Christmas Tags

I have wrapped my first Christmas gift of the season.  I'm about 2/3 done with the shopping. I dislike shopping, especially with crowds and holiday stress, so I always start and finish early. You definitely won't find me in a store on Christmas Eve!

Many years ago, a friend gave me her Christmas wrapping tip.  She buys one type of paper each year and every gift gets wrapped in that.  She may use different coordinating ribbons or bows, but the paper is all the same. I've been doing the same thing ever since she told me. I find it so helpful.  I usually order the paper and ribbon online or buy at the local floral/gift supply store. When it's time to wrap I only have to bring out the one (usually large) roll.  I don't have to worry if I have enough paper on a roll to wrap a certain gift or if I have a bow to match the paper picked. I have less to store at the end of season and can often go a season or two with the same paper. It works for me!

The last few years I've been making my own gift tags. I coordinate them with that year's wrapping paper.  For me, part of the fun of giving a gift is for it to look nice, to make the recipient feel special. Making the gift tags is my little creative twist!

I've been working on these tags for the last few weeks. I'm an avid NFL fan and have a TV in my craft room. During the games I worked on the tags.  One week I cut all the shapes out, another week I glued the pieces together, the final Sunday I added the ribbon.  It's mindless work but it keeps me occupied while the games are on.  Very seldom do I just sit and watch TV.  My hands have to be moving!

I cut the tag and Christmas tree shapes using my Silhouette digital cutter machine. I have so much to learn about this little toy, it's amazing all the things you can do with it! Every project I learn something new!

I ran the tags through my Big Shot machine, using a snowflake embossing folder to give the tags a little more texture.

Once all my pieces were assembled it was just a matter of gluing them to the tags. Again, such an easy thing to do while watching the games! I should have enough made to get me through this Christmas season!