISTMAS SENTIMENT

All I needed to do now was create the sentiment layer. I began by choosing the bold “Merry Christmas” sentiment from the Celebrate With Tags Stamp Set. Then using Real Red ink to coordinate with the DSP I stamped the sentiment onto a scrap of Thick Basic White Card. To cut it out I used the stitched rectangle die from the Celebrations Tag Dies set.

Before going any further I added three gold embellishments from the Festive Pearls pack. Then I fixed the sentiment to the tag base at an angle using Stampin’ Dimensionals.

It was only at this point that I decided I wanted some solid colour between the DSP and sentiment. However that was an easy fix using another scrap of DSP from the Boughs of Holly pack. This piece was red with subtle polka dots and I cut two strips, each one 1/4″ x 2-1/2″. Next, I put a little liquid glue on the back of the strip before tucking it under the top edge of the sentiment and pressing it onto the DSP. Then I added the second strip below the sentiment in the same way

Finally I trimmed the ends of the strips with Paper Snips using the sides of the tag as a guide. With that my Christmas gift tag was complete and several scraps of DSP had been saved from the trash.

Well that’s all from me for today. I have a few more tasks to get done before the worst of the storm hits. Then I’ll hunker down with my craft supplies, or a book (or two), and ride out the storm.

To see a folded tag created using the same die check out my earlier blog post Candle celebrations.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Celebrate With Tags Stamp Set in a bundle with the coordinating Celebrations Tag Dies. Using the single “bundle” item number on my order meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying the same two items separately. I’ve included links for both options in case you want to explore these for yourself.

UPDATE 2023: Sadly the Celebrations Tag Dies have retired and are no longer available from Stampin’ Up!