Christmas Tags

I've been so busy with the little things in life, but I cannot believe I didn't post anything I created over the holidays! I think the biggest project was making gift tags. My girlfriends and I decided to make 10 gift tags per Care package for the elderly shut-ins of our church. These gift tags could be used by them and would help prepare for Christmas without having to shop for tags.  Each tag was so different in size, shape, and colors, and yet, we hoped each one would show our older friends that we were thinking of them while wishing them a very happy holiday.

So, with a little organization, we used 8'tables to set up 10 stations in the Fellowship Hall of the church. At each station, we placed a sample of the particular tag for that station, and then, all the supplies it would take to complete the task. We welcomed anyone to join us, explaining that we would teach any techniques needed, but for the most part, we made plans that would only require someone to glue the shapes onto the supplied tags.
The setting up of the stations took most of our morning, but by afternoon, we scattered around the room, each taking a different station, and created while we visited with each other.

My favorite tag came actually came about quite by accident. I was experimenting with my Cricut machine and some new font cartridges. I hate wasting anything, so I began to put together whatever had happened out of the machine. Then I used some scrap rectangles and squares, topping them with cricut-cut bows. I love the large font and the overlay look I created.  Because these were made with my experimental fonts, each tag was a little different and fit the background differently. I couldn't take photos of every little one that was made, so I kept one of my favorites. They sure were fun to create and often made us chuckle at the end result.

Another cute tag was made by using buttons. This was so simple to assemble. This one was suggested by my friend, Ann. Because few supplies were needed, it went together very quickly, using a glue gun and one rectangle piece of card stock. The edges of the tag were dusted with ink and the "to" and "from" stamped on with a red ink pad.
And oh! Each tag's final touch was a hole punch and ribbon tied on to make a connecting string.

Demonstrating the many uses of the Cricut machine for a girlfriend who hadn't tried it yet was also some of our entertainment. I took her idea of a red and white tag and made this cute tag. She loves to use the very simplest art forms, so we just cut the font out and then, she used a punch for the little snowflakes. These letters were skinny and fragile, and we wondered if simply gluing them on would last under the Christmas present, if they made it that far. After a little thought, we decided to attempt to "modge podge" the entire tag and let them dry overnight. They were shiny and bright in the morning, and so much more durable. It was a great idea! My friend loved the Cricut uses so much, she purchased one on sale a couple of days later. We've been having fun comparing cartridges since Christmas!
So, all in all, we had a wonderful day together, made some terrific memories and used many ideas and mediums to create a little JOY for some of our shut-in loved ones.