Aloha, all!
I am at a stage in my life where it’s rare that I either give or receive gifts at Christmas time. That’s not to say I’m neglected nor that I’m neglecting others. It’s just the way it is. That’s why my sharing a gift that I made for a friend is a rare occurrence. But it’s one of those times that I just knew that I could make the perfect gift for my friend. And, of course, I had to make a box to hold it.
First the Box
It would not surprise me if you haven’t seen this paper before. That’s because it’s brand new Stampin’ Up! Specialty Designer Series Paper that will be in their newest Mini Catalog. That catalog runs from January 4 – June 30, 2021. The paper set just has three prints, all of which are single-sided with metallic floral designs. There are 4 sheets of each print in Rococo Rose, Blushing Bride and Sahara Sand. And they are all gorgeous!
The box is a simple, standard design, made in a size that fits the gift that I made. It’s 2-1/4″ x 7″ x 1″. To make it, I used the Blushing Bride design with its Copper metallic accents.
The Belly Band is Next
There’s another element on this box you’ve not seen before, either. The Blushing Bride Metallic Ribbon is absolutely amazing. One side of the ribbon is a satin ribbon in the Blushing Bride color. The other is a weave of what looks like copper and some more Blushing Bride. While I love the colors, it does take some twisting and turning to make the bow have only one side of the ribbon showing off. But, hey, it’s fabric. It’s made to be manipulated!
To make the Belly Band around the box, I cut a 1″ strip of Copper Foil and then tied the ribbon around it. I placed some Mini Glue Dots under the ribbon at the bow and several placed around to the back of the Copper Foil. It slips off and onto the box beautifully.
And Finally the Gift Itself
My friend and her mother spend much of their spare time knitting gifts to be sent to shelters and other places that help those in need stay warm during the winter months. This year they sent out several boxes of hats and blankets and other items, even as far away as Alaska. And, while they did include a note in each box, none of the individual items had any tags. A tag can serve many purposes including the size of the item or even just a note saying, “Made with love.” We talked a bit about this last week and my friend thought a tag would be a good idea and I could see her brain working out the details of making tags in the future. So why shouldn’t I jump start the effort!?
I had already decided that I was going to use the retired 3D Embossing Folder, Winter Knit, to make Christmas cards for my friend and her mother. Why not use them to make tags!? And so I did.
Each of the tags is a 2″ square card. The embossing folder is 6″ square, so I was able to get seven 1-3/4″ squares for the tag front out of one embossed 6″ square piece of cardstock. I wanted the front of the tags with the star shape to have a full star, and there are only four full stars on one sheet. The striped pattern divided nicely into three pieces.
There are 10 each of Coastal Cabana, So Saffron and Calypso Coral tags. There’s a piece of white cardstock inside for writing a note. I punched a small hole in the corner of each using the side of the Label Me Fancy Punch that includes a small hole punch. That punch is strong as it went through 4 thicknesses of cardstock with no fuss!
The Bottom Line
The simple truth of this project is that I had a blast making it! I’ve developed the skills to design and put something like this together. And Stampin’ Up! papers and other products make it so very easy. The result if something that I’m proud to share with my friend – and with you!
Happy Stamping!
