Day 2: Holiday Gift Card Holder

A gift card always make a convenient and fast gift for anyone on your list. This great gift card holder gives your gift card a bit of a personal touch and you can make it for any occasion!

Cut your paper:

Base Paper - cut to 4.25x11

Paper layer -4x2.75

Score the base paper at 3, 5.5, 8. I have used the Martha Stewart Scoring Board. So easy, fast and professional!

Fold into a Mountain fold

Glue (tape) the mountain folds together around the edges, make sure not to go to far in so you can slide the gift card in the middle. I like to use the ¼ orange craft tape. This tape will hold any paper together.

Cut a slot on the inside fold to fit a gift card. Use a old gift card to measure how big the slot should be. Use an exacto knife.

Decorate the front. Layer pattern paper. The sample has a punched shape on the front, you will layer a piece of ribbon between the punched piece and the front and wrap around the gift card holder to keep it shut.

I think it is fun to put your personal touch on any gift. Have fun with this one!

Whitney

Tukwila Paper Zone

Candle Wraps!

We just got the new POW! Micro Glitter Paper from American Crafts. This paper is made with a brilliant sparkle that never rubs off and it's backed with a super pliable, thin cardstock. This paper runs through a die cut machine easily and punches perfectly. We have 12 colors in store and 12 new ones on the way! The first thing I thought of when I saw this paper was candle wraps. I wanted to show you how to make both a simple wrap and a more embellished one.Here is what you will need for the embellished one: Two shades of purple glitter paper, one sheet of patterned paper, an edge punch, a hole punch, paper flowers, buttons, adhesive, a paper cutter, and a candle. I used a 6 inch tall candle that I've had for a while. It's a bit of an eye sore so I wanted to pretty it up.

First, I cut a 5 inch strip of the light purple glitter paper, put lots of double sided tape from my ATG gun, and rolled it onto my candle. I found this was the easiest way to prevent air bubbles and make sure it lays evenly.

Next, I cut out two 12" strips from the pattern paper from my large edge punch.

This pattern paper is double sided. One side is patterned and the other is solid. Then I used my ATG gun again to adhere the two strips together. More ATG tape and I used the rolling technique again to adhere the strips onto the candle.

Next, I punched out a few 1/2" circles from the dark purple glitter paper, layered them on purple flowers, and used a light yellow button for the center of the flower. The ATG tape worked perfectly for this. Then using a 3D glue dot (any dimensional adhesive would be fine) I adhered the flowers to the candle right on the pattern strip.

I felt like this candle needed a little something more. I cut out 2 1/2"X12" strips and glued them to the top and bottom of the candle. Voila! This eye sore is now pretty and sparkly!

I found these candles to be too plain. Here is a quick, easy, and simple way to make them pop! You will need two different glitter papers, an edge punch, and some colored 'wraphia'.

First, I cut a 3"X12" strip of the darker colored glitter paper and edge punched one side of it. This is for the largest candle. The other two candles I just adjusted the size of the strips according to their specific size.

Next, I cut a 1" strip in the gold and glued it down in the center of the larger piece. Then using some yellow wraphia, I tied it around the center of the gold and tied a simple knot. I repeated the steps with all three candles.

Happy Crafting!

-Malyse

6th Day of Christmas - Letterpress Gift Card Holders

Sometimes gift cards seem impersonal and kind of a last resort, but sometimes they are the perfect thing for certain people on your list. This year there is a great die cut set from Lifestyle Crafts (the same people that brought you my favorite letterpress machine) called Winter Wishes that will make it really easy to give that gift card a personal touch. Not only do you get a fantasitic alphabet that can be used for tons of different projects, but you also get these pocket cards that are also really versitile.

The largest size is convieniently perfect for a gift card. I decided to go really fancy and letterpress it as well, so I started with the PZ Letterpress cardstock in Ecru.




After die-cutting the main pieces, I cut out a couple of circles using somes scraps of red paper I had lying around and the nesting circle dies that came with my letterpress machine. These will act as a pull-tab and also keep the gift card in place.


