December 14, 2009

L Letterpress Giveaway!

If you haven't checked out the Lifestyle Crafts blog you will want to drop by and have a chance to win a new Letterpress combo kit and a custom plate set! Valued at $150.00! Click here to see the giveaway!

I am especially excited for the opportunity to have my own plates made! At $39.99 you cant get any better deal. What is the first design or phrase you would make if you won?

A Clever Hostess Gift

Like many of you, I enjoy visiting with friends and partaking in some holiday cheer this time of year. When attending a holiday party, I always try to bring along a small hostess gift as a way to show my appreciation for the party-planning efforts that were made on my behalf.

While playing with the dies from the Santa’s Workshop mini album kit, I whipped up a quick project that will undoubtedly make my hostess’ holiday to-do list a little shorter.

The outcome? A fun gift tag album that is a one-stop spot for tags needed for holiday gifts. Read the step-by-step directions below to see how these are assembled. The best part is that you can make several of these tag booklets at once.

1. Select cardstock and patterned paper that coordinates well together. I love the Making Memories line, so that is what inspired me.

2. Lay out your Wintergreen dies. You’ll need the cover die, page die and inset mat.

3. Cut some cardstock into 6.5” wide and 4” tall rectangles. (I prepped enough pages so I could assemble a few mini albums all in one sitting.)

4. Run several pieces of red and green cardstock through your Epic tool with the Wintergreen page insert die and the coordinating inset mat die.

5. I set up my platform with this configuration of dies and cut them with green, red and kraft. I also used the window die, as they made the perfect rectangle-sized die cuts that were in direct proportion to the nameplate and oval.

6. I then created my gift tags. I used a To: and From: stamp and attached ribbon and silver embroidery thread with a stapler. I added some lovely touches to the patterned paper, and called it good! Adorn your own tags however you wish!

7. To create the back cover, I attached red cardstock to a piece of the patterned paper.

8. To make the pouch, I chose a green mat-sized piece of cardstock and trimmed it in half. Using double-sided tape along the sides and bottom, I left the top free to tuck in my tags.

Note: You can also use the coordinating Wintergreen Folder die to create a nice pocket for your gift tags.

9. I used Santa’s Workshop Mini Alphabet and black cardstock to create the title.

10. Line up both the cover and the back page to thread ribbon through the holes. I used American Crafts ribbon, which matched perfectly.

Easier than throwing a party, but just as fun!

Thanks to our Ambassador Tamara Warner for this darling idea!