Make your own Xmas Tags

Gift tags are commonly looked over or not put much effort on when wrapping gifts. I'm sure we're all guilty of buying tags in bulk especially for Christmas. Whatever happened to putting in a nice little note for the one you're giving your gift to? Not enough time, too much to do, there could be many reasons.

But maybe we can bring back nice little details on every gift? I've posted about making your own wrappers, but if that's too much for you then maybe gift tags will be easier. Well, it really depends on how much effort you want to put into it :)

Let's do this three ways, all of it involves some effort, and that makes it extra special!

Happy Holidays Buntings

Making these buntings are easy. Trust me! All you need to do is cut card stock or you can even use your scrap gift wrappers. Cut them into little rectangles, punch a hole on one end, and cut a triangle on the other. Thread a string or yarn or rope through the buntings and tie it around your gift and done! Easy peasy :) You can either write on your buntings or stick cute letters on to it. Just like I did. 

My card stock from Gourdo's, stickers from Greenhills, and white rope!

Tie it around your gift!

The next gift tag, I've posted one before to match my stamped out gift wrapper, makes use of a stamp. You can either make the stamp yourself or ask your rubber-cutting friend to carve one for you because I don't think you can buy this locally. 

Write your own personal message on these tags :)

I like using kraft paper or any brown paper. This particular one is just a cartolina I got from NBS, calligraphy pen also from the same store, and my own stamp with Versacraft inkpad. Making the stamp itself is really not hard at all, you can actually use an X-acto knife to cut away the parts you don't need and even carve the punch hole. 

The last one, sources are easy, you can get the materials from any bookstore. But it does require a level of effort and maybe patience. You'll need glue, a cute puncher in any shape you like (mine is autumn leaves), and any type of paper. 

Punch out a couple from your chosen paper then stick 'em on to the border of your gift tag. It can be round, square, rectangle, triangle, it's really up to you! I stamped my message but you can just write it out :) 

Happy gift crafting!

Decoupage Candles

Decoupage in its true form is a craft where paper cut outs are glued and/or varnished onto another type of material like wood or glass. But, for this project we shall be doing a little trick.

I've been doing this for some time now and it really is just an amazing way of prettifying things, from old cardboard boxes to recycled bottles, even furniture. Plus it's so easy to do!  If you're wondering, I use Mod Podge or Martha Stewart decoupage glue, which you can locally find from Deovir. (I'll have a different post on that later on)

However, we'll have no need for glue in this really simple decoupage candle project because the candle wax will serve as the glue. Do forgive me for using tea candles, the house has an abundance of this. But please make use of any other white or colored candle of any size and shape you like. 

Turn ordinary candles into something worth giving!

You're only going to need a couple of things 1) your candle, 2) tissue with design, 3) a pair of scissors, and 4) an old metal spoon that you can dispose off. Actually, you will also need a blowdry or another candle for lighting. I'll explain why. 

Your first step is to choose a pattern or design for your candle. Peel off the excess sheets of tissue from your napkin, if it's not 1-ply tissue, then cut the design. I've chosen the little star and ornament for my candles. 

To make this tissue design stick on to the candle, we will need to melt the wax where we place the tissue. So place it on top of the candle and hold it well. Take your spoon and either heat the back of it with a hair dryer or with a lighted candle. 

Be very gentle in rubbing the spoon against the candle

Do keep in mind that wax melts quite fast so there is no need to press hard on the design. Instead rub the back of the heated spoon against it gently in a circular motion. Oh! And keep your hand away from the spoon, it can get very hot. 

From ordinary candle

to Christmas-worthy candle!

Ta-da! Isn't that simple? Now, you might be wondering where to get these pretty paper napkins? You can always go to the home section of any mall. I trust Landmark to have a couple that you can choose from. Or make it yourself! Like I did so here.

Happy Crafting!

From old gift bags to Christmas gift bags

It feels a whole lot like Christmas and I'm super hyped to start giving and receiving things! I remember my first ever try at gift wrapping and I was only less than five years old. I'd always get envious of people wrapping things so I tried it myself when no one was watching, then got rushed to the hospital from a blade cut! I got a few stitches, but that wasn't the end of my gift wrapping experiments. Good job little me! 

Eventually, I got the hang of wrapping and unwrapping. I even have a method of peeling off the wrappers without ruining it, just because those paper wrappers are pretty. To make a gift extra special though, putting your own stamp to it (literally!) is always a good idea. Hence, this recycling/upcycling gift wrappers post. 

