Jolly Star Tags...Mini Tips!

Tags, tags, and more tags! I have to admit, sometimes working with a smaller medium is just as fun, if not more, than making a card! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy all things paper crafting, but sometimes with a smaller work area, your main design can really POP! So today I'm sharing these fun tags along with some tips for working with larger focal points that may slightly hang off your smaller cut of paper. Follow along my crafty friends!

Love this color combo! It's a nice break from the traditional Christmas colors.  Anyhow, I knew I'd be using larger die cuts and my card stock would slightly hang over my paper base, so I needed to add some extra support as to not bend my thinner card stock.  I remembered in my stash of supplies that I'd purchased some super thin chipboard coasters and they are just the correct thickness to run through my Big Shot.  You don't want to go too thick on the chipboard otherwise it 'flakes' on the edges when cut...not too mention your die cutting machine will be REALLY upset with the added stress due to thickness!

The chipboard cut like buttah!  Once you have all your chipboard cut, you can now apply your choice of card stock directly over the chipboard.  Any adhesive will do, but I prefer Tombo because it has a nice thin applicator on top to reach the tight areas as well the tips of the stars.  Easy peasy, right?! 

Tag Time x's 2...

Festive and jolly, but not much holly...to be found in Japan!  After living here a few months, it's evident to me that the 80's never left this island.  If fact, the 80's thrive here, along with all the tacky tinsel and holiday decor you may remember from your childhood!  For the most part, I do love it, but you will NOT catch me in a neon green shirt or hair scrunchies any time soon, but the 80's music I will always LOVE!

Anyhow, aside from my 'flashback' moments, today I'm sharing more festive Christmas tags!  I used a lot of Crystal Effects here as well as foam tape for 3-D effects. 

Hello there Rudolph!  I added the red glitter strip at the last moment and I love how it accentuates the sentiment.

Sweet mittens!  Colored these with my Copic markers.

Lovely birdies!  You cannot see in the photo here, or at least it's hard to tell, but the birds are stamped and cut out with a die.  I also cut out the same die shaped birds from thin chipboard so they are 'raised off' the tree branch.

Great detail shot of what Crystal Effects can add to your art work.  It adds a nice shine, right?  It took me some time to use Crystal Effects correctly.  After a few tries of overloading when I poured and numerous air bubbles, I've been using it for years now and absolutely love it!  It's important to let it dry COMPLETELY before running your fingers over it...unless you want to give gifts of fingerprints...it's best to let it dry overnight before touching.

Snowflake dies with Martha Stewart snowflake glitter!  YUMMY!

Peppermint Candy Tutorial...

It's beginning to look A LOT like Christmas! At least at my crafting station it is...the weather being in the 70-80's...not so much! It still puts me in a crafty mood and I was really excited to try something new for my tags this year. Follow along and I'll show you how I made some easy-peasy candy tags!

SO pretty and glitter-y!  I love the 3-D effect the twine gives to the candy.  The candy twists on the ends are made with my small SU! heart punch.

Here we go!  I've showed all the steps here...looks tedious, but I promise it's 'easy as pie'!

Step 1:  Punch out a 1 1/4 circle and cover with double sided tape.  My tape does run over onto the table, you may not want to do this, but I prefer this method because it holds my circle in place as I wind the twine around and around.  To find your center point, use a circular piercing mat, place your punched circle right on top and VOILA, you can punch a center dot with  your piercer.

Step 2:  Once your circle looks like a candy, pull up gently from the table.  I used a small pair of mustache scissors that I keep in my tool box...these scissors are great for fine detail cutting as well!  You can simply fold under the excess tape tabs onto the back.

Step 3:  You can certainly stop here if you want to keep the 'soft threaded look', but I really wanted to achieve a shiny piece of candy.  I love SU! Crystal Effects for many reasons and I use it often!  Squeeze a generous amount over your candy and let dry overnight.  Once your candy is dry, the Crystal Effects not only makes your candy shiny, but it also helps keep a nice BIND of all the twine.