My plan for today’s project was simple, make a masculine / gender neutral birthday gift tag. I also wanted to include the new Color Velveteen Paper in the design and have some die cut pieces too. As it turned out I ended up using three different die sets but the final result was definitely worth it.

VELVETEEN PAPER

It all started with the pack of Color Velveteen Paper. There are three colours in the pack, Soft Sea Foam, Highland Heather and the one I chose today, Cinnamon Cider. This one particularly reminds me of suede jackets and was perfect for what I had in mind.

Instead of using one of the Tag Topper Punches to create the tag base I wanted something a bit different. I found the perfect shape in the Painted Labels Dies and used it to die-cut the Velveteen Paper. As well as cutting the shape the die added an embossed detail around the edge which I love. Then to turn the die-cut ‘label’ into a tag I added an oval hole at the top using the Detailed Trio Punch.

For my happy birthday sentiment I needed something fairly compact. In the end I chose the sentiment from the Four Season Floral Stamp Set. After stamping it onto Thick Very Vanilla Card with VersaMark ink, I sprinkled it with Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder. Then I tapped off the excess and removed a few stray specks. Finally I melted the rest using my Heat Tool set on 2 (high)

Going back to my collection of dies I then began to look for something to cut out the sentiment. I didn’t have to look far. The Ornate Frames Dies was the first place I looked and it had a die that was the ideal shape and size. So without bothering to search any further, I die-cut the sentiment. Then using Tear & Tape Adhesive I attached the sentiment to the Velveteen tag.

MORE TEXTURE

With the basic tag done I just needed to find a nice element to decorate the space below the sentiment. So it was back to my collection of dies and another goto, Nature’s Thoughts.

I chose the feather die which not only cuts out the shape but also embosses some additional detail at the same time. To contrast with the soft Velveteen Paper I decided to use Brushed Metallic Cardstock for this. After looking at the three colours in the pack I chose the darkest (Bronze) piece and die-cut the feather. Then I attached it to the tag using Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals.

All I needed now was to add a ribbon and for this I chose Cinnamon Cider 1/4″ In Color Ribbon. This coordinated nicely with the Velveteen Paper but added even more detail and texture. After threading the ribbon through the hole I tied it in a simple knot and I was done.

Well I set out to created a masculine gift tag with lots of interest and I think I succeeded. From the textures of the different paper, card and ribbon, to the shape of the tag, sentiment and feather, it all just works beautifully. What do you think?

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Painted Labels Dies in a bundle with the coordinating Painted Poppies Stamp Set (not used today). Ordering using the special ‘bundle’ item number meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying the two items separately. I’ve included a link to the bundle in case you want to explore this option.