Ho Ho Ho!!!

Hi everyone!  I’ve finally had a moment to start my teachers’ gifts and packaging.  Here is the first of several.  (The color is a bit off in this photo… I couldn’t seem to adjust it properly.  The color looks better in the close-up below.)

I covered a plain white gift bag with the two patterned papers, using Tombow Mono Multi to adhere the paper to the bag.  (I’ve tried other adhesives and Mono Multi works best for me.  Once that stuff dries, you can’t pull it apart without destroying your paper.)

The tree, star and sentiment are from Lizzie Anne Designs’ Holiday Cheer.  Using Celery ink, I stamped the tree onto white cardstock then used a 1/8″ hole punch wherever there was a dot on the tree.  Then I cut it out and adhered it to the red cardstock again using Mono Multi but sparingly so it wouldn’t squish and show through the dots).  The star is stamped in gold, cut out and adhered with a pop dot.

For the tag, I used a red marker to only color the h’s, then added a gold brad for each ‘o’.  The white part of the tag is popped up to accomodate the backs of the brads.   And I added some extra ribbon before tying the knot in an attempt to somewhat duplicate Pam‘s awesome “poofs.”  (That girl can make some incredible bows!!)

I’ve been asked many times, “How do you get your brads so straight?”  I use Stampin’ Up’s mat pack, but there is another little thing I do that helps.  Once I mark the positions with a pencil, I poke the holes with a large needle.  I don’t use a hole punch because then the hole is usually too big and that little bit of extra space allows the brad to move a bit.  If you use a needle, the brad will fit more tightly.  I also make sure the brad (and the prongs) are as flat as I can get them once inserted.  I hope that helps!

Thanks so much for stopping by!! 

Cardstock:  Whisper White, Real Red    Patterned Paper:  The Robin’s Nest “Cindy Lou Stripe” and “Cindy Lou Dots”    Stamps:  Lizzie Anne Designs “Holiday Cheer”    Ink:  Certainly Celery, Real Red; Brilliance Galaxy Gold    Accessories:  Large and small tag punches, 1/8” hole punch, gold brads, mat pack/needle, ribbon (Michael’s), dimensionals.  Finished card size:  4 ¼” x 5 ½”.