Did you know that the red petals on a poinsettia aren’t really petals at all? They’re a special type of leaf called bracts which respond to changing light levels. This causes them to change from green to red (or shades of pink or white) as the plant matures. The true flowers on a poinsettia are the teeny tiny yellow things found in the very middle of the bracts.

Of course this doesn’t make them any more impressive, but it did influence how I designed today’s gift tag project.

TAILOR MADE TAG BASE

I began by making my tag base using the aptly named Tailor Made Tags Dies. This set has two different shapes of tags, one with a flat top and the other with a rounded design. Within each style of tag there are four different sizes, and today I chose the #4 (largest) of the flat topped dies. In addition there are two dies that cut out reinforcing pieces for the tags. One has oval holes to coordinate with the flat top tag, and the other has round holes to go with the rounded top tag.

Using my Mini Cut & Emboss Machine and the large tag die I cut two tags from Basic White Card. Then using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) I glued them back to back to give them extra strength. Then from a scrap of Shaded Spruce Card I used the small die to cut the pieces to reinforce the oval holes. Using more liquid glue I added the tiny pieces to the back and front of the tag. Not only did they reinforce the holes, but they added some nice contrast too.

With that done I chose the “Happy Holidays” sentiment from the Poinsettia Petals Stamp Set. Then I used Shaded Spruce to stamp the sentiment directly onto the tag towards the top.

Finally I tied a piece of white twine from the Baker’s Twine Essentials Pack through the hole at the top and set it aside.

Now all I needed was the main decoration for the tag.

POINSETTIA PETALS AND DIES

I could have simply cut out the pieces using the Poinsettia Dies but I wanted them to have a little detail. So I chose the two smallest of the 5 ‘petal’ images from the Poinsettia Petals Stamp Set. Then stamped and embossed them one by one.

First on some Shaded Spruce Card I stamped the larger of my two images with VersaMark ink. Then I sprinkled the sticky ink with clear Stampin’ Emboss Powder and tapped off the excess. After removing some stray specks, I melted the rest using my Heat Tool set on 2 (high).

Next, using the same image I stamped and embossed it on some Real Red Card. Then I finished by stamping and embossing the smaller of my two images on another piece of Real Red Card.

With the embossing done and cooled I went back to my Mini Cut & Emboss Machine with the Poinsettia Dies. From the set I chose the two shape dies that coordinate with my stamped images and cut them out.

To put the poinsettia together I used liquid glue to fix the green leaves onto the tag base. Next I added the larger of the red pieces so the leaves could be seen below. Then on top of that came the smaller red piece, again so the lower pieces peeked through. Once my poinsettia was assembled, I gently curved the ends up taking care not to crack the embossing.

Finally for the tiny yellow flowers I pulled out the self-adhesive Matte Decorative Dots pack. I chose seven of the smallest Bumblebee coloured embellishments and pressed them into place. At last my tag was complete.

I love how this tag turned out and can’t wait to add it to a gift this Christmas.

By the way if you look at the Poinsettia Petals Stamp Set in the Stampin’ Up! 2021/2022 Annual Catalogue don’t be fooled, most of the images are shown at half their actual size.

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