I'm so attracted to brown paper kraft bags. Now more and more malls and stores give it away for purchases instead of plastic. Hooray! So here's what you can do with it.

Take out an old paper bag and some stamps!

I cut this out from an old, crumpy, larger paper bag then made a couple of leafy stamps to make a wreath. You can also purchase these stamps from Gourdo's. Using my Versacraft Pine and Spring Green ink pads gives the leaves a bit more life. 

Start out with the bigger leaf and find the center of your paper bag and mark it. From your mark, go up about half an inch and start stamping. The trick here is to stamp out the first four leaves as if you were creating 12, 3, 6, and 9 of a clock. Keep in mind to stamp always at half an inch from center. Once that's done, you can start stamping in between the leaves as many times as you'd like.  

Now stamp over it with your little leaf stamp in another hue. Make sure you cover the spaces between the bigger leaves. The intent is to overlap it to make it look more wreath-like. Does that make sense? 

Leaving enough space on big leaves for smaller leaves.

Thread a ribbon through the punches, add a gift tag, and you're all set to give these away for Christmas!

Don't let those old paper bags go to waste. Use them this Christmas and get crafty! If you've got your own ideas on upcycling old materials for something new, share them with me! Happy Christmas Crafts!

Flower frame giveaway

Things happen sometimes that are beyond your control. For example, coming home and finding out that the printer/scanner is broken! But that doesn't mean you give up or break a promise. As they say, if there's a will, there is always a way. 

And that's also reason why this is late but as promised here's the stamped postcard thingy I made from my Versacraft review!

Click for a copy!

I realize this may not be the best copy I can give away, so yes I will come up with better ones for download. Not limited to this design. :)

I'm excited for Christmas and do plan on posting tips and loots you can use for gift wrapping or giving away. Super looking forward to sharing you more crafty things for what I feel is the best season of the year! 

What I like about Versacraft

It was around this time last year when a friend of mind introduced me to the idea of stamp carving. I didn't pursue it right off because I had a feeling it wasn't going to be easy. I've had quite a few failed attempts when I started learning it then I chanced upon a workshop. I wouldn't have signed on, had I not been so distracted with other crafty things and actually focus on stamp carving. 

It took me a total of 20 minutes to get things started with carving eraser blocks (you can get started here). Believe me, when you've got the right tools, it's as easy as cutting butter. 

Ink pads are of course a must when you're creating your own stamps. I started with the regular Orion ones you find in National Bookstore then moved on to the multi-colored ones that are always on sale in the same store; they were let's just say, unimpressive. Okay, if you want to play with stamping and really enjoy it, you have to invest on ink pads. And the first ink pad you should invest on is Versacraft. 

Versacraft ink pads come in a variety of colors!

I wouldn't really call it investing if you're only going to buy one or two since the prize range is only at P130-P150. But if you're a hoarder like me, then yes, invest in these cube babies. What I like about Versacraft is that you can use it for numerous surfaces, as suggested on the packaging. I've limited my use to paper, card stock, wood, and fabric only. I'd advise it for porous surfaces but for non-porous ones like metal or ceramic, there's a different ink pad for that (on another post(>‿◠)✌).

Colors are vibrant and covers any stamp fully, no matter how thin the lines are. 

In the photo above, I used Versacraft Lemon Yellow for the pineapple, which really should be a faint color but is not. I feel the colors really are quite accurate. The thing about these little cubes is that it allows flexibility whether you have a tiny stamp or a huge one. You can even blend different colors on to one stamp! When you store your Versacraft cube ink pads or any ink pad for that matter, make sure you store them upside down. 

Store your ink pads upside down and stack 'em up to save space!

Storing them this way is like getting help from gravity to make your ink sit on the surface, especially when you've used it up and is about to run dry. Now you must be wondering where to buy these? Go online! I bought a couple of these stamps outside the country. But, here's a source in the Philippines where you can get these ink pads.

Make postcards, invites, greeting cards, or even gift wrappers with stamps!

There are many ways to get creative with stamps. I like playing with it to create invites and stationeries with different patterns and borders like the one above. Earlier, I suggested that if you're only planning on buying one then go for black. But, truth is once you see Tsukineko's collection of Versacraft ink pads, I doubt you'd be able to control yourself to buying just one. It lasts for quite some time too so you don't need to worry about having to replace them after just a few uses. 

Use this little postcard as a gift card and download it free on 11-15-2014!

Do you have your own favorite ink pad? Or have questions on stamp carving? Message me and I'll do my best to help you out! :) Craft away craft babies!