I used dies from the Winter Tide letterpress die set to make a simple greeting and spruce up the insert piece a bit.

Next, I glued the 2 red circles to the edge of the insert piece. The first one is adhered to the back of the insert and the second one is adhered to the first circle as shown. Be sure the front circle is not glued to the front of the insert so you are able to tuck the gift card in as shown.



Then just fold and glue the outside envelope together.

The insert and gift card fit nicely in the envelope to make for an easy and really personalized way to give your gift.



Happy Gift Giving!

Amanda

3rd Day of Christmas - personalized notepads

Although I do love making tasty treats around the holidays, I was trying to think of something different to do for my kids to hand out to their classmates this year. I needed something fairly easy since I had to make close to 60 of them and, of course, cost effective. So I came up with personalized note pads! These are quick, easy, and the end product is a cute, creative, and useful gift! Make these for stocking stuffers, gifts for co-workers, your favorite bank teller…or impress your boss!

For this project you will need:

• 3x5 notepad (only $0.59 each!)
• 12x12 cardstock paper (double-sided works best so that both the inside and outside are decorative; you can make 4 notepads out of each 12x12!)
• Scor-it-All Board
• Paper cutter
• Adhesive (ATG is my favorite!)
• Magnet tape with adhesive (only $1.29 for a 30 inch roll!)
• Any embellishments you may want to add (rub-ons, jewels, letter stickers, etc.

Follow these simple steps:

1. Cut a 12x12 sheet of cardstock into 4 strips, each measuring 3” x 12”.
2. Using the Scor-it-All Board, score at 1 ½ ” , then at 1 7/8”.
3. Starting from the other side, score again at 4 11/16” and at 5 1/16”.
4. Fold all scores, pressing firmly to make sure you have a nice indent.
5. Put adhesive on the middle section and the small section you scored closest to the long end.
6. Attach a 3x5 notepad. The adhesive will attach the cardboard back and top of the scratch pad to the decorative paper. Press firmly to make sure it attaches well.
7. Using the magnet tape with adhesive, cut two small, equal pieces.
8. Attach one to the front of the largest section of the notebook.
9. Before removing the adhesive of the second piece of magnet, stick it to the first piece (magnet to magnet). Remove the adhesive backing and fold up the little flap to adhere. This way, the magnet pieces will be lined up.

DONE! That simple!

You can embellish if desired. I attached a vellum strip printed with each classmate’s name for the class party favors. I just put them in a Polypro bag, tossed in some Shredz, added a pencil, a few pieces of candy, and topped it off with a piece of decorative and curling ribbon and they were adorable! (And less than $1.00 each!) On other ones I have made, I added adhesive pearls, cardstock stickers, and letter stickers. So many possibilities! --Sarah, Tacoma Store

Pails in Comparison

Have you checked out the clear pails in our stores? These fun little pails give way to many creative ideas, great for all-occasion gifts, party favors, wedding favors, or...just because. And they are available in four sizes! Who doesn't love a fun little blank canvas like this? Just in time for the holidays - we have an amazing cookie tin idea for you, and it makes a perfect holiday gift (it's a great hostess gift too!)


We are loving this cookie pail idea - fill the container with your favorite cookies, include an embellished recipe card, and decorate as you wish. This mini cookie stamp was carved by an associate at the Portland PZ (we sell little kits to carve your own stamps so you can customize your stamp just how you want them!)

How do you get the ribbon pull top?
The tin top is fairly malleable and making a hole can be done in various ways:

Idea #1: Use a wide nail and hammer to create an indent.
-or-
Idea #2: The 6" indented Crop 'o' Dile eyelet setter can punch though thin metal such as this creating a clean hole.

Once your hole is made, simply slip about 6" of ribbon through and knot on the inside & trim any excess tails.


Ingredients:
Medium Clear Tin Pail
Any Ribbon of your Liking
Various metallic paper (pictured: Stardream Bronze & Curious Metallics Gold Leaf)
Your favorite sweet cookie recipe! Find the Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies seen here from Martha Stewart!

What clever things could you make with these tin pails? --Portland PZ